Author: murali

Today, in the digital world we live in, every individual and every institution needs a digital identity . Amaravian Alumni Association has one of the best identities , our alumni website, amaravian.com. We have a comprehensive database and contact details of fellow-alumni are available literally on your fingertips . Just fire the app on your smart-phone and reach out to any amaravian anywhere in the world. From my own batch 90-95 % are registered.

The website Amarvian.com was launched in 2007 and has gradually built up an exhaustive database on over 5000 alumni , from the initial excel spreadsheet compiled by Capt Vijayasarathi over the years. Technically speaking, it is PHP based, lightweight , having simple user interface and an elegant design. It has withstood the test of time and has maintained the functionality over 13 years.

I know from my experience that it is easier to make a website than to get people to use it, particularly a non-commercial web site with little or no revenues. The simple functionality of emails and forum is amazing. I only wish more people use for routine communication.

We have a simple feature called “Forum” to meet the need for discussions that are stored as a thread. I say simple because it is all text based . I must say, less than 5 percent of our alumni access this part, yet, it is one place where important issues are discussed and the minutes of the discussions are always available for reference. For eg, doing some background research for a short article on functioning of our OBA, I could see the Principal’s letter spelling out the current line of thinking on the issue and the comments from alumni on that letter.

A sad necessity for any community is to keep track of the departed, particularly so for a mature institution . The web site has a feature where any member can make entries; firstly the factual details like date, cause of death and so on. Once the details along with photographs are displayed on the site, any member can pay verbal tributes as comments on the post. A simple way to remember those who have passed on.

Amaravian.com , like most web sites today, has a companion app for mobile devices which is really handy for quick reference on some contact details or photos.

As a technology buff, I have been following the trend closely from newsgroups in the nineties to emails groups and blogs, then social media platforms like Orkut, Facebook,WhatsApp, Instagram and so on. While WhatsApp is clearly the winner today as for usage is concerned, blogs score in durability of contents.

The team working behind the website , have done a wonderful job with selfless dedication , in design and maintenance of the facilty. But there is always a need for enhancements and on the top of my wish list is provision for a multipurpose blog.

For the benefit of people not fully initiated to the bloggers’ world , I include a short note on blogs. Blog is short for Web log , the process of logging into a web site and adding contents. A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. One might put it as what is Test match to a T-20 match would be a Blog to Instagaram. A blog has all bells and whistles unlike a bland text message, but at the same time can give in depth gyan on any subject unlike an Instagram post.

There are wonderful open source CMS (Content management System) like WordPress that has made blogging a cake-walk even for the people not so technically savvy. WordPress was originally created as a blog-publishing system but has evolved to support other types of web content including more traditional mailing lists and forums, media galleries, membership sites and so on. I understand that Amaravian.com also is in the process of introducing a feature for blogging and we can soon look forward to a lot of creativity from the members.

A big Thanks to the team ; in the order of School Seniority , Vijayasarathy N(244), Seetharaman Ganesan (1625), T S Vijaya Kumar (1657), Sundaraeswar Babu (1677) , Mohammed Shaffiudeen (1707), Senthil Shankar (1756) , Damodararaj Kannan (2044) , Muruganandhan (2487) , S Anand Kumar (2968) and A R Sooriyaoli (RollNo: 4490).

Old Boy’s Association or simply OBA means different things to different people. I might also add “at different times”. Over a span of 50 years , perceptions change particularly when seen through the eyes of a student, an alumnus and as part of the school management.

In the year I joined , 1968, there were just four batches that had graduated from the school. The old boys were really boys and not old men as we see today. What was the purpose of OBA then ? For the alumni , it was a great way to keep in touch with their alma mater, particularly considering that in those days the only other way to keep in touch with anyone was through letters or snail mail as they are called now. It was good to meet your favorite teachers and give an update on your progress or seek guidance. For the teachers it is absolutely rewarding to see their wards standing on their own legs and to see them shining in various fields ; a moment of pride for any mentor.

As students , we really used to look up to our seniors as many of them were role models for us. I think, the school had a bias towards accommodating NDA cadets and OBA was scheduled keeping the academic session of NDA in mind. For most students ,at that age, NDA was always something awe inspiring . It took just four years for a boy passing out from the school to become a commissioned officer of the defense forces. Add another two years and he would have picked up the rank of captain, the same rank held by our School Headmaster ; and school Headmaster was a very big man,especially when seen from the perspective of a student.

It was not just the rank, there was a distinct change in the personality, that appealed to the young. To motivate a young boy to join the forces, it takes just one interaction with a boy who had been with you at school not many years back and has now evolved or risen to a position you hold in high esteem.

An alumni get together is also an occasion to have fun with your childhood mates , but that is something that can be organized anywhere , not necessarily at the school. Of late it is this aspect which has attained monstrous proportions.

In the earlier days , meaning in the seventies, an OBA meant a special assembly where alumni gave motivational talks , followed by a friendly game of basket ball or cricket and informal meals at the Boys Mess.

As a student, I particularly remember the OBA of 1974 , may be because we were the senior most batch then or may be because I happened to participate in the School Team vs Alumni Team cricket match. Whatever be, that’s the kind of get together I would cherish. There was a special assembly and a friendly Cricket match at what used to be Football Field No 4 , later called, Oval and now called “ xxxxx Stadium” .

We were in whites , prim and proper, for a leisurely game umpired by redoubtable duo ,Mr Venkateswaran and Mr Raghuraman. There was lighthearted banter and fun , less of competition and more of mutual appreciation. For the records, the school team won the match comfortably. Nambi got a bunch of wickets; Baburaj and I got a decent opening partnership going for the school team. I might add here that it was Baburaj who kept the score board moving while I just held on to one end. As I recall Senguttuvan kept the wickets for the Alumni and Flying officer Madheswaran , who went on to become an Air Marshall, was the main bowler.

That’s the way I like to remember an OBA; motivational talks , friendly games and simple regular meals at the Mess.

After that get together, the next one I attended was in 2004 , a good thirty years later. Everything had changed. Many of the alumni were accompanied by families, there were many cars moving about on the roads where we had seen only bicycles. The swimming pool was open to all and it looked more like an amusement park. The numbers were high and so were the alumni once it got dark.

I was attending an OBA meeting after a long time and had a lot to catch up on. Selvavinayagam and I , meeting after three decades, sat on the steps of our famous Pilliayar Koil and talked and talked. We talked about the school, ourselves and our families ; it was well past midnight when we broke off. Many of our alumni were still hanging around the mess complex , high but not dry.

I felt there was an attempt on the part of alumni to show off that they had arrived and that it was an occasion to celebrate. The music was loud and atmosphere boisterous. I cannot visualize what the then students thought of us. May be for the present lot of students , an alumnus driving a big car, and living it up was more of a role model than say someone who joined army or achieved academic excellence. Can’t say.

Subsequently we have had many fiery discussions on the Alumni Forum. While the younger lot was divided on the opinion, the older lot generally felt that it was a sober occasion and there was a definite need for restraint.

For me , the most important reason for alumni get together at the school will always be to motivate the younger lot to pursue the common values we always shared and will continue to share.