Chennai: “We long for the times when the hardest decision to make was which colour of nail polish to wear, or the biggest crisis was to take a bath in cold water in the night to beat the morning crowd in the bathrooms,” says an aluÂmÂnus.
The rather cold SatÂÂuÂÂrday morning at WoÂmen's Christian College was warm as class frieÂnÂds and batchmates, cuttiÂng across decades, met for a reunion. “She got married, the others have kids, I miss WCC," were a few comments that went around the campus, that was abuzz with ex-students of the college, right from the 1940s, arriving for the reunion, or rather, 'homecoming', as they put it.
“My son has his exams going on. People dissuaded me, they said it is just a reunion. I said it matters to me, and here I am, with all my family," says ChanÂdra Priya of the 2002 batch, who had flown in from Bangalore on SatuÂrÂdÂay.
She adds, "Nothing has changed, not the builÂdiÂngs nor the atmospheÂre. It seems like back to scÂhool, but it made us stand apart from the rest of the colleges.” Susanne AbrahÂam from the 1954 batch of botany, says, “Life seÂeÂms to be centred aroÂund the chapel. The college has grown.”
Among the alumnae was 99-year-old Miss Anna Jacob, who says with a genial smile, "I was in the 1946 batch and will be completing my 100th year next month."
Flossi Raj, another noÂnÂaÂÂgenarian alumna, who came from Burma to CheÂnÂnai in 1942, says, “I joiÂnÂed WCC in 1943 with history and economics. It was my first exposure to outside life.”
The college, which is presently 98 years old, is gearing up for its centenary celebrations. Many among the gathered ladies have had three generations of their family study at the college.
