Silver Jubilee Reunion of the Batch of 1999
Back to MCP after 25 Years !!
On 21st October 2024, we received a personalised letter and an email from Mr. Saurav Sinha, inviting the Class of 1999 to the 140th Prize Giving. It was such a great feeling to be welcomed back by the head of the family.
The story dates back to March 1997, when our batch finished the last Board exam of Class 10 with about 90 of us singing in chorus: “1 day left and where shall we be, outside the gates of MCP.” Many of us had no clue whether we would ever be in the same location or timezone again. Well, most of us were back in the same place by July 1998. And we went through the same emotions when we finished our Class 12 Boards in March 1999, echoing the same phrase once again: “1 day left and where shall we be, outside the gates of MCP.” Little did we know that the next quarter of a century would be spent reminiscing about the place we call home – our beloved MCP (Mayo College Prison)!!!
We began our preparations as early as January 2024 for our glorious homecoming to our alma mater to celebrate the Silver Jubilee – an event the entire batch, along with their better halves and children, had been eagerly looking forward to. By February, the logistics were taken care of, and then came the most difficult part – selecting the merchandise. The theme for the safas and sarees was chosen as “MorPankhi,” in line with the Mayo crest! These were designed by Padma Shri Tayyab from Jodhpur, while our T-shirts and sweatshirts were created by our very own 99er.
Then came the penultimate day. The 99ers gathered in Ajmer from across continents and all parts of India to be part of the celebrations. About 85 of us made it, and some were meeting for the first time since 1997 – or even earlier. We picked up right where we had left off!
The event started with a Special Assembly in the majestic Assembly Hall. Nothing had changed – the grand ceiling, the prayer books, the overpowering portraits of the Maharajas, and the wooden benches. The only thing missing were the loud cries of “Shift in!” by the monitors. Mr. Saurav Sinha did the honours, and we, along with the Golden Jubilee batch and other Old Boys, relived the Assembly time of our student days. We sang the iconic “Anand Loke” – and it gave us goosebumps. After the prayers, the batch was represented by our College Captain, KDP, and Akshay Mathur, who spoke a few heartfelt words about coming home.
The President of the OBS, Col. Bhawani Singh, and Secretary (and our beloved Guru) Dr. C.P. Singh, then handed over specially curated scarves to our batch coordinator, Inderjeet Singh Raipur, on behalf of the OBS.