Vidyapith Praktani Reunion 2022, Mumbai
Mumbai, a city where people find significantly less time to meet each other after traveling for hours on local trains and roads, was keen to host a meet of Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) Vidyapith alumni ever since 2020.
A group was formed to bring alumni together by Sheo Nath, Candz 96, to host a meet on March 27, 2020, but Covid struck. The group became active again after the Praktani decision to host a meet simultaneously across the globe on March 6, 2022.
Rahul Ranjan, Candz 92, got active hearing the news. Saibal Mazumdar, Candz 96 made efforts and Army Officers’ Institute, Sagarmatha, Colaba was selected as the venue for the meet. Unfortunately, he got busy catering to a personal exigency and could not attend the meeting, but he was available over the phone to support the engagement in every way.
Meanwhile, Samrat Ghosh, Candz 93, also took interest, and few alumni known to him could join the group. Rahul Rakesh, Candz 97, who shifted to Mumbai from Delhi for professional reasons, proved to be a strong support on his arrival on March 5. Even from Delhi, he contributed by creating online response sheets for participating members.
The Praktani meet at Mumbai started at 1200 hrs with the registration of the participants, followed by snacks and a welcome drink. A total of 41 participants attended the meeting, including 32 Praktanis and their family members. Subir Ghosh, Candz 1969 was the senior-most Praktani attending the meet, while Shivam Raj, Candz 2017, was the youngest attending the meet.
The participants were briefed about the activities of the Praktani and the need to strengthen it by becoming its life members. The participants thanked Saibal Mazumdar for his valuable support despite reeling under personal emergency at his home town, paid a silent tribute for all the Praktanis and their relatives who lost their lives during the last few years.
It was an afternoon well-spent reminiscing the good old days spent at our alma mater. The alumni were separated by age and different batches. Still, a common link was the camaraderie shared between the highly dynamic group with connections coming out in stories about mango theft to terms that are peculiar to the place engraved in our heart called Vidyapith.
Special thanks were given to the doctors who guided the society and the Praktanis in the turbulent times of pandemic. A lunch followed it, and a photoshoot was done by Devanshu Singh, a filmmaker who could make it to the event at the last minute due to the cancellation of his shoot on the day in Chhatisgarh. The participants left the venue with many memories and wished to meet again.
