Oct 29, 2017 05:39 PM
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(Updated Oct 29, 2017 05:43 PM)
I was one of the first batch of girls who did the Senior Cambridge examination from this school. My grades were good and I joined Loreto House, in erstwhile Middleton Row to do the Hons. program in English Literature.
We were a small batch of wide-eyed girls, who looked up to Sister Elizabeth for guidance on all matters-personal and academic. The late Mrs. Chatterjee was our English Literature teacher and she inspired my life-long passion for the subject. The memories are so vivid that I can still hear the voices of the Sisters and the teachers. I am now 64, going on 65, by the way!
My very best friend was Sanjukta Dasgupta, who went on to claim many, many laurels in the world of letters. Nevertheless, we still giggle until we are giddy, on the very rare occasions we get to meet in person.
Long after leaving the bougainville-clad corridors of Auxilium, I used to wonder-'Did they manage to maintain the same ambiance of care and concern, with the passing of the years, or did much of it erode over time; driven by the practical constraints of running a school for girls, in modern times?' My batch-mates, who have been lucky enough to visit the school and see for themselves, are convinced that nothing has changed.
I did drop in once, nearly three years ago, but it was a holiday and it took a concerted exercise in persuasion before the security allowed me to stand for a few minutes in the silent courtyard.
pssst. my maiden name was Somalatha Damodaran
