AN EVENING TO CHERISH FOREVER

Report on the NPAA – Calcutta Chapter Reunion Dinner 29^th February 2008

The Reunion Dinner was held at The Saturday Club and was attended by a large Number of Ex-North Pointers. There was a wide cross section of Alumni from 1940’s to youngsters who left school in 2007! There were also representatives of other Hill Schools such as Mount Hermon, Darjeeling, St. Paul's, Darjeeling, Dow Hill, Loreto, Victoria, St. Helen's etc and other eminent Calcutta Schools who joined us to make it a truly memorable evening.

Father Van delighted us all with his presence. It was a long and arduous journey for Fr.Van from Darjeeling to Calcutta. He had to first get a Permission Letter from latest Strongman Politician in Darjeeling so that he could travel through the hills as there was an indefinite BANDH on. He traveled in an Ambulance through about 20 checkposts just to be with us. We also had Sister Tina, Principal Loreto College and Sister Carnila, Mother Superior from Loreto among us.

FELICITATION OF FR. VAN

The President of the Calcutta Chapter Pradeep Singhania (70) addressed the gathering. He gave us a brief history of Fr. Van’s 56 years in India and North Point.

Fr. Van on 19^th March 2008 completes 50 Years since he was ordained as a priest. To celebrate the upcoming Golden Jubilee the NPAACC felicitated Father for his great contributions to North Point and Society over the last 56 Years he has been in India. Father had arrived in Mumbai on 5^th Jan.1952 and had gone to Darjeeling. Since then he has been 23 years in NP School in various capacities as Teacher, Sub-Prefect, Headmaster & Terms as Rector, besides he has also been in NP College for 9 years. Hence the total number of years spent in NP is 31 years. He is currently Student Councilor attached with the college in Siliguri and devoted lot of times with other schools also. To commemorate the occasion the senior-most North Pointer present V. Gulab (47-52) on behalf of the NPAA - CC presented Fr.Van with a Plaque and a Shawl.

You can send in your personal messages to Fr.Van for his  Golden Jubilee on his email address  gvanwall@yahoo.com

Ranabir Sen (59) and Sister Tina of Loreto House also addressed the gathering.

The list of Attendees is given below and is most probably the largest gathering of North Pointers outside Darjeeling in many many years.

It was truly an enjoyable evening with Nostalgic Music mixed with some latest songs for the youngsters. The cuisine was Chinese and everybody tucked in with gusto. The bar counter was of course crowded throughout the evening. The dance floor was packed once everyone got into the mood and Prizes were given out for Best Dancer, Lucky Dip etc.

The evening was a great success thanks to the support of many, but special mention must be made for the tireless efforts of Mukesh Mirchandani (67), Udoy Bannerjee (77), V. Gulab (52) and Brijraj Singh (86).

SURSUM CORDA

Pradeep Singhania (70)
President

North Pointers present at the Reunion Dinner on 29th February 2008 at The Saturday Club, Calcutta
(In order of appearance)

1. BRIJRAJ SINGH – 86
2. MUKESH MIRCHANDANI – 67
3. SHOUVIK NEOGI - 78
4. ANOOP BISTA
5. UDOY BANNERJEE - 77
6. SATYEN LAMA
7. PRASHANT MAHAPATRA - 71
8. MANAS SARKAR
9. ASHOK KUMAR
10. MATHEW JOSE – 2006
11. VIVIAN SADA – 2006
12. SURAJ PRADHAN
13. PRASHANT RAI
14. SURAJEET SINHA – 89
15. ALEX JOSE – 2005
16. AVINASH KR. GUPTA
17. KALYAN GUPTA
18. ARJUN NAVADA – 88
19. MANISH GUPTA
20. MAHESH GUPTA – 87
21. PRABIR KR. SEAL – 77
22. D N MUKHERJEE – 62
23. MICHAEL ROCHA – 84
24. T J TSARONG – 63
25. T S DORJI – 64
26. RAJIB BHATTACHARJEE – 86
27. BIKRAMJIT DEB – 86
28. RUPESH SOMANI – 91
29. ABHIJIT GHOSH – 77
30. NILANJAN HALDER – 77
31. PRAMOD JAISWAL – 77
32. PANKAJ DASGUPTA – 66
33. DEBRAJ BANNERJEE – 82
34. SANJAY MURARKA – 82
35. VIVEK GUPTA – 86
36. ARUP BOSE – 56
37. SOMNATH GHOSH – 66
38. AMITAVA CHAKRAVARTY
39. ARUP CHATTERJEE
40. DR. SRIRUP CHATTERJEE – 68
41. PROBIR DAS - 57
42. S K DAY – 57
43. KHURSHID IQBAL –
44. MANISH SOMANI –
45. LEONARD RYAN – 77
46. DEVRAJ MOHANTY - 73
47. I CHANDA – 73
48. DEBASHISH BISHAYEE
49. BIBHAS CHATTERJEE – 76
50. K S TIKARI – 55
51. RANABIR SEN – 59
52. MEGHNATH SHAW – 69
53. PRADEEP SINGHANIA – 70
54. DEBNATH SHAW – 72
55. RAJ CHUGANI – 72
56. K CHUGANI – 70
57. FOMA WANG
58. M KAZI
59. PARTHA MAJUMDAR
60. VASHU GULAB – 52
61. SIDDARTHA BAUJAR
62. SAROJ TAMANG
63. C N SAHGAL
64. TASHI TSETEN
65. A C LAW
66. RANJAN CIRCAR
67. PANKAJ HARALALKA

Note : Further about 10 Youngsters studying in Calcutta (names not available as not entered in register)

Names of others  from various Hill schools and spouses names not listed above. Total attendance was about 140 persons.