Alumni nostalgic as PSG celebrates golden jubilee

COIMBATORE: For more than 800 alumni of the PSG Institute of Management, one of the country’s first management institutes, who congregated on the institute premises on Friday to celebrate its golden jubilee, it was a trip down the memory lane. P Karthikeyan, an old student, flew down from Mumbai to meet his friends, teachers and fellow alumni of the institute during the three-day celebrations, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“I was eagerly waiting for December 19. Finally when I arrived in Coimbatore, I was flooded with memories of my college days,” said Karthikeyan. “While I have come from Mumbai, many have come from the US, Singapore, Malaysia and the UK as well,” he said.
While the alumni of 50 batches since the institution’s inception in 1965 were busy meeting fellow classmates and seniors, the institute had arranged for nearly 30 former professors to be present on the occasion. “A student always remembers an institute because of his/her friends or teachers. We wanted the former teachers to meet the students,” said Nandagopal R, director of the institute. The alumni received certificates of honour from their favourite teachers.
The golden jubilee celebrations began on Friday with the inauguration of the carnival. Inaugurating the carnival, L Gopalakrishnan, managing trustee, PSG group, told TOI, “Reunions are always a mark of celebration. But, we wanted to entertain the crowd also, so we organised dance, music, and other entertainment activities.”
An alumnus, K A Kuriachan, spent time with some of the present students . “For the first time, in 1994, I took the students for an international tour to Singapore. And, I still remember the experience quite well,” said Kuriachan. “In a way, I tried to recollect it by speaking to some of the present students and sharing my experience,” said Kuriachan, who went on to become the youngest rotary governor at the age of 34.
On one hand the institute celebrated the 50 stars that it produced in last 50 years, there were groups of few who are budding stars of the industry. Anu D, a mother now, is an entrepreneur. “While coming here to celebrate the occasion and to be with your friends is one thing, but at the same time I get the opportunity to show my daughter what I achieved through my alma mater today,” said Anu.
As a homemaker, Sindhu Karthik, an alumnus, said, “I may not be directly associated with the industry, but I am always able to contribute to my husband’s business. We share ideas and solutions.” On Sunday, the three-day fiesta would come to an end with the screening of Friday and Saturday’s celebrations. The institute has also organised short trips to Ooty, Conoor, Anaikatti, Siruvani and other nearby places.