C K Johnson (1984)
NITC, the erstwhile REC, Calicut, is a proud home of technology, showcasing academic excellence as well as strong industrial and R&D focus. While the institution has earned well-deserved national pride over the decades, the stellar contributions of its alumni across the globe have further elevated it to the character of an international technological school.
My theme is woven around a string of experiences rooted in REC’s objects and spaces: its structures, academic sessions, midnight coffee “consumption,” nighttime coconut-tree climbing and plucking, mess-outs to enjoy food at Pappachan’s mess, and the vibrant nightlife that rocked and enthralled us.
The most enjoyable element in all these experiences was, perhaps, the steadfast and uninhibited sharing of personal and collective warmth, as well as time, communication, and caring.
The national and international presence and character of the students resulted in a magical outcome, cementing a glowing solidarity among students who later constituted a deeply-bonded alumni body.
At the silver jubilee function of the 1984 batch, while we were perched on the first floor of a restaurant on the sweet-meat street in Calicut, I ran into someone I had not seen for 25 years. In rare excitement, I called out, “Hi, Taye Tadasse,” and, even more startlingly, he returned the greeting by calling out my first name.
My wife and little daughter sat frozen with astonishment at these unexpected greetings until Mr. Taye exchanged a few words with them. More recently, after the elapse of another fifteen years, he called me from New Delhi, having been admitted for medical treatment.
We have visited REC on at least three occasions and met and spoken with many friends. Each stroll around the campus evoked tender memories and instilled a deep sense of gratitude to the alma mater, the “womb” that bore us and shaped us.
I am filled with memories of my four years there, which were studded with sparkling pearls and also some discouraging experiences
There can be little doubt that relationships – familial, collegial, friendships – become exceedingly valuable and enriching as the years roll by.
Finally, as we grow irreversibly older, our perspectives too grow more mature and deeply fulfilling. I wish and pray that the alumni network, its shared thoughts, and its supporting ecosystem will mean the world to all its members.
