At Mangere United Football Club, Mangere on November 23
Thakur Ranjit Singh
The common belief in Fiji is that there is something in the dusts, the waters, the soils and environment of Ba, that those coming from that district tend to excel in whatever they do.
The town has given most businessmen millionaires, a number of writers and authors, scholars, politicians, and its biggest feat lies in its craze for Soccer and holding the unbeaten records in Fiji.
Lately, Secondary Schools are known to have held international school reunions.
Xavier College, DAV College and Khalsa College have been in the news for its reunions.
Refreshing initiative
High decile non-Indian high schools in Fiji have been known to hold reunions, like Suva Grammar, Natabua College, Jasper Williams and Xavier College, among others.
But Indian and Girmitya-origin schools have almost been unheard of doing this.
However, DAV College in Ba broke this drought with its three respective continuous biennial reunions in Vancouver Canada in April 2015, Auckland New Zealand in 2017 and the latest one in Fiji in July 2019. Khalsa College has also held one locally-based reunion in Sacramento, USA in 2018.
The origins
Where did the Khalsa Auckland reunion begin?
In late 2018, students of DAV and Khalsa Colleges of 1970s, Sadasivan Naicker and Thakur Ranjit Singh jointly mooted the idea and Satish Chand, the current Secretary also came on board motivating the concept to become reality.
An Organising Committee has been set up.
We were fortunate to have the students of the formative year of 1959 and a former Senior Civil Servant to lead us.
Madhavan Raman, the bright scholar from class of 1959 is our President, ably supported by an Auckland Soccer personality Dinesh Chand as Vice-President.
Satish Chand was elected Secretary while Asha Singh is supporting him as his assistant.
I was appointed Media and Communications Spokesperson, with a two team Committee members, namely, Samila Chand and Shashi Kala Singh.
This small team of dedicated Committee Members have taken this mammoth task of bringing together scattered children of Khalsa College, Ba, and fulfil a long-held dream of having a reunion in Auckland.
Sharing memories, experiences
There was a desire to create an opportunity for Khalsa College ex-students to meet their old classmates, walk down memory lane, share life experiences and laugh and cry together, and have a great party before the older ones pass on. And most importantly, to celebrate the legacy of Khalsa College and salute those visionary Sikh leaders.
About Khalsa College
Khalsa College, Ba, Fiji was established in 1959 by an enterprising group of Sikhs who saw education as a means to bringing success to their children and future generations.
We honour those stalwarts and teachers particularly Jogindar Singh Kanwal, the first substantive Principal whose dedication and hard work brought such lasting success to this proud institution.
The Khalsa Reunion event will be held at the Mangere United Football Club, (Mangere Centre Park), 101 Robertson Road, Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand on November 23, 2019 from 630 pm to 1130 pm.
We have a very fitting venue in the picturesque Mangere with open sprawling sports fields and very presentable hall, with opportunity for people to mix and mingle outside on the stadium for sharing and reliving on school secrets, those jokes and hilarious and serious events. This is turning up to be a night full of fun, drinks, delicious food and meeting the long-lost mates.
We are looking forward to meeting all of you in Auckland at the event, the tickets for which are available worldwide on Eventbrite or by email thakurji@xtra.co.nz .
Thakur Ranjit Singh is a Journalist and Media Commentator and runs his blog, ‘Fiji Pundit.’ He and his wife Shashi Kala Singh attended Khalsa College for one year in 1974. They live in Auckland, New Zealand. Email: thakurji@xtra.co.nz
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Photo Caption:
Members of the Organising Committee (from left) Dinesh Chand (Vice President), Madhavan Raman (President), Satish Chand (Secretary). Standing (from left) Shashi Kala Singh, Asha Singh (Assistant and Samila Chand (Picture by Thakur Ranjit Singh)
