Trichur Engineering College 1986 batch alumni are requested to file reports about alumni meets held at various locations and also when they get a chance to visit their alma-mater, and share them here. Please file your reports to tec86alumni@yahoogroups.com (if you are a member of the group) or to tec86alumni@gmail.com .

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Trip down memory lane by Abraham Mathew (posted on June 5, 2000)

Hi everybody,

Just filling you up with a nostalgic trip myself, Ramesh & Korah undertook through Trichur. First went to the catholic centre, then via the erstwhile Anto Bhavan (presently with only half the land and with a Dr.Antony staying there) and then off to the college. The mech dept seems to have improved with a lot of air conditioners to boast, the library has moved to a new building right next to the gym. An electrical fire seems to have broken out along the corridors in front of the old library towards the amphi theatre till about the physics lab, the plastering in these areas are being removed and redone. The drawing rooms apparently use the same boards and are dirtier. The department for production has been built behind the A Mess (sorry some of this stuff may be old news). I do have a few photographs of these places so if anybody is interested, I can scan and email them. I might be choking the official mailboxes of a few of you if I sent them as attachments to the egroups address.

Warm regards to all,
Ebby (Abraham Mathew)

Report on the alumni meet at Trichur on August 14, 2000 (posted on 15 August, 2000)

A TEC86 alumni get-together was organised at Trichur on 14/8/2000. The following were the participants (in alphabetical order) :

Achuthankutty K S (Elect)
Asok Subrahmanyam (Mech)
Benny John (Prodn)
Habeeb K (Mech)
Hanumanth C R (Elect)
Haridas M K (Mech)
Kesavadas V (Elect)
Mathew Antony (Prodn)
Rajeevan C N (Elect)
Rajesh Gopalakrishnan (Prodn)
Sajeev K (Elect)
Saji Mathew (Prodn)
Saju N Mathew (Mech)
Santhosh John (Elect)
Suresh Chandran (Prodn)
Suresh Kumar B (Mech)
Thomas Mathew C (Prodn)

Earlier eight of us went to the college in the afternoon. We were introduced to the alumni headquarters in the college and were appraised of its activities by Prof. K C John (who is in charge of alumni association). We then had a sitting with the principal (Dr. M George Joseph) who himself is an alumni of our college (the first chemical batch from the college). We were told about the project for construction of a new auditorium with aid from PTA and alumni. We then went around the campus through the various departments. The changes noted in the college campus were a new library block, new Production Engineering block, annex to Chemical Engineering block, few lab buildings, small sports pavilion, a MILMA booth and a new block for men's hostel. New blocks for Electronics and Computer Science are under construction. We had photo sessions with the principal and at various locations in the campus. We also met Josettan who still runs the canteen. We also met a few of our old professors.

We then proceeded to the hostel and went around all the four blocks and then the mess blocks. We could recall some of our nostalgic memories of hostel life. But all along we sadly noted the lack of maintenance of college and hostel premises. The places which once used to thrive with activities (like hostel premises, stadium and tennis courts) wore a forlorn look.

We then proceeded to Ammayi's place, only to learn of her sad demise few years back. The cool bar which we once used to frequent is no longer there and is currently a stationery shop. We then had a photo session in front of Vimala college and the nostalgic "Pulimaram" (tamarind tree).

We then went to Prof. K J Paul's house, spent some time with him and had a photo session with him.

We then assembled at Hotel Siddharth by 7 p.m. and had the dinner meet. Each of us gave a brief narration of our life since 1986 and about our families. It was proposed to make this an annual event on the second weekend of August every year.

We finally bade good-bye at 12 midnight.

A group photo taken during the day is available in Photo album.

(Santhosh John)

Images and feelings by Ramaswamy (posted 7 May, 2002)

Hello all,

Here is my feelings as I spent some time at Trichur.

I don’t know what I was hoping to see in Trichur when I landed there on the 27th. It was my first visit to the place after I came out of the college in 1986.

Of course I had all those static images in my mind. All of them developed over a period of time. Grown in bits and pieces. And which together form my idea of Trichur.

I was not sure if I wanted to see a changed Trichur. Whether changed or not I would have been sad. If it had changed, then I had to throw away the image of Trichur as I had it, from my mind. That would have been saddening. If it hadn’t, then I would have been sad to see a stagnant city which was my home for 5 of the most important years of my life. In the end, some things have changed, some remained the same. There was the Delite, Ragam, Sapna, Gokul, Pathans, Bharath, Skylord (it is not that I only ate and saw movies while in Trichur!!), the public library (I also read books) the temples (and prayed...) ....... What was new were all those complexes.

At the outset itself it was very depressing for me to pay room rent and stay in a room in Trichur. I told this to the hotel manager while taking possession of the room. Can you imagine? Once upon a time, I would have had so many options to spend the night in Trichur that I would have been at a loss as to what to choose. And now this.

I had a refreshing bath and went to Vadakkumnathan temple. The temple was very deserted and gave me ample opportunity to ruminate. The eventful five years that I spent in Trichur went through my mind like a panorama of slides. I remembered the trials and tribulations faced growing up away from family, of learning to cope up with problems and learning to solve them, of all those friends who helped you to grow and who grew up along with you, of writing most of the examinations going from the hospital, joys of hostel life, sorrows of hostel life .......

Whole lot of complexes have sprung up in Trichur manifesting the commercialization of the city. Despite all these the city retains its ‘Trichurness’. One can’t help but feel the same wonder that one felt whenever one went to the town. When I went, the Pooram was just over and the city centre was littered with dirt, paper, plastic.... As you walk along the round, you could hear the mellifluous voice of Yesudas singing ‘Paramekkavil kudi kollum Bhagavati.....' One could feel the emotion in his sublime voice as he paid rich homage to the goddess of Trichur.

I saw that a new complex had sprung up in a place where I had stayed for some time in the first year. That brought a lump in my heart. It was as if someone had demolished a precious part of my life to erect that monstrous structure.....

I walked a lot. I wanted to have the feel of the city. In fact the only time I used a bus was to go to the college. Reading previous mails from a lot of friends I had the impression that the college has totally changed beyond recognition. I was happy to observe that it was not so. Of course some new structures have come up. That was only to be expected. New departments have been created. But they have come up near department of chemical engineering and can’t be seen from the main building. The main building is as it was. The majestic entrance which used to inculcate a sense of awe in us. The black boards on either side as one entered the college which used to display student information. Even the colour of the walls has not changed.

The spirit of the college was still there. When I went the college had already closed for summers and only a handful of students were roaming here and there. All the class rooms were closed. There were a few employees sitting in the office. I had half an urge to check if I had any letters!!.

As I was walking along the corridors I was carried along into the early eighties and could almost see all my friends who studied with me. I could see many of my teachers who used to spread the knowledge to us uninterested students. As I was walking in front of the Drawing room I remembered the famous ‘Potti’ incident when I was caught copying in the fluid mechanics internal exam. I could hear Mr. Potti (Integral Potti) telling me in front of my father ‘Pattaril Pottan illa ennu kettittundu. Pakshe ippo orale kandu’.

I went to the hostels. There is one place which has positively degraded. C mess has been closed down. Only messes are A and B. One new hostel ‘D’ hostel has come up. The front of ‘B’ hostel now looks dilapidated and god forsaken. There are lots of bushes and weeds there. The compound wall has failed the test of time (may be constructed by one of our civil engineers!!). The garden in front of our hostel.......well, now there is no garden. The whole place is littered with plastic bottles. (This was my observation as I entered Kerala. Lot of plastic everywhere)

But as I said I was not thinking of the physical aspects when I was walking through the hallowed portals of TEC. I was thinking of the memorable moments that I associate with the college. I could hear the voices of the batch of 86 reverberating across the halls, across the verandah..... The images of a whole lot of friends who had helped me grow came up in front of me. The trials and tribulations that we faced in our quest of knowledge passed in front of my eyes. The spirit of TEC, which had helped me overcome a whole lot of obstacles came up in front of me. The smiling and helpful faces of my college / hostel mates made me suddenly realize that I was experiencing once in a life time experience which was going to change me in lot of ways.......

I also could see all those beautiful ladies who used to make our heart skip so many beats!!. I spent around two hours in the college. Two sweet hours.....

In the evening I had dinner with Jayadevan’s. It was quite a memorable evening if only for the fact that I was sitting and chatting about yesteryears with a close friend of mine that too at Trichur. It (the dinner) was like an icing on the cake.

I badly needed this visit. It has helped me in a number of ways that I had never imagined. The visit told me that it was now time for me to move on.

Trichur has moved, the world has moved, I also got to move. I have to take off from where I am today and strive to fulfill my potential. Those little images of Trichur, I will keep in my mind to guide me.

One day in Trichur has changed me. It is as if someone had opened a door and I am seeing myself in a new perspective. Trichur reminded me of all the triumphs that I had achieved in the five years that I had spent there. Starting with the second rank in fifth semester, 75% overall, overcoming all those hardships (Asthma), the courage with which I faced all those problems never losing my optimism and sense of humour....

College reminded me that we were a special batch. A batch which was the winner in all that we participated be it academics, arts, culture or sports. We had a joie de vivre and Chutzpa about us which was the envy of others. I am proud that I am a part of an illustrious batch which contained some extraordinary individuals.

Trichur reminded me that we are Good. Very, Very, Good. Hope this mail will enable all of you to share some of my feeling and passion about Trichur

Thanks and regards,
Ramaswamy

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