Kolkata Chapter of the DNS Alumni has been the most active of all alumni bodies. 2008 marked the 9th year of its formation. Recently some of its founding members - Pinaki Ganguly, Ashish Kundu and Anurag Bhagania exchanged mails recalling how they set up the Chapter. It is very interesting and inspiring. The Editor of DeNobili.edu.in is grateful to have to have been kept in the loop. Here are some extracts...

In a mail addressed to Prasenjit Guha, Pinaki Ganguly, Sr Coordinator of the Kolkata Chapter recalls, "What was conceived on 27.04.1999 by Shyama Nanda Roy, Ashish Kundu, Sanjib Banerjee, Prasenjit Guha, Anirban Biswas, Samir Sinha and Anurag Bhagania, finally took a concrete shape in the form of THE NOBILIAN, which was registered by yours truly with the Registrar of Societies, West Bengal, on 24.04.2000. (I had signed as a Third Party Witness, not a member of the Governing Body)."

Ganguly further adds that the new Governing Body was elected in the First Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on April 30th, 2000, at 83, Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700 016. Nobl Biswadip Gupta had become the first official President after Registration, and Guha the Secretary.

Asish Kundu, in a reply to the mail, adds, "I do remember with fond memories the amount of time spent by him in preparing the Articles of the Association and the Charter etc. We had numerous sessions over the points till they were accepted by everyone."

The details of the formation of the Chapter was recorded in the article "How it all began..." by late Shyama Nanda Roy in the Members' Directory 2002-2003, and in the Newsletter sent by Ganguly on May 31st, 2000.

Ganguly adds, "It is indeed a pleasure, and satisfaction, to see the seed planted by SN (Shyama Nanda), and nurtured so ably by all of you, bearing fruit at last. For the gathering that I saw on 12th July (the 9th AGM) at the BENGAL CLUB fills me with hope that these will only grow bigger and better. Kudos to all of you."

Kundu mentioned about his recent meeting with Anurag Bhagania, the first Honorary Treasurer, on board Jet Airways while on his way back to USA via Brussels. Anurag was on the same flight and he was going to Brussels for a conference.

Both spent time recollecting old memories, "... setting up the chapter...waiting in front of Victoria Memorial and then walking over to the 'Roof Top' where the seeds were sown for the Chapter - the first 7 met for the first time that night and today from that seven we have more than hundred members."

Bhagania adds, "...if I were to go down the memory lane, I very well recall we had a mission and we lived up to it again and again - Each One Get One."

Pinaki Ganguly also mentioned the continuous support shown by Fr George A Hess SJ. He said, "None of this would have been possible without the blessings of Rev Fr GA Hess SJ, our Life Patron. For it was, and is, his charisma, his personality, his dedication for the well-being of all of us, that all of us are what we are today. So it is to have another look at this Architect of our lives that we gather at the AGM each year. So here's wishing we shall meet again next year, under the ever-watchful eyes of Fr Hess."