http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=85641

They came, they saw. XLRI had changed a lot from 1979. Buildings on what used to be open spaces... more number of students... a set of new faculty – save one or two- and the descendants of their beloved Kaalu wagging their tails and roaming around JLT. But, the batch of ’79 found out that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The same old wooden cupboards and cots. The same old JLT. The same CMM Level 6 Precision in dunking.

For the current students, they were not the Corporate Titans that they are in the business world. They were XLers – plain and simple as that. The batch that has beaten IIMC twice. The batch that used to have wet nights whenever a campus canine gave birth. A batch which is young at heart. And more importantly, a promise of what we could be, down 25 years.

The formal interaction started at the Small Audi amidst much enthu. The 79ers were introduced to the current batch by Jude Coelho. They were introduced – as the persons who striked against the mess, the ones who went singing along the corridors, those who were the cool dudes – each person a member of the various species of XLers.

Professor Madhukar Shukla pitched in with his exclusive collection of photographs of the ‘79ers. Convert them to colour, substitute the bellbottoms for hipsters, alter the hairstyles – and we could have sworn that it was a snap of the current batch. The sprit of XLer has remained the same down the decades. They reminisced about the various Professors – from the legendry Father McGrath to the lone lady professor. Each person on the photograph was identified amidst wild cheers – both from the alumni and the present breed of XLers.

Then the senior batch came up with Yaadein, their parting gift to the batch of 2004. A multimedia presentation which chronicles the life of an XLer – or rather, his transition from yet another wannabe CEO to an XLer who says good bye to the Bodhi Tree after two years. During an emotional screening, many were found wiping their tears away – especially among the junior batch!

The official interaction came to an end with the announcement about the alumni cell on campus – a platform to promote interactions between alumni and students. A pleasant surprise was the website that has been put up by the ’79 batch. http://www.xl79.com has details about the ’79 batch, a discussion forum, some amazing photographs of XLRI – and XLers – from 1979 to the reunion days.

Later, the alumni jammed with the Bodhi Tree – the college band – till the wee hours of night. Ms. Priya sang a Malayalam song accompanied by the cheers and Bravos from the South Indians. Then it was time for the XL Anthems – ‘XL Meri Jaan’ and ‘XL ki Kudiyaan’ which the current batched sang while the professors and al umni looked on. And then, it was time to say good bye. The came to the campus as strangers to the current junta, and went back, after
being “the coolest XLers I have ever seen” as a batchmate aptly put it.

Author: Surya S IR 2006