She was one of the first batch of six Sisters from the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate (MSI) to land in Vijayawada from Milan, Italy, on October 2, 1948. “It was a Saturday and we headed straight to Gudivada, then a remote pocket in Krishna district which lacked basic amenities,” recalls Sr. Angelica Besana, who is now 80 years old. She is here to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of Nirmala Old Students’ Association (NOSA), scheduled to be held on December 23.
Sr. Angelica, who was the headmistress of the Nirmala High School for seven years from 1969, is the founder of NOSA, which had its first meeting on July 27, 1974. “The KG-to-Class III Nirmala High School started functioning in a cattle shed at Patamata Centre on July 8, 1963, with 196 students. The next year, the school was shifted to its present location and Sr. Lorenza Mannala was appointed as its first headmistress,” she informs. The institution grew from strength to strength, winning many laurels for its various activities besides its contribution towards spreading the message of love and service.
“NOSA happened very organically,” she recounts, narrating how the alumni frequently visit the school and express their desire to remain connected with their alma mater. She says that it was given a proper structure by appointing the first set of office-bearers including K. Aruna (president), G. Sharada (vice-president), Samuel John (secretary and treasurer) and Geraldine D,mellow (joint secretary) and L.V. Ramana Rao, Sudha Rani and E. Shailaja Reddy (members).
A polyglot, who can speak Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Cantonese, English, Hindi, Telugu, Konkani, Kannada and Tulu, says her role in Nirmala High School and NOSA will always remain very close to her heart. “It was heart-warming to see old students of the school settled in different parts of the globe returning to the campus for a reunion and their immense contribution to the development of the school,” she says.
There was, however, a gap of a few years in NOSA reunion but it was revived in 1994 by alumni like Dr. G.V. Mohan Prasad, N. Eswar Prasad, P. Srinivas and L.V. Ramana Rao who formed the core committee and rejuvenated the organisation.
A day ahead of the golden jubilee celebrations, the founder of NOSA says it feels like life has come full circle. “I want the NOSA to be a torch of truth, love, kindness and service to be passed on to the next generations,” she says with a smile, referring to the plethora of service activities carried out by NOSA over the years.
