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).
