For the Sainik School, Kazhakuttam, the 54th reunion of its alumni planned on July 22, Saturday, is going to be a truly memorable event, and a high-profile one as well.
Among the ‘old boys’ visiting their alma mater for the event and reminiscing about the old days will be five senior officers of the Armed forces who are currently holding key positions.
The list has Lieutenant General M. Unnikrishnan Nair, the National Cybersecurity Coordinator; Air Marshal R. Radhish, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command; Lieutenant General Johnson P. Mathew, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff; Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command; and Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command.
All of them were Sainik School cadets in the 1980s and were commissioned into the Armed forces in the same decade. And all five hail from Kerala.
The 1996 batch of the school is sponsoring the 54th Old Boys’ Association (OBA) Reunion.
‘’It is going to be a big day not just for the Sainik School, but for the entire State. So many senior officers visiting the school together will also be a motivation for the school’s cadets,’‘ Colonel Dhirendra Kumar, Principal, Sainik School, Kazhakuttam said. Air Marshal Manikantan, who had taken over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command, on May 1 this year, helped the school get the senior officers together for Saturday’s event.
‘’Their decision to visit shows how much they value the contributions made by the school to their growth. It will also be a motivating factor for the cadets. It is a big moment for us,’‘ Colonel (Retd) M. Sajjad, president, Sainik School Kazhakuttam Old Boys’ Association, said.
More than 800 former cadets of the school, many of whom will be accompanied by their families, have so far registered for the event.
The programmes for Saturday include a ‘Guruvandanam’ to felicitate former staff of the school, a function to pay tributes to martyrs, and sports events after lunch.
