Shimla: From having been one of the most prestigious women institutions of the country, ex-Bedians have expressed concern about St Bede’s College not having kept pace with the times.
Visiting the city and the college after a gap of 29 years, Bangkok based Pavan Kukreja, who spearheads the Bedian Alumnae Network said, “we have reached out to ex-Bedian’s spread all over the globe to contribute in a meaningful way to make a difference for the institution all of us are very proud of.”
After having held 9 alumni get-togethers in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangkok, London, New York, Toronto and Mumbai, Ms Kukreja along with a team of volunteer ex-Bedian’s Jasleen Gulati, Navjot Narula, Aarti and others, have organized the first get-together of the alumni here.
“It is Facebook that has been very instrumental in bringing many ex-Bedian’s on one page. We are over 1000 members strong group on the social media site,” says Kukreja, who founded the group in August 2007.
It was a matter of great concern for us, some years ago, when we learnt that the college was having funding problems, she said.
From being a prestigious missionary institution, with a strength of 400 t0 700 girls in boarding, turning into more of a day college, may have been a possible reason for funds dwindling, she opined.
Times have changed and good quality private institutions have mushroomed but the heritage and prestige which St Bede’s college commands cannot be rivaled.
The alumnae network plans to contribute by participating as a community to leverage the colleges strength and market its inherent values, said Kukeraja.
Set up in 1904, St Bede’s is one of the oldest woman missionary colleges in the country and counts many famous ladies, which include union minister Parneet Kaur, famous columnist Talveen Singh, actress Preity Zinta, former bureaucrat Usha Vohra, who is the wife of Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra, late model and beauty queen Persis Khambatta and several other luminaries among its former students.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
