Count your blessings! – By Lalita Correia-Afonso – Class of 1979
HI,
I am Lalita Correia–Afonso and studied at St. Therese’s from 1974-1979 (classes VI – X). My younger sisters Priya, Deepa and Romiila also passed out from St. Therese’s, and St. Therese’s therefore has a large presence in our childhood memories. School days invoke nostalgia, and looking back we can truly count our blessings and say we were blessed and fortunate to have had a fantastic institution like St. Therese’s as our alma mater, which provided us with a sound foundation and values, for which we will always remain grateful and indebted.
I can fondly recall that school was not all work and we did enjoy the picnics and excursions, scout and guide camps, and times when carnival was not commercialized and the schools took part in the Vasco carnival parade. The school teachers, Sir Menon, Ms Zelia, (Late) Mrs Gupta, Sr. Gemma, Ms. Vicky D’Lima, Mrs Singh – just to name a few were legends and taught entire families of siblings (like mine), and will always invoke fond remembrances.
I was excited to identify my class VI A (year 1974-75) in photo no. 20 / 30 on pg 2. Our class teacher was Sr. Pauline and those in the picture are as under :
Back row standing (L to R) – X, Rahila Suvarna, Lalita, X, Juliana, Flavia Goes, Joyce Nunes, Mita Dey, Marianne Coceicao, X, Anakarina Mascarenhas, Pramilla Viegas.
Second last row – X, Mario Leitao, X, X, X, Afonso, Gauri Kumar Amonkar.
Sitting – Chandralekha Choraria, Seema, X, X, X, Sr. Pauline, Casia Paes, Christallina, Judy Carvalho, Fatima Negredo, Eva.
Sitting below – Pervez D’Souza, X, X, Arvind Korgaonkar(?), X, X. (I’m sure the jigsaw of the balances ‘X’ ‘s will fall in place with a little more searching).
A golden jubilee is indeed cause for celebration, and I look forward to meeting many old friends on the 28th December.
Lalita
October 4th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Hi Lalita
So glad to see your neck is out of the files enough to post a picture.
I wasnt surprised that you could identify everyone in your class 6 photo though!
I know what your memory is like through personal experience.
Looking forward to being there on Dec 28th. It will be so so good to be in school again and to meet up with everyone. We will have to take our snaps along as no one will recognise us!!
Priya
October 12th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Hi Lalita happy to see that u have recognised me & my husband too in the class photo. Wainting to meet u in dec.Love, Mita
October 20th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi Lalita:
So good to see yr pic…haven’t changed much though except for the greying. Had met yr parents,Deepa & Romiila years ago at Belinda & Tony Braz Gomes wedding in Goa. Went up to Deepa thinking it was you but I guess they couldn’t remember who I was. Bumped into Priya as well in Bombay (sometime in the 80s)in the train…surprisingly she recognised me ! I’m amazed as to how you could remember so many names in our class photo.
Unfortunately cannot make it to Goa for the celebrations…really wish I could. I live in Canada now. My sister, Jeethi will be there.
Love
Rahila
October 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am
Hi Lalita:
It’s amazing how the names kept popping up in my head when I looked at our class photograph. Here’s a few add-ons & clarifications.
Standing back row(GIRLS): PREMLATHA SETHIA, RAHILA SUVARNA, LALITA CORREA AFONSO, ELMA, X,FLAVIA GOES,JOYCE NUNES, MITA DEY, MARIAN CONCEICAO, X, ANAKARINA MASCARENHAS, PRAMILA VIEGAS.
BOYS STANDING: X, MARIO LEITAO, MINGUEL DIAS, JOSEPH, AFONSO, GAURI AMONKAR, GIOVANNI VAZ.
GIRLS SITTING: CHANDRALEKHA CHORRARIA, ALAINE, X, ANA FERNANDES, MADHUMITA, SR. PAULINE, CASIA PAES, CHRISTINE, JUDY CARVALHO, FATIMA, EVA.
BOYS SITTING: AMARO HENRIQUES (NOT PERVEZ), SAMMY, ROCKY, ARVIND KORGAONKAR, ANTHONY, X .
Take care
Rahila
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:46 am
Hi Lalita,
It was great reading your mail,
And it was really nice watching our Std VI class photo.Great job by you and Rahila to identify all our classmates.
Too bad I cannot be there, though I wouldlove to be there. Iam in AbuDhabi and had gone on vcation in July/August.
I send my best wishes to our great school.Ihave lots of fond memories of our school days
Bye
Marian
October 25th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Dear Lalita
Do you remember me ?
It was great to read your mail. I was so excited to see our class photo and spot
our classmates. Brilliant job by you and Rahila. Would love to keep in touch with
all my friends. Nice to read Priya’s mail, I do remember her.
Unfortunately, I cannot make it for the grand celebration as I live in UK.
I am sure going to miss meeting you all. Do keep in touch, would love to hear from
you and all my friends.
With love and fond memories
Joyce
October 27th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hi Lalita,
You look the same as in school. Thanks for the photograph and off course remembering all those names. Truely miss school a lot, they were my best days. Not sure I can make it in Dec will try.I recognise Joyce Fernandes on the snap too. Rahila is great too at remembering names, only when I read all those names I remembered all my classmates.
Judy
November 28th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Dear Mita, Rahila, Marian, Joyce,Judy, I was overjoyed on hearing from you . ( Was tied up on the work front and had not openend the site for quite sometime).
Mita – I do remember you and your sister Rita ( who was in class with my sister Priya) very clearly . Is Rita also in Goa ?I am also looking forward to meeting up with you in December.
Rahila – Its great catching up with you. Are you settled in Canada? Family ? I know that Jeethi has already been in touch with Priya .Do write on my email id below, we have a lot to catch up on !
Marian:I remember you each 16th September !( if memory serves me right).Are you still in the gulf? I was happy to read Melina’s brief on the blog .
Joyce: Lovely to hear from you. I also remember you clearly . Is your family still at Chiclaim? Have you settled in London? It must be freezing now.
Judy:Remember you as ever smiling with 2 lovely long plaits !
Do keep in touch girls ! My email id is lalitaca@yahoo.com and I would love to keep in touch .
Love Lalita
December 14th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Hi! Lalita:
It is good to see all our classmates touching base, just want to say a quick hello to all of you who remember naughty me. I vividly remember all of you. I hope to meet you all in person, in case I don’t, want to thank you all for being such a great group of gals. Lalita! thank you especially for being such a warm person all those years in School. I was fortunate to meet Mita and Annette at the State Bank, Vasco, Hi! Mita, Hi! Annette. I am really excited at the opportunity to meet you all… Hi! Joyce, Marian, Judy and Rahilla. BTW on pg 2 photo 20/30 the girl between Marian and Ana Karina is Joyce Fernandes(?) and the boy to the the far right (Siiting) is Mushtaq from Mangor.
Ciao! for now
Roque (Rocky)
December 29th, 2008 at 3:57 am
hi lalita,
good to see your photograph.i hope u remember me.
i was doing my ca articleship in vasco with bhatt & hegde while u were with andersen.
now i am in bombay-andheri practising with my ca hubby.
would definitely like some info on u
bye
karuna(now ritika ahuja)
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Hi lalita,
It has been 30 years since i last laid eyes on you & our fellow classmates,class of ’79.It came as quite a thrill to stumble on this website & read the blogs of many of my long lost classmates.I recently joined fb & on a lark decided to see if i could find any of my old friends.Imagine my pleasure on discovering this site.I guess i’m a little too late to partake in the golden jubilee celebrations but i would love to stay in touch.I enjoyed looking at our class pics& my husband & daughter teased me about being the ‘other Alva sister’.Both Supriya & i live in the U.S now. As i can see, so do a couple of our classmates & Rahila is just across the border in Canada.Lalita,except for your sprinkle of grey you look just like the little pig-tailed girl all those years ago.I remember our teachers fondly Miss Cidalia,Miss Flavia,Mrs.Singh Sr,Fatima,Sr Jemma.I was sorry to read of Mrs Gupta & her daughter’s passing.I vividly remember the good times all those years ago.I hope we can stay in touch.
Sharmila
June 22nd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Hi Lalita…remember me????? wrack those grey cells [mine are churning with fun memories of school.my younger siblings are Sean & Cheryl.
you do look the same…phew, made it easier for me.
Hi also to the Alva sisters–the tall & short of the story.he he he
I have been residing in Mississauga/Canada from Jan 2000 after welcoming a hubby Terry & a lovely daughter Stacey into my life.
if you have the time, pls.email me at:talweyn@rogers.com