Founder
NITI KRISHEN SARIN
The year was 1995. Three girls from the high school batch, Malini Sarin, Shruti Arya and Namita Khanna decided to start an alumni association to unite all the ex-students of Carmel Convent, Chandigarh under one banner. Attempts had been made by other batches earlier but had fizzled out.
After much contemplation it was decided that being ‘Ex-Students’ was a much better option than being titled as, ‘Old Girls’. Thus, the name CESA (Carmel Ex Students Association) came into being.
Their first meeting took place in the staff room with just a handful of members present and the first dance party in the School Auditorium, where we all pooled in home cooked refreshments. From then to now, CESA has come a long way.
As the membership increased, so did the scope of organizing larger projects, with sponsorships coming in. Various events over the years proved to be very successful, but the highlight for me was organizing the Golden Celebration in 2015, for the ‘FIRST’ batch of Carmelites to leave school 50 years ago. Ironically, it was also my sister’s batch.
The excitement and joy of reconnecting with childhood friends is incredible! People, who had become vague memories, started emerging out of the cobwebs of the mind and amazingly, the bonding and camaraderie was immediate even after 50 years. If anything, the old grudges had faded away and only the gleeful days of childhood came to the fore!
The process of finding and contacting the successive golden batches involved a lot of detective work—making connections where none existed and discovering the proverbial ‘pot of gold ‘at the end of the rainbow (in this case the phone line!!), was an exhilarating but mammoth exercise.
Thanks to modern technology, girls from different batches, in different parts of the world are now united again, courtesy CESA.
The WhatsApp groups I made for each batch are madly active, as can be gauged by the constant ‘pinging of yet another message’ coming in! They are over the moon to be connected again.
With each President and her team came different strengths and CESA has now become a force to reckon with! I am indebted to Carmel for all the inputs, both positive and negative, that added to shaping me into what I am today.
Thank you, Carmel Convent.
Current President
KAVITA MARKANDA
Dear CESA member,
Welcome to CESA!
In 2013, as a newly proud CESA president I remember being immensely thrilled but also extremely intimidated and overwhelmed when faced with all that CESA had to offer me. Now, in 2019, in my second stint as president, I can definitely say that the best opportunity I seized back when I started my legal career was becoming a part of Carmel Ex Student Association.
Our alumni have played an important role in building the credibility of our school and have contributed immensely to the growth of the school. The alumni continue to bring laurels to the school. The school on its part is keen to strengthen its bonds with the alumni.
Your active participation and support in the activities of CESA and the website will help us work together to take CESA forward in years to come. It’s a small step in bringing the alumni closer to the past. The alumni organises meetings and get together with support of the school, thus strengthening and rekindling the sense of community and companionship and especially in these uncertain times, it is more important that ever to maintain the fabric of a strong alumni community.
I look forward to our alumni’s accomplishments – I know there will be many bright ones.
Yours in Blue & Red
Kavita (Mona) Markanda
Ex-President
JUHI PESHAWARIA (2017-19)
I became a member of the Carmel Ex-student Association (CESA) in 1998 and a part of the CESA Executive in 2009. I have engaged myself in various duties and events. I continue to handle new memberships and maintain old records. I have enjoyed making clues for our most awaited Inter-school Treasure Hunt Competition and organizing annual CESA Nights. I have been managing accounts for CESA as Treasurer for the last seven years. I had the honor of being unanimously voted the President of Carmel Ex-student Association for the term 2017-19.
During my term, our team embarked on various activities to keep a strong, active network of our Alumni. My endeavor was to add engagement in new activities under the CESA banner. My term began with celebrating the 50th year anniversary for the batch of 1966/67. CESA hosted a lunch for them at the Golf Club as they returned to the school premises and relived wonderful childhood memories. The Inter-Alumni Treasure Hunt planned in collaboration with St John’s Old Boys Association has also been a great crowd puller. I believe that Alumni events are a fantastic way to get your school alumni community together. It is a good opportunity not only to reconnect but also to know what our Alumni are presently doing and how they can help society at large.
CESA believes in doing its bit for the underprivileged sections of society. We undertook a new initiative called the I-Care Project with the girls of the Bapu Dham Colony. A lot of emphases is given to extra-curricular activities and sensitizing them about several topics of relevance. We also joined hands with the Sahayta Foundation for the noble cause of Breast Cancer Awareness and organized a walkathon at Sukhna Lake which received huge media coverage.
I am highly indebted to the team that helped CESA achieve great heights during my tenure. I am proud to be a Carmelite. I shall continue to serve my alumni association in every way possible.
Warm Regards
Juhi Peshawaria
Ex president (2017-2019)
Ex-President
NIMRAT GUJRAL
It was an immense honour for me to head the Carmel Ex student Association (CESA) for the term 2015-17.
It has been the association’s constant endeavour to try and get the ex-Carmelites together so that they can connect again with each other and give back to the school whatever they can and contribute to the society through various social activities.
During my term as president, apart from the ongoing activities of CESA, some new initiatives were also undertaken. A students week was organised as a tribute to the country’s president APJ Abdul Kalam and also to celebrate the girl child. During this celebration, a Walkathon was organised with the current and ex students from the school to the lake which was flagged by the Advisor of Chandigarh.
A first-aid and CPR workshop was held for the students of class 11 & 12 by trained AHA experts. Blood donation camps were also organised.
Apart from this various other competitions were organised for the students.
We also decided to acknowledge the importance and hard work of the support staff of the School by celebrating Lori with them which we continue to do so now as well.
Tree plantation drive was started in school which has now become a ritual on special occasions like Teachers Day.
Carmelite’s have excelled in all fields and are spread the world over, doing exceptionally well in their professions. We all are truly indebted to the foundations laid down by our Alma mater and shall try to raise the Carmel banner.
Nimrat Gujral
Ex president (2015-2017)
Contact Us
Carmel Ex-Students Association
Sector 9, Chandigarh.
Pincode – 160009