South Point Ex-students’ Association (ASPEXS) under the aegis of its Medical Wing, in association with the  Diabetic Association of India (West Bengal) and Novartis, is organising a diabetes-detection-cum-awareness program on Sunday, July 18, 2010 at South Point School premises at 16, Mandeville Gardens, Kolkata 700 019, for the benefit of members of staff of the school (both present and retired), ex-students, as well as guardians of students studying in the school.

This is a unique event in which ASPEXS is bringing together a professional organization of doctors and patients for the cause of diabetes which has emerged as a critical public health problem. The purpose of this programmes is to sensitize teachers and guardians towards the colossal problem that diabetes is going to cause to children, the future of our Nation, if proper corrective steps are not taken. Parents and teachers can play a major role in inculcating healthy lifestyle habits in children. At the same time the program aims to help those members of staff still in service or retired and already afflicted with the malady or having a near and dear one afflicted with it, to face the challenge of diabetes and tackle it more effectively

The program will entail free blood glucose and glycosolated haemoglobin testing followed by a open discussion where eminent endocrinologists,and cardiologists will be available to guide the participants. It is a matter of great pride for the school that all these eminent physicians of the city have one thing in common - they are all ex-pointers and have not forgotten their school despite professional and other commitments.
 
Programme details:
Date and time : Sunday, July 18, 2010, from 8 am onwards
Venue : 16 Mandeville Gardens, Kolkata 19
 
Highlights:
1. Free capillary blood glucose (blood sugar) and glycosolated haemoglobin testing : 8am-10.30am (limited number on first-come-first-served basis)
2. Informal chit-chat  with pointer doctors over tea : 10-10.30am
3. Open House Discussion: Winning the battle against diabetes : are we adequately geared up? 10.30 am-12.00 noon
 
Moderator: Prof. Subhankar Chowdhury, Prof. and Head, Department of Endocrinology, IPGME&R & SSKM Hospital.
 
Panelists:
Dr. Nilanjan Sengupta, Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, NRS Medical College;
Dr. Sujoy Mazumder, Consultant Endocrinologist, Peerless Hospital,
Dr. Debmalya Sanyal, Consultant Endocrinologist, RTIICS;
Dr. Debabrata Roy, Consultant Cardiologist, RTIICS.
 
Chief Guest: Mr. Goutam Mohan Chakraborty, Commissioner of Police

Ex-pointers who are interested to attend the program are requested to register their names by 14th July 2010, by sending their details (name, batch, contact number, address) at admin@aspexs.com.

It gives us great pleasure to inform that ASPEXS Care Wing has been presented with the “Better City Better Life Award 2010” by the Public Relations Society of India.

The award was presented to the alumni association by Shri Gautam Mohan Chakraborti, Commissioner, Kolkata Police on behalf of PRSI at a ceremony in Sector V, Salt Lake, Kolkata on 16.04.2010. The award was accepted on behalf of ASPEXS by Sandip Roy Choudhury, Hony. Secretary and Anju Chirimar.

The function was attended by various other dignitaries of the city. PRSI lauded the South Point Ex-students’ Association for launching this unique initiative. The other awardees of the evening included Mr J P Agarwal, renowned architect, Dr. Robin Sengupta, well known neurosurgeon, Mr B D Sharma, IPS and “Pronam” a social welfare project by the Kolkata Police.

Anju Chirimar, while thanking PRSI for presenting the honor to ASPEXS, also appealed to alumni of other schools and colleges to take up such initiatives for their own retired teachers.

Some photographs: Photo1, photo2

Annual reunion for 2010 was held at Swabhumi on 16th of January 2010 (6pm - 11pm). An array of entertainment activities, fireworks, live music, dance floor and dinner was lined up for the evening. The main attraction of this year’s programme was live performance by Bangla Band KAYA.

Programme schedule:

1) 6.30 pm - Felicitation of ten outstanding retired teachers: Smt. Shanta Mukherjee, Shri Ajit Moitra,  Smt. Arati Biswas, Shri Bijoy Sinha Roy, Shri Sunil Sinha Roy, Smt. Kalyani Palit, Smt. Gopa Barman, Shri Prodosh Datta, Shri Supriyo Sen, Smt. Bijoylakshmi Ghosal.

2) 7.00 pm - Performance by Folk Band Kaya
3) 8.00 pm - Dance to the tune of DJ Tinz with accompanying dance troupe

For further details and clarifications you may contact Dean (93309 66424), email at annual.adda@aspexs.com or check the Forum HERE.

28 December 2009 

Dear Pointer

The Annual Adda of South Pointers, is knocking at your doors. RENDEZVOUS 2010, the Annual Reunion Dinner and Dance of ASPEXS is scheduled on Saturday, 16th January 2010 at Swabhumi, EM Bypass, Kolkata from 6 P.M. onwards. Organised in association with The Telegraph , the event promises an array of entertainment activities, live music, dance floor and dinner . The main attraction of this year’s programme is live performance by the band Kaya. The other usual attractions are all there including jam session with DJ, snacks and drinks corner, sumptuous buffet spread etc.

As in the past, do come and join us with your friends and family and relive the past days of your life with your schoolmates all over again. Please rush to collect your passes, however, do note that invitee passes will be required for children above 5 years of age.

For further details and clarifications you may contact Shilpi (98300 70690), Rakesh (98318 87852) or Dean (93309 66424), send us an email at annual.adda@aspexs.com or log on to the Forum section at www.aspexs.com

The evening will be incomplete without your presence. See you there!

Best wishes for the New Year in advance. 

(Sandip Roy Choudhury)

Hony. Secretary

Limited number of invitation cards will be available on first-come basis from 26.12.2009 at:
 

G55 (Dakshinapan), Cakes (Ekdalia Gariahat crossing), Bodyline (Metropolis Mall at Hiland Park & South City Mall), M3 at City Centre, Salt Lake and  South Point School (Mandeville Gardens),. Home delivery of invitee passes available for minimum of ten (10) passes booked by one person at a time. To avail this, please call 9330966424.

Special Cards for Life and Associate Members’ available only from Mr. Dean Surtee at South Point School, 16 Mandeville Gardens, Kolkata 700 019 from 26.12.2009 between 11 am and 7 pm against production of ASPEXS ID Card.

Passes will not be available at the venue

An article "BACK TO SCHOOL" has come out in Outlook Money magazine (Issue date 02 Dec'09) about ASPEXS - Care Wing. This has already hit the stands in Kolkata. A scanned copy of the same has been uploaded to ASPEXS website. Please click on the link below to open the scanned copy (PDF file - 750KB).

PDF Link - BACK TO SCHOOL

Web Link - http://money.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?262925

Our attention has been drawn by some members to an email, said to have been circulated by a retired teacher of South Point High School, containing an appeal to ex-students of South Point for donation for “CARE”.

We would like to inform all concerned that South Point Ex-students’ Association has got nothing to do with this email or with its contents. We do not support any such appeal for donations/contributions to be transferred in any individuals’ personal or joint bank account. We feel that giving names of individual teachers and writing about their personal problems in a mass mailer in an exaggerated fashion for the purpose of raising money, is derogatory to the dignity of the individual concerned. This email or any such other effort by any group of individuals has no relation whatsoever with ASPEXS Care Wing and any person making any contribution or donation on the basis of the same will be doing so at his or her own discretion and without any recourse to us.

The email under reference reads as follows (parts of the same have been xxxxx –ed out, to protect identity and dignity of the concerned individuals):

Dear All, 
      
I am sending you details of our organisation CARE which is soon going to have a slightly different name after the new website comes into existence. Everyone should know that we are not under the umbrella of ASPEX any longer, since there are serious differences of opinion. 
      
CARE is an organisation started by the '83 batch of South Pointers who are trying to take care of 140 retired teachers. There are about 40 teachers who are in extreme distress and need a lot of help though it is not as if the others are in a very good condition. There are many of us who live absolutely alone, some have children living abroad who are very distant from their parents, others do not have any children at all, some are spinsters or widowers and some have children living in Calcutta who ignore their parents totally. So as you can guess, the situation is absolutely deplorable. 
      
CARE gives moral support, medical support and financial support to several teachers who are in great distress. There are students who visit teachers like xxxxxx Sir at least once a week, make telephone calls by rotation, take the teachers to doctors, or even hospitalise them when necessary. xxxxxx Sir as you know suffered a cerebral attack about 10 years ago and is totally strapped to the wheelchair and his right side is totally paralysed. He needs 3,500 rupees worth of medicines every month, and his wife is being compelled to do a part-time job though she is 66 years old and has serious heart problems herself. There are many teachers who need a cataract operation but do not have the money to get it done. Besides as a consequence of old age, some teachers have met with accidents like xxxxx xxxxx xxx who broke his femur bone and needed an operation and a steel rod had to be put in, or xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx Sir who fell on the street and smashed his nose and the bleeding would not stop since he is a diabetic. He has very poor eyesight, can hardly see, and lives absolutely alone. xxxxxxx xxxx had cancer of the oesophagus and had to undergo a major operation and since retirement benefits are very modest, such wonderful people are having to suffer so much. One junior school teacher, xxxx xxxxx is starving, and has a little chirey for lunch. She has severe dental problems and gangrenous wounds in her legs, and had to be hospitalised several times. She has 2 sons living in the city who do not take care of her. I can give you many such examples, but this should suffice to explain the condition of our retired teachers. Since there are many students who are doing very well in Bangalore, please circulate this letter so that they are aware of the condition of people who have imparted knowledge and values to them. If they think that it is a deserving cause, then they can send me a cheque directly, provided they trust me. We will soon have a home page and a joint bank account but it will take a little time to materialise. If there are students who want to know more, they can either send me an email or call me on my landline which is xxxxxxxx or on my cell, which is xxxxxxxxx, preferably after 10 in the night or anytime on Sundays. The students who have pioneered this do not wish to ask you directly for financial help because they feel you may not trust them. Therefore I am undertaking the task on behalf of all these children who are doing a very noble job. During my personal crisis when my husband was very sick, they stayed with me during a long 4 hour surgery and they are still visiting me, calling me and doing as much as possible to get opinions from cancer specialists in India and abroad. Thank you so much for your support and cooperation. I remember so many of you with a lot of affection and happy memories. 

Lots of love,
xxxxxxx Aunty.

Kindly do let us know if you have been subject to any such correspondence by writing to us at info@aspexs.com

Thank you,
ASPEXS Managing Committee

New novel from our fellow ex-pointer - C. V. Murali (Madhyamik - 1980)

The book is a seething commentary on the current social turmoil. It traces the lives of three men and their families from Pre-partition Bombay to current day Mumbai. As the narrative progresses, there is a constant dialogue with the reader- bringing the mirror into their face and drawing them into looking at various societal issues-the greatest of which are intolerance and apathy.

The author can be contacted at jayamurali_99@yahoo.com

Charity Dinner party photo Uploaded http://www.aspexs.com/aspexs/PhotoGallery.aspx

INVITATION TO THE 2ND CHARITY DINNER : SATURDAY, 12.09.2009

MOKSH, 22 CAMAC STREET, BLOCK ‘A’ 5TH FLOOR  

As you may be aware, the “ASPEXS CARE WING” was formed in June 2008 with the objective of taking care of our beloved teachers who have retired after imparting invaluable service to our school and also helped in shaping our foundation.

Since its inception, the Care Wing has come a long way in reaching out to the ex-teachers and extending support emotionally, medically and even financially, as per need. A number of teachers, most of who live alone, have now developed a feeling of ‘being wanted’ and also consider the frequenting Care volunteers as ‘family’. Pointer doctors have relentlessly extended their support time and again to the Care Wing for the ailing teachers whether for an emergency or just for routine medical visits.

To know more about the ASPEXS Care Wing, its objectives and how you can become a part of it, go to the link: http://www.aspexs.com/aspexs/Carewing.aspx

To simply follow the activities of the Care Wing and to connect with ex-teachers emotionally, please visit:

“ASPEXS CARE WING–For our teachers, with love” on the Aspexs website &
“ASPEXS CARE WING” the recently formed Group on Facebook.

We, at Aspexs,  have recently managed to gather medical benefits for our ex-teachers from organizations like RN Tagore Institute, Ruby Hospital, Suraksha Clinic, Aastha. Chemists who are ex-pointers have provided medicines at a discount with free home delivery. Medical Camps at the school have been attended well by pointer doctors as well as ex-teachers. Certain teachers have received financial assistance in case of surgery. The “Aspexs Medical Wing” has played a tremendous role here.

As part of our efforts to augment funds, like last year, we have organized a Charity Dinner in aid of further fulfilling the objectives of the Aspexs Care Wing to be held on Saturday, 12th September 2009 at MOKSH (22, Camac Street, Block-‘A’, 5th Floor, Kolkata-17). The evening will feature a blend of entertainment, sumptuous food and drinks.

We request all pointers to come forward and help us raise funds for the Care Wing.

Invitation cards are priced at Rs.1000/- each and the entire proceeds, net of expenses for organizing the dinner, will be transferred to the earmarked CARE Fund of ASPEXS, which is utilized only for ex-teachers. A limited number of cards have been printed due to space constraints and will be issued on a first-come-first-booked basis.

For Invitation cards, please contact Mr. Dean Surtee (+91-9330966424) at the Junior School office. These can also be collected from “G-55” at Dakhinapan Market, Dhakuria.

For any further clarifications, you may contact

Sharmila Roy ( 96740-51505, sharmila_roy2003@yahoo.com ) or,

Anju Chirimar (98311-65559, anjuarts@gmail.com )

ASPEXS CARE WING re-connects retired teachers of South Point with ex-students. It is good to remember our dear teachers who have taught us; it is even better to spend some time with them; it is best to be able to stand by their side in times of their need. What we are today can be largely attributed to the good foundation provided by our teachers!

The teachers in their advanced age, primarily need emotional support. Several Pointers visit them regularly, take them out, help them reconnect with their colleagues and keep in touch with them up regularly. This makes them feel respected, loved and wanted, and in some cases also helps them overcome their loneliness and depressive feelings.

The teachers also need medical support at times, and many Pointer doctors have often come forward and provided immediate assistance. Some medical benefits have also been arranged for them by ASPEXS through tie-ups with hospitals, clinics and chemists. Volunteers assist teachers in contacting doctors, taking them for consultations, or even procuring medicines if needed.

For medical support and critical cases that need treatment, financial assistance is also extended by ASPEXS from time to time.

WE APPEAL TO ALL EX-POINTERS TO PLEASE COME FORWARD AND JOIN THE ASPEXS CARE WING to get reconnected with your teachers. You will simply love it!

You can volunteer your time or offer financial support to ASPEXS to carry on its efforts.

Visit us on the Forum at THE THREAD "ASPEXS CAREWING - To our teachers, with love", to know more about our activities and also check this link http://www.aspexs.com/aspexs/Carewing.aspx

Contact - Sharmila Roy ( 96740-51505, sharmila_roy2003@yahoo.com ) or Anju Chirimar (98311-65559,  anjuarts@gmail.com ) for details.