Thurstan College, Colombo -- Back to schooldays

"I didn't do it okay .... "
-- President Mahinda remembers schooldays' mischief

The Hon. President attended the'Back to school' programme held yesterday (Jan 12) at Thurstan College and he made the occasion interesting and humorous anecdotes of mischief done during his college days.

He revealed how they resorted to eating on the sly and how they scooted from school. The President brought back these memories while adorned in the national costume toga-style and with a black handkerchief thrown over it, as was not seen on other days. 

The Junior Old Boys Association of Thurstan College organised this 'Back to School' programme with the intention of inviting the Old Boys once again back to school in order to reminisce the old memories of the bygone schooldays.

The President who made everyone roar with laughter by quoting incidents of his schoolboy days and how he in the end made it a point to get away from the blame by  always saying, "Of course it wasn't I ... okay!"

The President happened to be an Old Boy of Thurstan College from the beginning of 1960. He spoke of how when Mahindapala Sir parked his bicycle, it was secretly taken away with the purpose of riding it and how it so vanished from its parking point. He also mentioned how the students bathed from the water-tank in 'karmanthapuraya' as there was no swimming pool in College at that time. He also said how he always used to say, "... I of course didn't do it" when things began to go wrong. Though he was in the clique who did these 'heroic' deeds, the President admitted that he of course scooted away from the queue of the summoned boys nabbed by the master in charge of discipline ..... wearing a smile on his face.

A large number of erudite scholars, artistes and sportsmen who had their education at Thurstan College attended this programme dressed in the school uniform once again. The made it a point to spend the whole day with the teachers in the classrooms, just as much it was a real schoolday; bringing old memories back to all of them. 
Note -- Thilina Alahakoon
Photos from HERE

Pix By -Suren Abeysundara & Thilina Alahakoon