Alumni Reunion: Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the DMET Class of 1975
- DMET Cadets
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
Golden Jubilee Commemorative Souvenir | 1975–2025 A Digital Launch by DMET Club
“Time may pass, seasons may change, but the bonds forged in the crucible of DMET remain eternal.”
On October 28th, 2025, the campus that had shaped the lives of the DMET Class of 1975 opened its arms once again. Fifty years had passed since they first walked through these gates as cadets. Today, we bring you the story of that remarkable reunion, alongside the digital launch of the commemorative souvenir magazine that captures five decades of memories, achievements, and the enduring spirit of DMET.
The Homecoming & Guard of Honour
The campus that morning looked the way it always had—quiet, familiar, waiting. The buildings stood where they'd always been, and the paths wound the same way they had fifty years ago. As the alumni walked through, there was something in the air that didn't need explaining. The place remembered them, and they remembered themselves as they once were.
The cadets, dressed in crisp white uniforms, lined up to welcome their seniors. There was pride in their stance, respect in their eyes. When Mr. D.K. Sanyal arrived, the Sainyayatris presented him with a Guard of Honour; a moment where fifty years collapsed into nothing, where the young saluted those who had walked this path before them.
Remembering Those Who Sailed Ahead
"Those we love don't go away; they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near—still loved, still missed, and very dear." Then came the silence. The kind that fills a room differently than noise ever could. They remembered classmates who couldn't be there—some held back by distance, others by something more final. The memories came easily: shared bunks, late-night conversations, the particular way someone laughed. For those few minutes, the hall held fifty years of friendship.
The Dean of IMU Kolkata Campus spoke about the institute's legacy, about what it means to keep something alive across generations. His words weren't just ceremonial—they came from somewhere real.
The Heart of It All: The Souvenir Magazine
If there was one thing that truly captured what the day meant, it was the magazine.
Months in the making, this wasn't just another souvenir. Inside its pages are fifty years of stories—some told in words, others in photographs that have yellowed at the edges but somehow look more alive for it. There are accounts of first days at DMET, of friendships that turned into lifelong bonds, of careers that spanned oceans, and of moments that seemed small then but grew in meaning over time.
The response when it was unveiled that day was something to see. Hands turned pages slowly. People pointed at photographs, calling out names, laughing at old hairstyles and serious young faces. Some pages brought smiles, others brought a different kind of quiet.
Today, January 16th, 2026, we're proud to make this magazine available to everyone. What started as a printed keepsake for those who attended is now a digital archive—a way for anyone connected to DMET, past or present, to access these stories.
Whether you were part of the Class of 1975, another batch altogether, or you're just curious about the history of this institution, the magazine offers something rare: a real, unfiltered look at what it meant to be part of DMET across five decades. It's history, but it's also very human.
Honoring Excellence
The alumni received medals, shawls, and souvenir kits—small tokens for careers that had taken them across the world, for contributions to maritime fields that had mattered. Each name called was a reminder that what happens here doesn't stay here. It goes out into the world. A presentation traced the institute's journey through the years, showing how DMET had grown and changed while somehow staying exactly what it needed to be. Following this was the plantation ceremony for the planting of a Memorial Palm Tree, accompanied by Mr. D. K. Sanyal and other esteemed ex-cadets.
"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."
Walking Through Memory
The Campus Visit
After fifty years, the campus was both the same and completely different.
The library still stood where it always had, though the books were different now. The DMET grounds looked smaller somehow, the way places from childhood always do, but the morning light fell across them the same way. The workshops were still there, machines still running, still teaching.
New buildings had come up around the old ones. Modern labs, bigger academic blocks. The institute had grown, obviously. But walking through it all, what struck the alumni wasn't how much had changed. It was how much hadn't. The feeling of the place, that was still there.
The formal part ended with thanks to Mr. D.K. Sanyal for being there, to the Dean, to all the alumni and their spouses who made the journey. Special thanks went to Mr. S.K. Sarkar, who had been the person making sure everything actually happened, fielding calls and emails, keeping track of who was coming and who couldn't make it. As people headed to their cars, they carried things with them that weren't in their bags. Rekindled friendships. Old stories that had been told again and felt new. The particular comfort of being understood without having to explain.
They looked back at the campus one more time before leaving. But it didn't feel like an ending. More like they'd confirmed something they'd always known: that they could come back. That this place would be here. That some things don't really end.
The gates will remain. And they will always welcome you home.
