SACAA to Confer Prestigious Eminent Aloysian Alumni Award on 5 Achievers
Mangaluru: Addressing the media persons during a press meet held at St Aloysius College Auditorium, convener of the Prestigious Eminent Aloysian Alumni Award programme St Aloysius College Alumni Association President Archibald Menezes said, “The upcoming Prestigious Eminent Aloysian Alumni Award program will be held on Sunday the 25th of March 2018 at the L.F. Rasquinha Hall, Aloysius College. Alumni of St Aloysius College- P. Jayaram Bhat {BSC degree 1970 batch}; Dr. V. Ravichandran {BSC 1968 batch }; Joseph Gonsalves {BSC (PCM) 1941 batch}; Dr. K.V. Rao {teacher at Aloysius college 1967 -2002} and Jeevan Saldanha {Studied up to PUC 1984 batch} are the recipients of the award.
He further said, “The Eminent Aloysian Alumni Award program is jointly organized by the Management of St. Aloysius Institutions and St. Aloysius College Alumni Association (SACAA). Tens of thousands of students over the years have received education in this prestigious institution and have now spread throughout India and the world. The Aloysius Institutions is surely feeling proud that almost everybody who has passed out from here has become successful in their respective chosen career but some have excelled, they are recognized by the world bodies and have become role model to other students. The institution and the Alumni association felt that such achievers should be recognized by the Alma Mater itself so that the students take inspiration from them and try to emulate their success. The award program was initiated by Rev Fr. Denzil Lobo then Principal and later rector of the college in the year 2008.”
“The award program is overseen and directed by an organizing committee consisting of Rector, Heads of St. Aloysius Institutions and SACAA office bearers. The selection of the awardees was done by a panel of 5 juries, working independently as per the criteria given by the organizing committee. The criteria’s were: Should be an alumnus of the St. Aloysius institutions or has served the institution as a member of the staff for not less than 20 years; The person has not been convicted of any crime or wrong doing by the court of law or any criminal cases pending against him; Achieved excellence in his/ her field of activity and thereby bringing glory to the Alma Mater; selfless service/support to the institution over the years; Contributed immensely to the good of the society and is a man/woman for others; and His/her exemplary character/actions is/are a role model for others to emulate.”added Menezes.
Rector of St Aloysius Institutions Fr Dionysius Vaz said, “A total of 34 eminent Aloysians have been awarded since its inception. We are proud to say that some of names include such eminent personalities like Dr. N. Vinaya Hegde, Justice Santosh Hegde, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Mr. Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, Lt. Gen. Nanda, Padma Bhushan K.K. Venu Gopal – the current solicitor general of India, Padma Bhushan K.V. Kamath who is the current chairman of BRICS Bank headquartered in China and many more. Until 2011 it was conducted every year and since 2014, every 2 years. Since 2014 St. Aloysius College Alumni Association SACAA has taken the responsibility of organizing it with the support of the Management.
This year the organizing committee with the help of the Jury has chosen 5 more eminent Aloysians. They are : P. Jayaram Bhat, the Non executive chairman of Karnataka Bank; Dr. V. Ravichandran, CEO of DIA systems and Glow Touch Technologies and a great philanthropist; Dr. K.V. Rao an eminent scientist and Director of Regional Science centre, Pilikula Nisarga Dhama; Joseph Gonsalves, at 96 years of age he is serving as the chief traffic Warden of Mangaluru City; and Jeevan Saldanha , a first generation entrepreneur and an innovator
The other persons who were present at the press meet were – Fr. Praveen Martis SJ, Principal of St. Aloysius College and Director o SACAA; Dr. A.M. Narahari – Registrar of St. Aloysius College; Dr. Richard Gonsalves Vice Principal and SACAA committee member; Michael D Souza , Executive committee member of SACAA; and Naveen Mascarenhas, Secretary of SACAA and Head of IT Dept. SAC.
P Jayaram Bhat: A committed banker and a sensitive financial manager, P Jayaram Bhat has an M Sc. Degree from the prestigious Mysuru University. Destiny has rightly guided him into the banking profession. His sheer hard work and dedication has taken him to the highest position in Karnataka Bank, one of the renowned banks in India. Widely admired and respected, our esteemed Awardee has been a recipient of several awards and recognition. He has lived the values of his Alma mater. He has never settled for anything less than excellence in his assignments and always reached out to people who deserve help, a real ambassador of the Aloysian ethos.
Dr V Ravichandran: is an extremely successful entrepreneur, a progressive thinker and a magnanimous philanthropist. His business acumen and leadership qualities are ideally tempered with deep erudition and an excellent academic track record. An inspiring teacher, a Fulbright scholar and a PhD holder, Dr Ravichandran is a true role model to the youth. He has founded and nurtured several technology services and technology education companies. His venture, Diya Systems has bagged the STPI Best Performer Award for consecutive three years. Eminent philanthropist, Dr Ravichandran has a heart that always goes out to the less privileged of the society- a true Aloysian indeed.
Dr K V Rao: A brilliant Scholar with an excellent academic track record, Dr K V Rao has always been a proud member of the faculty of this College for more than three decades. As a Professor of Physics, he has not only guided and mentored thousands of students who, today, have reached great heights but also has touched generations of students by his simplicity and unassuming personality. He has PhD from the prestigious Raman Research Institute, Bangalore. He has been recognized by the government as well as private organizations to advice them in the fields of Science and Technology. He is a crusader for promoting and popularizing the scientific spirit among common people. Presently, he is the Director of the Pilikula Science Centre, Mangaluru- a man with a mission for the cause of science.
Joseph Gonsalves: A man deeply committed to the values of Jesuit education, Mr Joseph Gonsalves, popularly known as Joe Gonsalves, is an inspiration to all. Educated at St Aloysius College and Institute of Marketing, London. Widely travelled and deeply engaged in incorporated companies throughout the globe, Mr Joe Gonsalves has never deterred from the values of his Alma mater. His commitment to excellence, discipline and social consciousness is worthy of emulation. He has also been a champion of civic sense, especially traffic regulation in the city of Mangaluru. This commitment to civic society has propelled him to be the Chief Traffic Warden of Mangaluru at this age- a champion for St Aloysius.
Jeevan Saldanha: An avid sports lover, a young and dynamic leader, Jeevan Saldanha has risen to great heights at a young age by sheer hard work, creativity, imagination and single-minded devotion to his goals and the betterment of the society. He has to his credit, the development of the first Color Sorting Machine for the Optical Separation of seeds and grains with the help of Raman Research Institute. His brainchild, Spectrum Industries, prides itself in having satisfied clientele from more than 25 countries in the world. As the president of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he has been instrumental in raising issues and concerns of the civil society with public servants and persuading them to take meaningful remedial measures. A true Aloysian, Jeevan Saldanha has a passion for excellence, without compromising the core values of altruism and compassion.