Loyola School, Jamshedpur

My Vivacious Loyola

Wednesday, 14 March 2007

hOla! hOla!! hOla!!! Voila!!! Loyola!!! Congratulations!!!

In my Study

It is with great delectation that I wish all the Loyoleans, a very exciting, enjoyable, extraordinary and erudite Diamond Jubilee Celebration. I have seen Loyola evolve from a single gender school to a Co-ed. school and witnessed its Silver turn into Gold and then into Diamond. Now, I ask of God to preserve its unique features for its Platinum jubilee and beyond.

On this occasion, I would appreciate if all my fellow Loyoleans - both students and faculty, share some of my pleasant experiences, contacts and events that I perceived during my continuous service period from 1954 to 1993. Right now, my position is just like the"Butter, Cheese and Salad" within a jumbo sandwich - encompassed by several stacks of sliced bread - bridging the Loyola of the 50s with the Loyola of the 90s and following it through its progress during the 60s, 70s and the 80s. The list of all the Loyoleans, whom I remember and genuinely wish to mention here, is really in astronomical proportions. It is as impossible to consider about all of them, as it is to enumerate and name all the stars in the sky. So, I will bring to your attention, especially the neo-Loyoleans, a profile of some luminaries, who still linger in my memories like the dim, blinking stars - many "light years" away from us - in the skies of Loyola.

A Profile of Mr. Rao - The First Registrar of Loyola

Wednesday, 14 March 2007

Ready for Work: Mr. Rao on his Excelsior motorbike in 1957

Mr. A. L. Narayana Rao, [Ayalasomayajula Lakshmi Narayana Rao], popularly known as Mr. Rao, was not only my male parent, but my hockey coach, my scout master, my English teacher and finally my honorable colleague in Loyola. Very few individuals in this World are lucky enough to have such unique grandeur as I have!

It was he, who played against me and taught me field hockey, from my boyhood days. People used say, "Rustom and Sohrab are on the field". It became my favorite game thus! He was a great Tennis player too. He was known for his powerful backhand drive! I had gone on several Scout camps with him, as a Boy Scout of Board High School, Yellamanchili, of which he was the Head Master for 35 years. There, he introduced many games, including Cricket and Baseball. He handled English for the students of VI th. Form [equivalent to the Xth Standard in Loyola] and I was lucky enough to be his student in 1947.

Padma Shri for Astad Deboo

Friday, 02 February 2007

Astad Deboo

Astad Deboo, who graduated from Loyola in the 1964, has been awarded the Padma Shri by Government of India. In all this year, 121 Padma awards were announced, including 10 Padma Vibhushan, 32 Padma Bhushan and 79 Padma Shri awards.

While the Padma Awards list mentions him from Maharashtra, he still has close links with Jamshedpur. Desite his busy schedule, he has often participated in our School and Alumni functions. Last he was here during the JAAI National Congress in October, 2004. Besides, his elder sister still lives in Jamshedpur.

The Life of Father Hess

Monday, 25 December 2006

George Hess

The following tribute to Father Hess has been taken from the book, One Man's Dream - A Million Kids' Beneficence, compiled and published by Rajat Bhatia along with a few of his other schoolmates from De Nobili School, FRI, Dhanbad. The proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to help needy children. Click on the link above for more about the book and how to purchase it.

The Early Life of Fr. Hess

Father Hess was born on 10 October, 1919 in Bayonne, New Jersey to David and Julia Hess. His Father, was a self-made civil engineer and a consultant to JP Morgan. David Hess was also a close friend of Mr. Rayens, the Chairman of AT&T and in the good old days, the young George Hess would visit the estate of Mr. Rayens on Long Island with his parents. It was this privileged lifestyle that Father Hess gave up to make the journey to Bihar as a Jesuit in 1952.

One Man's Dream - A Million Kids' Beneficence

Friday, 22 December 2006

George Hess

One Man's Dream - A Million Kids' Beneficence is a book on De Nobili School and the life of Father Hess, written by Rajat Bhatia, a Nobilian. It is a photo-chronicle of the history of De Nobili School and the life of Father Hess.

The De Nobili School, FRI, Dhanbad was founded in 1956 by the same Jesuits who established Loyola School, Jamshedpur. Fr. F. X. McFarland was the founding Principal of De Nobili. Fr. George Hess, one the longest serving principals at Loyola, was the principal of the sibling school for 17 years. Fr. Kirsh established the physics labs there just like he had done it here in Loyola. The two schools have shared the same set of Jesuits, besides those named above, including Fr. T. Peacock, Fr. Hunt, Fr. E. Welch, Fr. Eugene Power, Fr. J. Keogh, Fr. H. Lobo, Fr. Eric Cassel, Fr. George Thana and Fr. Pius Fernandes.