 OBA CallingFebruary 2020 |
| In this Newsletter |
| OBA Calendar (Mar to May) Recently concluded events Josepheights! Awards & Accomplishments Obituaries OBA Event Photographs OBA Calendar of Events 2019-20 |
| OBA Calendar – March to May 2020 |
| Saleh Ahmed SJBHS OBA Rink Hockey Tournament 4.0 in celebration of the Feast of St Joseph (Sun, Mar 22) JOSEXCEL (Mon, Mar 30) OBA Cricket Tournament (Sat-Sun, Apr 4-5) OBA Basketball Tournament (Sun, Apr 5) SJBHS OBA CONNECT – Kerala 2020 (Sat, May 23) |
| Recently concluded events OBA Inter-Batch Football Tournament 5.0 – Dec 14, 2019 |
The OBA Inter-Batch Football Tournament 5.0 was held on Saturday, December 14, 2019. The Inter-House format was introduced for the first time, for the Pre-90 batches. The tournaments for the ’90 & later batches were held in the regular Inter-Batch format. Individuals also registered to play for the OBA team.    The OBA congratulates the winning teams and thanks players and spectators for participating. Pre-90: St George’s House emerged winners.90 & later: The finals were held under flood lights with 1991, 2007 and 2018 emerging winners in the respective 1990-99, 2000-09, 2010-19 categories. |
| OBA Christmas Dinner – Dec 14, 2019 |
The annual OBA Christmas Dinner was held at the Loyola Sports Complex in SJBHS. Old Boys, families and friends participated. They joined the live band led by Old Boy Fabian White (2001), sang carols and enjoyed the dinner while Santa handed out gifts to children. The finals of the OBA Football Tournament were simultaneously held.  Prizes were handed out to the winners. The OBA congratulates the winners of the Football Tournaments and individual prizes and also thanks all the Josephites and families who attended the Christmas Dinner.  |
| Welcome to OBA – Jan 21, 2020 |
 The annual Welcome to OBA event was held on Jan 21 to introduce and induct into the OBA the outgoing Std 10 and Std 12 students of SJBHS. In addition to President Ian Lewis, Old Boy Sajju Jain (1992) addressed the 400+ strong gathering. Talking about how ‘Faith and Toil’ made an impact in his life, Sajju made an instant connect with the students. Each of them was handed a scroll with the School Song as a memento from the OBA and got a glimpse of the close ties between the OBA and School. |
| Prestige SJBHS OBA Golf Tournament 5.0 – Jan 25, 2020 |
The fifth Prestige SJBHS OBA Golf Tournament was held at the 18-hole Prestige Golfshire course at the foothills of Nandi Hills near Bangalore on January 25. This edition was as successful as those held in the past, bringing together close to 100 golfing Josephites. Josephites belonging to batches from the 1960s to recent batches participated. Non-golfing Old Boys participated in the afternoon fellowship lunch following the tournament.  |
| “For Buck’s Sake” – Melbourne, Jan 26 – by Dr Mario D’Cruz (1981) |
On a brilliant summer’s day in Melbourne which was both Australia Day and Indian Republic Day, 24 alumni got together for the inaugural “For Buck’s Sake” annual cricket tournament to commemorate Roland ‘Buck’ Baker, a stalwart Australian alumnus who passed away last year. 75 Josephites – ranging from our senior most alumnus Dan Wallace (1951) to Roshan Chatterjee (2012) – and family members turned up for what turned out to be a really fun day. The cricket match was expectedly well contested and much disputed between Andrew’s and David’s versus George’s and Patrick’s, the former winning the match despite a post-match official protest. The game was followed on by a well catered and hydrated barbecue lunch, the usual tamasha, speeches and prize distribution.The reunion was well received and has sparked interest within the group to connect on a regular basis. |
| SJBHS OBA CONNECT – New Delhi 2020 – Feb 8 & 9 |
The SJBHS OBA CONNECT – New Delhi 2020 was held in the National Capital Region on February 8 and 9. Over 35 Josephites and 10 family members participated in the event that featured several activities. The first day started with a game of Golf and lunch at the Hindan Air Force Base, followed by a walking tour of the Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah Complex at Hazrat Nizamuddin, ending with a foodie tour in the area. The second day began with a tour of the Control Room of the New Delhi Metro and concluded with lunch at a historical venue at Delhi Cantonment. The OBA thanks the North India Chapter for having put together a memorable event.The dates for the next reunion, SJBHS OBA CONNECT – North India 2021, have been tentatively scheduled for February 13-14, 2021 (Sat-Sun).   |
| SJBHS OBA CONNECT – Chikmagalur-Hassan 2020 – Feb 15 & 16 |
The SJBHS OBA CONNECT – Chikmagalur-Hassan 2020 was held on Feb 15-16. With over 60 Josephites participating, the event was a roaring success. The OBA Riders rode from Bangalore. In addition to the dinner, a game of Golf and a visit to the World of Coffee Experience Café was organized. The picturesque course at the Chikmagalur Golf Club has been designed by Josephite Prakash Alvares (ICSE 1975).     The OBA thanks the committee for superb planning, and thanks the participants for attending. |
| Awards & Accomplishments Josephites conferred Awards on Republic Day |
The OBA is privileged to announce that two Josephites were conferred awards by the President of India on Republic Day 2020 in recognition of their services to the nation. Commander Rahul Malhotra (1988) – conferred the Vishisht Seva Medal – a decoration of the Indian armed forces awarded to recognize “distinguished service of a high order”. Group Captain Rohith Vijayadev (1991) – conferred the Vayu Sena Medal – a decoration usually awarded during peacetime for exemplary service to the Indian Air Force. |
| India’s first private paper currency museum |
Rezwan Razack (ISC 1971) is an authority in Notophily, the study and collection of paper currency. Rezwan has established India’s first private currency museum in Bangalore, inaugurated by Dr C Rangarajan – former Governor, RBI – on Feb 15. The only other currency museum in India is run by the RBI in Mumbai.  Rezwan is a leading collector of Indian paper money. The collection at the museum includes a selection of banknotes dating back to the early 1800s, Private and Presidency Banks and colonial Government notes. India’s history has been aptly documented in the notes from French India, Portuguese India, princely States of Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir and Saurashtra States, to Indian notes issued in the 19th century. Moreover, another collection explains the techniques of making paper currency over the years. The OBA congratulates Rezwan for his achievement and wishes him success in future. |
| Corporate Leadership |
 M. B. Chinappa (1984) was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Biocon Biologics India Ltd. Biocon Biologics has made a mark by developing high quality, affordable healthcare solutions for the global market through leading edge R&D.Chinappa joined the company as Senior Manager Finance in 1999. He has been instrumental in setting up various EOU’s and a SEZ. He has also been pivotal to the significant reduction in finance costs and the setting up of Biocon Biologics. |
| Josepheights! Reminiscences of my school days – by Anuj Dayal (ICSE 1977) – Exec Dir, Delhi Metro |
I studied at SJBHS from 1974 to 1977 as my father who was a Brigadier in the Army was posted in Bangalore. The camaraderie and friendship continues till today. The first change which I encountered was the weekly tests held every Saturday. I realized the value when I wrote my ICSE exams in 1977. Just a month before the Board exams I suffered from Typhoid which was followed by a relapse and resulted in hospitalization. My dad met the Principal Fr Hedwig and asked whether I should drop a year. Fr Hedwig was clear that the system of weekly tests ensured there was no need for last minute preparation. He was absolutely right. I landed up in school with a blanket and sweater and sailed through the ICSE exams! The discipline was another point we discuss whenever I meet Josephites. Any offence led us to the Principal’s office and instant justice was meted out with a couple of good whacks depending upon the level of the offence. Fr Hedwig had canes of different thickness so we knew our impending fate by the thickness. I remember a classmate in Class VIII was caught throwing darts at the blackboard. He received “eight of the best” and had a sore bum for the rest of the day. However, Fr Hedwig wrote a note exempting him from PT that day, which was indeed a thoughtful act on his part! Fr Hedwig was tough yet fair!Every Josephite imbibes the command over the English language. I loved reading Julius Caesar . Papa Yates made Maths easy while Mr Chatterjee in the Chemistry lab will always remain etched in my memory. Mr Luke D’Souza was in charge of figure running and was quite a terror, but very fair. Widdy with his kheema samosas and yellow and orange coloured drinks, the school bell, the cycle parking stand, the swimming pool… it is all so nostalgic. I attended my first OBA reunion 30 years after leaving school and was struck by the bonhomie and warmth. I remember the eggs and sausage breakfast and chatting up my classmates Peter Furtado, Sunil Dhwani, Bryan Nobbay, Shyam and so many others. George Ollapally has now got many of us in Delhi connected and we have been getting together for the last two years for the OBA Connect. Whisky, brandy, soda pop… we want Joseph’s on the top. |
| Sahaan Suman (ICSE 2012, ISC 2014) |
Sahaan Suman K. is a 23 year old entrepreneur, currently the CEO of Bubble Network, a Digital Agency and the Director of BN Ventures, an investment fund. Post completing his ICSE and ISC at SJBHS, he pursued his MSc in Business Consulting at Warwick Business School in the UK. Starting off his first venture at the age of 18, he failed multiple times but stayed resilient. He credits his resilience to his family background and his days at SJBHS. Mentored by businessmen, Sahaan’s vision backed by his strength in understanding the market has allowed him to build his business with no capital investment. Sahaan and his team have mastered social media and digital tools. They have helped start-ups, local businesses and established firms develop social, digital strategies and succeed in Data Collection, Sales, and Product & Service launches.With strategic and technical knowhow on social media and digital tools, he leads a team of 20 at Bubble Network, a Digital Springboard. His clients include Oberoi, CoWrks, Flipkart, Boca Juniors and other businesses. The firm has serviced over 40 start-ups and 150 clients globally within 15 months of inception. “I’ve always believed in believing so hard that what you want already exists in the universe, you just have to visualize it, put in the hours and stay patient until it reaches you. I hope more people understand this statement.” he says. Sahaan has been invited as a judge, guest and keynote speaker in several colleges and platforms such as Coca Cola Youth Forum, AIESEC and Entrepreneur clubs in London. He still frequents SJBHS and keeps in touch with his teachers, coaches and support staff as they were all part of the strong foundation of values, ethics and good times one experiences at an early age. He recently became a member of the OBA UK Chapter and is thrilled to meet entrepreneurs and hear the stories from amongst the SJBHS alumni. |
| Varun Goverdhan (ICSE 2010, ISC 2012) |
Varun Goverdhan is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at Harvard University. He is enrolled in the ‘Technology, Innovation, and Education’ programme and is focused on the intersection of ‘Big Tech’ and Education. He aims to better prepare students to enter the 21st Century workforce with essential cognitive, inter and intrapersonal skills. His work lies in analyzing both the educational technology tools and their pedagogical uses in various formal and informal learning environments. Varun is passionate about education equity, civic engagement among youth, social-emotional learning and philanthropy. He is currently the Executive Director of Finance at the ‘Indian Business Summit at Harvard’ and has founded of the ‘Dream Design Robotics Program’. Dream Design is a non-profit educational program that teaches computational thinking and collaborative workflows across 15 low-income government schools in Bangalore. The program is jointly run by employees of NASA and Teach For India (TFI). Varun completed the TFI fellowship in 2019; he taught English, Maths, Science and Robotics at a government school in Vijayanagar for two years. He continues to remotely support the school and students.Varun acknowledges his privilege and gratitude to have attended St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School for both ICSE (2010) and ISC (2012) before heading to the University of Illinois to pursue his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Now working as an Educator, he deeply understands the importance of the community and culture at SJBHS. Varun spent over seven years at the grounds of St. Joseph’s and was a proud member of the Brass Band and several intramural sports teams representing St. Andrew’s. Of everything that St. Joseph’s has given him, Varun says that the motto, ‘Fide et Labore’ and the battle call of duty has and always will stick with him. Varun is eager to connect and collaborate with other Josephites and can be reached at varun.goverdhan@gmail.com or alternatively, can be reached on LinkedIn. |
ObituariesThe OBA regrets the sad demise of the following Old Boys. May their souls rest in peace. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families: • Ashok Somaiah – 1970 – February 27, 2020 • Imtiaz Ahmed – 1970 – February 15, 2020 • Deepak Samasi – 1996 – February 7, 2020 • Anthony Da Costa (former President of the OBA) – 1956 – February 4, 2020 • Albert Aranha – 1972- January 30, 2020 • Edwin Machado – 1977 – January 14, 2020 • Jayesh Jagdale – 1993 – January 8, 2020 • U. S. Sundaresh – 1963 – January 2, 2020 |
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| Photographs from recently concluded OBA events |
| OBA Inter-Batch Football Tournament 5.0 OBA Christmas Dinner – 2020 Welcome to OBA – 2020Prestige SJBHS OBA Golf Tournament 5.0 SJBHS OBA CONNECT – New Delhi 2020 SJBHS OBA CONNECT – Chikmagalur-Hassan 2020 |
OBA Calendar of EventsOBA Calendar of Events – 2019-20 |
