May 2020


OBA Calling MAY 2020




Contents
OBA Calendar (Jun to Aug)Recently concluded OBA eventsSJBHS OBA Checkmate 1.0 – April 25-28Josepheights!Dr S. Chinny Krishna (1959)Dr Prateep Philip (1977)Dr Mario D’Cruz (1981)Squadron Leader Samit H Eldurkar (2001)Creative Corner”Twenty C S Tips’ To Tackle The New C S [Corona Syndrome] of
2020″ By Dr C S Rajan (1969)”The Ties That Bind” By Dr Rajesh Nayak (1985)”A new beginning awaits” by Kshitij Mehta (1988)




“From Bad To Verse” By Manoj Jacob (1989)”Rock Brittle” by Lennold D’Almeida – 1994 (using the pseudonym
Poetic Cyrano)OBA Achievement Award Nominations 2020Obituaries




OBA CalendarJune – August, 2020 (Tentative)

JOSEXCELOBA BuzzDate TBDAugust 3 – 8 2020




Recently Concluded EventsSJBHS OBA CheckMate 1.0 – April 25-28

The SJBHS OBA CheckMate 1.0, the first online
Chess tournament, was held from April 25 to 28th.
Forty two players registered for the tournament.
The batches ranged from 1969 to 2019.
Players were located across the world.
A total of thirty two matches were played online.

Josephites displayed immense discipline, resulting in the tournament running on schedule. A huge shout of thanks to participants, winners and Josephites who followed the games online.
WinnerVivek Nambiar (1988) – St. George’sSecond PlaceSridhar Ramanujam (1995) – St. Andrew’s
Third PlaceVarun Jalan (2001) – St. Andrew’sThe MC thanks Vikram Chugh (1992) and Rolf Marren (1996) for having organized the tournament very quickly and for conducting it flawlessly with superb online collaboration.




JOSEPHEIGHTS!Dr S. Chinny Krishna (1959)


Dr S. Chinny Krishna is an engineer
turned entrepreneur, founder of
Aspick Engineering Pvt Ltd, manufacturer
of engineering equipment.

He was a member of the teaching faculty
at IIT-Madras (1973-74) and has a
PhD degree from University of
Southern Washington, USA.
More importantly, he is one of the founders of the Blue Cross of India, Chennai, registered in 1964. In the same year, he conceived and implemented the first population management anti-rabies programme for street dogs, calling it ABC-AR (Animal Birth Control – Anti Rabies). This was endorsed by the World




Health Organisation (WHO) in 1990, made a national policy in India in 1997 and a legal requirement in 2001. He was one of 12 world “experts” on Rabies Control selected by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2011.

He has also established free animal hospitals, shelters and dispensaries in Chennai, Tiruvellore and Kanchipuram districts; free round-the-clock ambulances for animals in Chennai and Kanchipuram; and gaushalas for abandoned cattle. He campaigned for and succeeded in obtaining the ban on export of monkeys in 1977 and the ban on export of frogs’ legs in 1987.

He developed the first inter-active computer series software as an alternative to dissection of animals, leading to the eventual ban on dissection in schools in India. Over 3,000 copies of these programmes in English, French and German were supplied to schools in Switzerland, replacing dissection of animals in those schools and many more were downloaded free of cost from the website of the Blue Cross of India.

He has served on the Animal Welfare Board of India in various capacities: as Vice Chairman from 2010 to 2016, as Vice Chairman from 2001-2004 and as a Board Member from 1997-2000. He has served on the CPCSEA (Committee for the Purpose of Control of Scientific Experiments on Animals) as a member from 1996 to 2002 and from 2010 to 2017.





He was the settler trustee of FIAPO (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations) in 2007. He served as its Chairman from 2008 to 2013 and was designated Chairman Emeritus in 2013. Dr Chinny Krishna was a Trustee-Director of World Animal Protection, UK (formerly World Society for the Protection of Animals or WSPA) from 2004 to 2016.

He has been a Featured Speaker at many international conferences including those at Manila, Bratislava, Sofia, Riga, London, Orlando, Hong Kong, Chengdu , Singapore, Brussels, Amman and Cairo .

The major awards he has received include Jeev Daya Puraskar (Government of India), 2000; Venu Menon Life Time Achievement Award, 2002; Llewyt Award of the North Shore Animal League, NY, 2005; Humane Society of the United States Award, 2005; Middle East Network for Animal Welfare, Cairo Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007; Marchig Animal Welfare Trust Award UK, 2008; Acharya Hasti Karuna Award, 2011; Humane Society International, USA, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012. The Blue Cross of India was declared the recipient of the 2014 Bhagawan Mahaveer Foundation award in August 2014 and WSPA-Canada award in 2016. Currently he is Chairman Emeritus of the Blue Cross of India and of FIAPO.







Chinny was in St George’s House
and remembers his school days very fondly.
His love for animals dates back to his school days.
He refused to dissect a frog in Biology Lab,
which Rev. Fr. Biscaro, the Principal at that time,
did not take to too kindly. His brother was
two years older. Chinny also fondly recalls those
quiet days in Bangalore, living on St Mark’s Road
not too far from school, right next to the
‘other school down the road’.




JOSEPHEIGHTS!Dr Prateep V Philip (1977)


Designation: Director General of Police, Crime Branch CID, Chennai.
Dr Prateep’s story is that of a police officer who has pioneered reforms and been a catalyst of change within the community, that of an officer who has escaped the jaws of death not once but twice.

Dr Prateep V Philip, IPS (Batch of 1977) started his career as a bank officer, rose up as a servant of the public through his IPS qualification and has today grown to the position of Director General of Police (CS CID), Chennai.
His previous positions include those of Addl. Director General of Police (several positions), Inspector General of Police (several positions), Dy. Inspector General of Police (several positions), Principal of the State Police Training College and Superintendent of Police (several positions).




His official positions do not do justice to his numerous other achievements. Being a lover of reading, writing and public speaking, Dr Prateep has dedicated a large part of his professional life towards studying the human mind. He is the author of many books, his upcoming book is titled ‘Fillipisms’ – Fillipsms refers to his copyrighted motivational sayings and he has collated over 3300 of them, making it the largest number of aphorisms by a single author in history. He has innovated streams of thought, ranging from Crime prevention, Management, Psychological well-being and Education.

Dr Prateep has initiated the Friends Of Police (FOP) movement, a Community Policing initiative, aiming to bring police and public closer. FOP empowers the common man by creating crime awareness, hence enabling & training citizens in crime prevention methods. Today, every citizen is encouraged and empowered to join hands with the Police force and exercise their right to fight crime!

Dr Prateep created the concept, framework and technique of Equilibrium Thinking, a way of thinking for the millennium which combines age-old universal values relevant to modern living. The objectives of ET are self-realization, self-development, stress-management, self-awareness, management of anger, aggression and the management of self for happiness and excellence. He has conducted Equilibrium Thinking workshops at over 30 private and government organizations. His online seminars are helping people cope mentally and emotionally with the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. He has also founded a new discipline called Excenomics, the study of excellence and its impact on economics.

The author of 5 books and over 15 publications in journals, Dr Prateep has won national and international recognition for social initiatives and has won several awards, the latest being the SKOCH Gold Award 2019 for Friends of Police during the SKOCH Summit held in New Delhi in Nov, 2019. A motivational speaker and mentor, Dr Prateep has indeed been giving back to the world in many ways.




JOSEPHEIGHTS!Dr Mario D’Cruz (1981)


I came to Std 4B in 1974, having been an exceptionally average student from nursery through to 3rd Std at St Anthony’s. I effortlessly managed to maintain this mediocrity all through school and college ICSE in 1981 and the next two years in PUC.

Somehow, I also managed to not display any prowess in any of the recognised athletic or sporting activities (holly-kolly, marbles, tops, gilli-danda etc excluded).




But make no mistake, my life at SJBHS was far from drab. Right from day one up to the last exam, it was a whirlwind of fantastic exploits, testing times, enduring relationships and seminal life lessons, all of which made that boy into this man.

It will be years in the telling, if I were to recount the misadventures that culminated in a caning from Fr Hedwig, the joys of reading a Hardy Boys’ under the desk in Hanu’s Kannada class, learning the meaning of terror in the form of a fast-approaching Mr Chatterjee or the exhilaration of emulating Tarzan on the Banyan vines in the State Bank.

St Joseph’s made me a man, St John’s made me a doctor and my family took me to Australia. In 2001, my Surgical Training was interrupted by a traffic accident in Melbourne and since then I have been both a quadriplegic and a doctor.

In my 30 odd years as a medical practitioner, I have worked in public hospitals and conducted a private clinical practice focused on people living with spinal and mobility impairment.

I have been a Medical & Sciences educator at Postgraduate, University and Secondary levels for 25 years, conducting lectures & workshops at Australian Universities, hospitals & schools.




I am also a Public Speaker to a wide cross-section of audiences. Having a unique understanding of spinal impairment, its management and the importance of research in improving the lives of people like myself, I address peer groups, scientific meetings and corporate organisations on the intersection of my clinical expertise with lived experience.

I am an academic project consultant and also been an Investigating Officer for the Victorian & Australian Medical Boards. I am a Director of a philanthropically funded Spinal Research Institute and being both a health service provider and consumer, I offer a useful input as a member of a Board Advisory Committee to a major healthcare network as well as the Development Committee of the Australian Quadriplegic Association.




JOSEPHEIGHTS!Squadron Leader Samit H Eldurkar (2001)


It gives me immense pride and pleasure to have been afforded the opportunity to write my piece for this newsletter. At the outset, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude and compliments to the editorial team for an exceptional job at keeping this fantastic newsletter going.
One of the most important facets of life is to ensure that you begin with a firm base and that your basics are right. Your fundamental values form the very core of your character and it is exactly here that SJBHS transcends other institutions. The importance of these values will only be seen when a Josephite so easily outperforms and shines to attain glory not only for himself but for his alma mater too.




For me, these values came in terms of integrity, modesty, loyalty, determination and an ever-burning fire to be the best at what you do. Most importantly it was these values that created the base for me to join the Indian Air Force and serve the country as a fighter pilot.

Having served the Air Force for over 12 years as a fighter pilot, when I look back to when I first joined, I realise that it was the core values imbibed in me by the school which brought me where I am today. The confidence and the edge that I got from the school easily ensured that I performed more than optimally, as and when the situation so demanded.

Being a Qualified Flying Instructor, I have been fortunate enough to have had the privilege of training rookie fighter pilots from other friendly nations and participate in international exercises with other Arms and Services.

My journey at Joseph’s which begun in 1994 has been filled with memories of great everlasting friendships, wonderful teachers and a happy environment. I could never forget the Inter-School Relay Championships, having been a proud member of the school relay team beating Cottons every time!

Abu’s samosas, burgers and biriyani, begging Francis for more beef at the Refectory and playing football in the school grounds during lunch break have been some of the sweetest memories for me.

I fondly remember all of my teachers at school and I am extremely pleased to know that some of them continue to teach, imbibing excellence as generations go by. St Joseph’s has forever been the bedrock of excellence. As Josephites across the globe achieve laurels, the greatest fact is that they do so with humility and simplicity. Blue and White forever, Faith and Toil Always.




Creative Corner “Twenty C S Tips’ to Tackle the New C S [Corona
Syndrome] of 2020”Dr C. S. Rajan (1969)
Common Sense behaviour – always:
Correct Social distancing at a minimum of 6 feet.Curbed Show of face, with appropriate use of the mask.Customary Salutary greeting of the Namaste only.Cleansing Soap use for washing hands, frequently.Counting Seconds, 20 for each wash.Contact of Self mouth, eyes and nose to be minimised / not done.Covered Sneezing and coughing into handkerchief, tissue or sleeve.Careful Self-preservation to be ensured:
Composed Stance by maintaining a positive attitude.Communications Short, keep the talk / discussions on the Corona virus to the minimum.Curiosity Shunned by avoiding WhatsApp news / reports, as they are more often false..!




Convenient Sustenance by:
Catch-up Schedules of completing pending tasks.Cupboard Sweeping of sorting and discarding of collected junk and waste.Creative Stimulation by expressing yourself in a hobby.Capability Strength to be preserved or improved by keeping fit physically.Cerebral Stimulation to maintain mental agility, by solving crosswords, Sudoku etc.Cool Simple lifestyle by pausing to enjoy the joys of nature.Cheerful Smiles always, to radiate your confidence, in these troubled times.




Creative Corner“The Ties that Bind”Dr Rajesh Nayak (1985)
Dr Rajesh Nayak has written several articles about his days in school and several other topics, peppered with wonderful humour and insight. He has modified one article recently, titled “The Ties that Bind”. Many of us would relate to the interesting and emotional theme.

Please follow this link to read:
http://www.memoirsofanaveragejoe.com/2018/03/28/the-ties-that-bind/




Creative Corner“A New Beginning Awaits”Kshitij Mehta – (1989)
I play carrom every day on my own
When I compare it to my life I feel the game is still on
And I can choose where to go from the 4 directions
Also in a split of a second I choose one corner and take a strike without hesitation
Right or wrong I take the shot
This is when I realize why not do the same in real life
Today all choices are open still we try to put everything in one direction only
I did not have an answer to this but I knew very well that all 4 directions are still
open to me




Creative Corner”From Bad to Verse”Manoj Jacob (1989)
Ten days ‘n’ one of quarantine
Oh, I can do this again!
But my pals are sufferin’ some
I think they’re goin’ insane.

My phone is on a sulkathon
Parked in the living room.
I hardly say hello to her
My new found love is Zoom.

I see my shoes gathering dust
Sometimes I hear a wheeze.
But I dare not take ‘em for a walk
Lest they catch a sneeze.




My guitar is quite out of tune
She’s seeing too much of me.
She also gets to hear me sing
Quite regrettably.

My pantry is mighty cross
That I’m always digging in.
Once ‘nough to feed a horse
But alas, now, wafer thin.

My Fitbit’s likely wondering
Why I ain’t yet out of bed.
Or maybe she’s just thinking
The bugger’s probably dead!




Creative Corner”Rock Brittle”
(Using The Pseudonym Poetic Cyrano)Lennold D’Almeida (1994)
Dedicated to the union of body, soul and life.
Cool sunshine on a warm stream,
Like a cloud bursting into a content dream,
Tamed the fire did drops of ice,
Grain too many, fewer would suffice.
White did pale and crimson run,
Deed done, never to be undone.
Dwelling built on shifting sand,
Gold placed on an untrue hand.
Desire beyond the vacant panes,
Fading into a million lanes,
Softer now that wanton lust,
Days go by with none save trust.
Rend in too deep,
Shrill cries within out do seep,
Rock brittle does pretend hard,
Union diverse, a blend now marred.




OBA Awards – NominationsThe Managing Committee invites nominations for the OBA Lifetime Achievement Award and OBA Awards for Significant Achievement – 2020.

Please submit your nominations on or before June 15.

For more details, please visit: https://sjbhsoba.net/awards.html




Josephites, UnforgottenObituariesThe OBA regrets the sad demise of the following Old Boys. May their souls rest in peace. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families:
Sarto Almeida194326 May 2020P B Cariappa196823 May 2020
Bala Nair19643 May 2020Kaushik Thakore19492 May 2020
Adrian Lasrado195422 April 2020Raj Naik200412 March 2020Michael Fernandez19973 March 2020




Get in Touch!+91.80. 2229.1711The OBA invites you to contribute to future editions of the OBA Calling.
Write to us at communications@sjbhsoba.netOBA Calendar of Events – 2019-20Privacy Policy OBA Calling Archives OBA website

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