The meeting was called to order by the MC, Charles Raj, as the quorum requirement had been met. On the dais were (left to right) Principal Fr. Sunil Fernandes
MINUTES OF THE 101st ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF THE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION
OF ST. JOSEPH’S BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL, BANGALORE
HELD ON SUNDAY, 1
st SEPTEMBER 2019
AT THE XAVIER AUDITORIUM, BANGALORE
The meeting was called to order by the MC, Charles Raj, as the quorum requirement had been met. On the
dais were (left to right) Principal Fr. Sunil Fernandes, SJ, President George Ollapally and Secretary Brian
D’Lima.
[Opening Prayer] – Fr. Michael John led the House in an opening prayer.
101.1 [Prayer and observance of a minute’s silence in memory of the Old Boys who passed away during
the last year] – A minute’s silence was observed in memory of the deceased members during the year.
101.2 [Special welcome to outstationed Old Boys] – The outstationed Old Boys who were present at the
AGM were called out and welcomed by Jayant Kapadia:
- Fulgence Rodrigues 1955 Goa
- Air Marshal Trevor Osman 1956
- Mike Rozalla 1956 Goa
- Lloyd Macedo 1974 Goa
- N Ramakrishnan 1974 Singapore
- Dennis Mathias 1959 USA
- Jagdish Belani USA
- K K Aiyyappa 1974 USA
- Vijay Pinto 1989 USA
- Kailesh Pujary 1986 Manipal
- Jonathan Nicholas 2000 Mumbai
- Vridhay Mathias 1990 UK
- John D’Souza 1969 Pune
- K J Abraham 1965 Kerala
- K S Thomas 1965 Kerala
- K T Thomas 1965 Kerala
- George Tharakan 1965 Kerala
- Capt. Alex Jacob 1960 Mumbai
- Sushil Shetty 1994 USA
- Jelson Jose 1994 Australia
- Nitin Unnikrishnan 1994 UK
- Pramod Joseph 1994 UK
- Nitish Verghese 1994 Delhi
- Paul Francis 1994 Oman
- Pradeep John 1994 Chennai
101.3 [Messages received from Old Boys] – The emcee informed the General Body that there were no
messages received from Old Boys.
101.4 [Presentation of the OBA Lifetime Achievement Awards] – The OBA Lifetime Achievement Award
was presented to Air Marshal Trevor Osman PVSM, AVSM. His classmate Mike Rozalla read out the
citation. Air Marshal Trevor Osman thanked the General Body elaborately.
The next OBA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Stany Thekaekara. His classmate Greg
De Nazareth read out the citation. Stany’s son accepted the award on his behalf and thanked the
General Body for the same.
The third OBA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Cecil Noronha. Santosh Naidu read out
the citation. Cecil Noronha thanked the General Body elaborately.
101.5 [Presentation of the OBA Awards for Significant Achievement] – The OBA Award for Significant
Achievement was presented to Dr. Anand Vinekar. His classmate Francis Satish read out the citations.
Dr. Anand Vinekar thanked the General Body elaborately.
The next OBA Award for Significant Achievement was presented to Rahul Tadimalla. Manish Pole read
out the citation. Rahul Tadimalla thanked the General Body elaborately.
101.6 [Presentation of the Staff Appreciation Award] – The emcee mentioned that no one retired last year
and therefore there were no staff appreciation awards.
[Message from Fr. Adrian Mascarenhas] – The emcee called upon Fr. Adrian Mascarenhas to say a few
words. He addressed the General Body reminding them that the school is their home and that the
teachers are always appreciated. He added that he his batch still have great affection for each other
after all these years. Fr. Mascarenhas reminded the General Body that we are one family and we have
to contribute to the school without counting the cost.
101.7 [The Presidential Address] – The emcee called upon George Ollapally to address the AGM: “As we are
entering the business proceedings of this AGM, I request the families of the award winners to move
on.
Welcome Fr. Michael John, Fr. Rector Brian Pereira, Principal Fr. Sunil Fernandes, SJ, OBA Achievement
Award winners and fellow Josephites, especially those from the golden and silver jubilee batches, to
the 101st OBA Annual General Meeting. My address is not going to be as long as the nominations so I
request you to give me your undivided attention for the next 5 minutes.
It is my privilege to address you for the second time as I step down after serving the OBA for 4 years.
With your permission, I will take my detailed report in the Annual Report as read. Last year’s
centenary celebration, which followed the last AGM, culminated in the grand finale, capped by great
entertainment, a highly entertaining and rewarding auction of memorabilia and a memorable
fellowship dinner.
This year’s calendar started with our first flagship event. November Studio OBA Football Tournament
4.0 with around 250 participants. Thanks to my predecessor Mr. Shashi Lewis and his team for another
wonderful event. Among the footballers present was our keynote speaker for February’s Welcome to
OBA for 250 outgoing seniors, none other than Mr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy (batch of 1991). He was
recently appointed the Vice Chancellor of National Law School. Shashi has also been the guiding light
of this year’s OBA Buzz in July with over 600 students participating in a weeklong event. Our second
flagship event, the SJBHS OBA Golf Tournament 4.0 at Prestige Golfshire, was organized by a team led
by First Vice President Mr. Nishant Gurjer, Mr. Sameer Gurjer, Mr. Conrad D’Mello, Mr. Sagar
Muthappa and Mr. Deepak Krishnakutty. It was a marquee event, unique among school alumni
nationally. As those who come and join us and participate, understand and appreciate the
organization and attention to detail is at a near professional level. And since its inception over 4 years
ago, it has generated a surplus exceeding 40 Lakhs for our Josephite sportsmen.
In February, our newly formed inaugural Delhi NCR Connect was hosted by Major General Anil Dere
(Class of 1974). Fr. Clifford and the OBA team including Mr. Nishant Gurjer, Mr. Avijit Dutt, Mr.
Shailendra Gupta and I were warmly welcomed by Delhi Josephites. The enthusiasm, camaraderie and
attendance with 3 Generals and 2 Brigadiers present exceeded our team’s expectations. We have
some added attractions for next year’s Delhi Connect. The army officers there would like us to have a
Golf competition against them. Mr. Anuj Dayal who is the Executive Director of Delhi Metro has
offered a guided tour of the Delhi Metro Headquarters near Connaught Place. And Brigadier Paul
Naidu has offered a curated trip around eating houses near Connaught Place. So we’ll see as we get
closer to that.
In May of this year, we had a solemn event, unique among schools in India. A memorial service
honouring 4 uniformed Josephites who laid down their lives to protect the freedom of our country
spanning 4 decades from 1962 to 2002. Meticulously planned by a team led by Francis Machado and
Chris Rego and others, it started with a mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter Machado followed by
wreath laying and unveiling of newly inscribed stones and plaques. Citations and plaques were
presented to each family and regiment. While we did the wreath ceremony today, some of you were
not present so I request each one of you to have a look at the plaques on display in the corridor.
The MEG Band and Buglers in attendance, thanks to General M N Devaya (batch of 1978) made the
event a memorable one, the school receiving very favourable attention in national media. Now when
we conceived of this event, we got as much information as we could, but two weeks after the event
Air Marshal Trevor Osman has informed us of two fellow Josephite pilots Babul Guha and K. K. Mohan
both killed in action in raids over Pakistan. These may be honoured by the incoming committee.
During this past year, the OBA has interacted with students at multiple events. We thank Mr. Shashi
supported by Miss Nandita Chandrashekar in making the OBA Buzz a huge success. This event is
outstanding. Some of us who are older have to come and see the enthusiasm and the extent of
participation and only then it hits. It is a huge success.
The after-school remedial coaching is also supported by the OBA and we thank Mr. Nishant Gurjer for
helping coordinate this program both with the school as well as with the donor. Our scholarship this
year amounted to Rs. 17 lakhs. We were giving about 10 lakhs per year until the centenary
celebration. As our corpus has increased, and the number of needy students has increased, we upped
it last year to 15 lakhs and this year we have pushed it a little more. We do have large number of
students who need help. Not only have the numbers increased but the fees have also gone up. So I
believe that this is something that we should do if we can.
With regards to finances, over 60 lakhs has been added to the OBA corpus this year mostly from the
centenary celebrations and golf. Our endowment structure has this year also been fruitful. Last year,
during my address, I talked about the endowment structure along with a slide. We had multiple levels,
1 crore, 50 lakhs to 1 crore, 25 lakhs to 50 lakhs and 10 lakhs above.
The biggest gift this year, which was pledged last year and fully funded in the last 12 months, we
closed about three weeks ago, is from the batch of 1968. My class. The Reverend Father Claude
D’Souza Memorial Fund of Rs. 25 lakhs was presented to the OBA to celebrate our class’ Golden
Jubilee. I am hopeful that other batches will also follow in whatever form they choose to decide.
Mr. Jimmy Anklesaria will focus on the OBA North America and will take a break after many years of
continuous support to us. Thank you Jimmy for your efforts and generosity.
My special thanks to all fellow MC members for helping with activities and events. Thanks to OBA
Secretary Mr. Brian D’Lima for his selfless and dedicated service to the cause for so many years. He
has provided continuity to the Old Boys by his presence, his ability to network and his integrity. His
support to many events has been evident with his presence and ever-willingness to help. He is
stepping down this year and many of us will feel the absence of his ever-smiling face at the OBA
Office. I wish to place on record the gratitude, of many Josephites worldwide, to him.
My sincere thanks to all our sponsors, well-wishers, volunteers, donors and fellow Josephites who
have responded favourably and without hesitation when needed, taking us to where we are today. For
many of our events, sometimes when we have shortfalls and need sponsorships, we reach out and
invariably Josephites come forward with great generosity. This has been the history of the OBA even in
the past but now with larger numbers, larger number of successful Josephites, we find that this is
really something that helps us a lot. Our gurus and mentors, the Jesuit fathers have moulded us and
their presence here today is testimony to that. We at the OBA work in harmony with them in the spirit
of Faith and Toil, for the good of our beloved school, to make it a better place for all of us.
Thank you.”
101.8 [Principal’s Address] – The emcee called upon Fr. Principal Sunil Fernandes to please say a few word:
“Dear members of the OBA, welcome home to school to the celebration of the OBA day. It is a matter
of great joy and pride to say that the OBA is one of the best organized and networked alumni in the
whole world. It is the spirit of the school with its motto, Fide et Labore (Faith and Toil) which lingers
on in our lives and memories forever.
For the last 100 years, the OBA has served as the pillar of Joseph’s, shouldering great responsibility
toward your Alma Mater. The Management, staff and students, deeply appreciate your initiatives, in
multiple areas. It is because of your generosity and magnanimity and caring, your commitment and
steadfastness, that our school continues to be rated among the best schools in India. I congratulate
and appreciate the OBA initiatives – scholarships, mid-day meals, remedial classes for students,
providing breakfast to the hockey team and other teams, outbound programs for the staff, the OBA
Buzz, Innovation Labs, creating opportunities and newer possibilities for school boys, Josexcel and the
war memorial service in May 2019. All these initiatives have made our school a better place.
I admire your well-organized network based purely on brotherhood, loyalty and friendship. Despite
your varied careers and interests, it is the love for your school, and the values and teachings you
imbibed here, which hold you together and I salute that great spirit. Your interest and participation in
school activities and service to the school are the reminders of the Jesuit tradition of being men and
women for others. Our boys see you as role models and hope to emulate you in your chosen fields.
Congratulations on finishing the first 100 years of the association. Your commitment to nation
building, public service, defence and sports, medicine and entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged. I
thank the OBA President Mr. George Ollapally, the OBA Secretary Mr. Brian D’Lima and the Managing
Committee members for the support and cooperation. We are truly blessed dear Old Boys and Girls to
have your love and affection. Thank you.”
101.9 [To confirm the Minutes and proceedings of the 100th Annual General Meeting held on September
2, 2018] – The Minutes of the 100thth Annual General Body Meeting of the OBA, held on 2
nd
September 2018 was accepted subject to ratification of below matters.
It was proposed by Ian Faria and passed by Dr. Bryan Nobbay.
101.10 [Matters arising out of the Minutes] – A point of order was raised by Siddharth Raja and Llewelyn
Rego as the AGM was convened on less than 14 days’ notice. It is dated 18th of August, while today is
the 1st of September which makes it only 13 days. It is not in accordance with due notice.
This point of order was ratified by the House.
The President mentioned that at the last AGM, the need was felt and the General Body had authorized
a 3-man committee to look at revising the by-laws.
A suggestion was made that the name be changed to Old Students’ Association or Old Boys’ and Girls’
Association. The same was shot down because now as per the AoA, point 1.1 states that Gender
involves all genders.
Given that the notice was not sent on time and the complex document presented was seen by many
for the first time today, the Articles of Association was suggested to be ratified only at the next AGM
or EGM after also taking into consideration the important points given by Sunil Pichamuthu. This will
avoid difficulties and controversies in the future.
Ian Faria stated that the rules have not been changed but only given a better form and shape where
ambiguities have been removed. Basically, clarity was given where it was required. All differing
viewpoints will surely be taken into consideration by the Governance Committee as and when they
come forward. The Governance Committee is a new model put into this so he requested the members
to go through it.
Johnny Joseph mentioned that the MoA of the OBA filled only four small pages back in the day. As
time went by, it became more complex. This new document will come into effect on 1st April 2020. A
suggestion was made that subject to any amendments which can be put forward during an EGM
before the 1st of April 2020, this document should be passed in light of the upcoming elections that
require it to be in place.
With regard to the point of order of the notice of meeting, Johnny Joseph mentioned that the Articles
of Association have already mentioned that the AGM will be held every year on the first Sunday of
September and the 14 days’ notice should be given in case it is scheduled on any other day.
Ian Faria stated that this document should be approved by the AGM in principle first. So the base
document should be passed and the suggestions by Sunil Pichamuthu and the new points of orders
can be looked into after that with the consultation of the lawyers present in the OBA. After this is
passed in principle, it has to go to the BJES (Bangalore Jesuit Educational Society) for their approval as
the OBA operates under their patronage. He then requested the General Body to pass this collective
intelligence in principle today.
An objection was raised by Llewellyn Rego because a whole lot of complications would be created. If
the draft passed would come into effect only next year, and the existing constitution was not
abrogated, then questions will arise on how the association should function during the next year.
Therefore, this proposal should be completely deferred to the next AGM after going into the proposal
in depth. Because here the ownership of the assets is already in question and this goes to the root of
the matter.
Johnny Joseph stated that the ownership of the assets of the OBA always lay with the Principal of St.
Joseph’s Boys’ High School as the OBA is a virtual organization.
Gregory De Nazareth clarified that when they were considering, many years ago, whether the OBA
should be registered or not, they went back to the founder Presidents like George D’Costa and John
D’Souza and clearly got back with a mandate (which was presented to the MC back then) that they
would not go for an independent registration as an individual entity. They decided that they will be
and belong to the school and that is why it is ruled that we are part and parcel of the BJES and all
assets and liabilities will belong to the Principal, St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School and therefore part of
the BJES. Fr. Michael John present there would also endorse the above information.
Llewellyn Rego stated that he has spent a lot more years handling the office at the OBA and therefore
he suggests that the MC take a better look at the proposal in order to avoid further complications.
Biju John agreed that the OBA has evolved over a period of time and rules need to be clarified but
there is an important step that needs to be taken as we want to put a little clarity into the constitution
and therefore it needs to be looked into in detail and then passed. It is not very comfortable that he
did not get a chance to look at what was being proposed while we are asked to pass it or ratify it at
the AGM.
Sunil Pichamuthu raised another point wherein he states that the notice was signed on 18th August
2019 but the electronic version was published on 22nd August 2019. So any circulation of the
electronic version was done only after the 22nd of August and therefore this proposal should be
deferred to the next AGM. First the Governing Council would need to consider these amendments and
then bring it up.
Siddharth Raja stated that the issue regarding the late notice of the meeting was ratified and accepted
by the General Body and therefore no content of the meeting will be affected because of that.
Manoj Pasangha inquired about the new Governance Committee. Ian Faria mentioned that the new
Governance Committee was proposed to be formed at the last AGM and the stipulation given was
that they form new rules and present it to the next general body meeting. Manoj then stated that if
the AGM has approved of the committee and given them the authority to go ahead and makes these
changes then this proposal should be passed. In an association like ours with a strong legacy, it is not
possible to get a consent from thousands of members all over the world because everyone will have
their own individual opinions.
Christopher Rego stated that after being the historian of the school for many years, he can confirm
that it has been the spirit of the school, Old Boys and Jesuits being one, to work together under the
Jesuits without any new agendas or politics being involved.
Ian Faria called for a vote in the spirit of trust. Noel De Nazareth stated that this proposal can be
changed at any stage so there was no harm in accepting it this year, then reviewing it and bringing the
whole thing back next AGM.
Laxman (batch of 1972) endorsed some of the points that Christopher Rego put forth. He said that
technically we would be on the right path if we took up this proposal 3 months from now at an EGM
so that everyone would have a chance to look at it and come up with suggestions by then. This can
then be good for the next 100 years.
Ian Faria reminded everyone about page 52 of the Annual Report where the minutes of meeting of the
previous AGM has it mentioned that it was resolved that the Governance Committee be set up to
review the rules and regulations of the OBA and change, improve upon, add, delete, modify or do
whatever it considers necessary for the proper functioning of the OBA. The proposal shall be
presented at the next AGM.
Tosher Hormusjee commented that he agrees that the proposal wasn’t seen by the General Body so
we could mention on record the guidelines for the next committee so that at the next AGM, it can be
put down as the new Articles of Association. Changing articles is not an easy task.
Srinivas Guda (batch of 1990) who quickly glanced at the proposal requested the AGM to include a
point on audit into the memorandum that we are integrated with the BJES and our accounts are a part
of the overall trust.
Johnny Joseph stated that it already is mentioned at the end of AGM agenda. But there are certain
things that the BJES does not want to get into, while the OBA analyses every situation before working
on it. He gave a few examples of the same.
Vasant Fernandes stated that a comprehensive document has been given to the General Body and we
need to look into it. Ralph Robert suggested that Sunil Pichamuthu’s recommendations also be added
into the document.
Incoming 1
st Vice President, Dr. Praveen Rodrigues, suggested that the term for each MC be 2 years
instead of one because no committee can make much of a difference in just one year.
Siddharth Raja suggested that an EGM be held on Sunday, 1st of December 2019 at 10:30 a.m. to
consider, discuss and pass, with or without amendment, this proposal draft, to be effective from 1st
April 2020 and at the election in the subsequent AGM in supersession of the existing rules and
regulations. This was unanimously passed by the General Body.
Girish Punja suggested that whatever has to be discussed be sent to the members at least 15 days
before the EGM.
There was a vote held and the majority went with accepting to discuss the proposed MoA and AoA
at an EGM on December 1, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.
101.11 [To consider and if approved, to adopt the Committee’s report on the working of the association for
the year 2018-19] – The President requested the General Body to accept the detailed report presented
in the Annual Report.
The same was proposed by Gurmeet Singh Randhawa and seconded by Dr. Bryan Nobbay.
101.12 [To consider and pass the Statement of Accounts for the period April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019] –
The President requested the General Body to pass the statement of accounts for the period 1st April
2018 to 31st March 2019.
Secretary Brian D’Lima said a few words, “My Dear fellow Josephites, it is with deep pain in my heart
that I step down from the Secretary of the OBA after 13 years of service. I have worked tirelessly for
the OBA for the past 42 years even despite not being on the committee for half of that time. I have
worked under many Presidents and many committees and never once there was even an iota of doubt
with regard to my integrity. Furthermore, I am the Treasurer of a number of organizations and
associations and nowhere there has ever been a doubt to my ethical values.
This year, however, one of the Past Presidents, a Presidential candidate and incoming Secretarial
candidate suddenly took it upon themselves to question my integrity without ever giving me a chance
to reply. The 3 of them along with 5 other MC members, most of whom are standing for election,
conducted inquiries like a kangaroo court. They never gave me any advance notice and just kept
throwing questions at me and expecting replies on the spot. A number of times I informed them to give
me their questions in writing and that I will answer all of them. But it was never done. After a number
of fruitless meetings, one of them with our principal Fr. Clifford, we realized that this group had no
intention to close the issue and that they wanted to make a big scene at the AGM. I could not imagine
that even after putting in so many years of dedicated service, someone could actually go out of their
way to malign my name with all of them knowing fully well that not only would I not make any money
for myself, I have ensured that no one else also makes any money. After filing the nominations this
year, it became very clear to me as to why they had no intentions to close and why they went out of
their way to malign my name.
My fellow Josephites, I have slogged year in and year out working my butt off for my alma mater and
never have I blown my own trumpet nor have I yearned for any credit. I did everything quietly behind
the scenes staying true to the Josephite value of humility that I learnt back in school. After every
function of the OBA held in school, I used to spend sleepless nights staying back hours on end after
everyone had left, cleaning up the school so that the school could function the next day and no one
would ever know there was an OBA event held there. I have gone beyond my call of duty to ensure the
OBA got the best rates for every event. I use my offices in other organizations to try and get the best
deals for the OBA. When I joined the OBA committee, there were only 4 activities a year. If you look at
the Secretarial report this year, you will see that there are over 34 activities that the OBA currently
organizes. While there are committees for various activities, there needs to be someone to coordinate
all of them, which I did quietly. I have interacted with the school, with the BJES and with the various
committees to ensure that every activity and every function went off without a hitch. I have interacted
with a number of batches, helped them set up batch corpus funds and if one looks at the Annual
Report, you will see the transparency of all batch funds. After doing this year in and year out for the
OBA taking it to new heights, I am deeply hurt that someone could take it upon themselves to hurt my
integrity and reputation built over the years. I have remained quiet on the batch cos group, not
responding to any of the charges against me to avoid bringing down the name of the school, the OBA
and the BJES.
My association with the school stretches far beyond me. My father was an Old Boy of the school, my
wife teaches in the school, my daughter studies here and my son, an Old Boy, is part of the batch cos.
Could I ever think of taking even 1 Rupee of the OBA money? The alma mater that has moulded me
and my family. Yet look at what some of the Old Boys have done to my reputation.
Not only me, but the rest of my family is also shamed. After 23 years of dedicated service to my alma
mater, do you think I deserve this? My fellow Old Boys, I firmly believe in our motto, “Faith and Toil”,
yet all my hard work of 23 years seems to be just thrown down the drain and for what? To enable a
few selfish Old Boys to get on the committee. If I only knew what their objective was, I would have
stepped down gracefully. Why did you have to spoil my reputation just to try and get on the
committee? Is that what Josephites stand for?
Dear members of the General Body, I offer my heartfelt apologies if I have done anything wrong. I
seem to have been the main target in all these accusations and innuendos and I swear to you that I
have not taken 1 Rupee of the OBA. In fact, I have not taken a single rupee as honorarium which all my
predecessors have done.
Now coming to the accounts, after an irresponsible letter from a Past President and an even more
irresponsible action of circulating the same on social media by a committee member, the Past
Presidents were called in to mediate. They appointed the BJES auditor to do a complete audit and give
the report. The whole audit took two months. The auditors came out with their observations to which
we gave clarifications. The Past Presidents asked for the same to be ratified at the MC meeting and
true to form, they refused to pass the same. The BJES gave us an ultimatum to close the accounts as
their AGM was fast approaching but there was no end in sight. So finally the auditors accepted the
explanations given by us, a few office bearers, and closed the accounts, which was signed by the
President, Secretary and Treasurer. The BJES then finished their AGM and have filed their accounts
with the Registrar of Societies.
After much banter on social media, I have received only one letter from Mr. Franklin on the accounts. I
have given my reply wherein he has asked for money received from Mr. Arun Choudary. It was
received from Sureen Automobiles and shown under General Scholarship in the Scholarship Fund on
page 93 of the Annual Report – the second point of bikers’ memorabilia. If you look on page 91 under
‘Other Funds’, it is shown as the OBA Centenary Riders’ Fund. We received Rs. 386100 and we paid out
Rs. 3,54,084. The balance of Rs. 32,016 is shown in the Balance Sheet.
As there were no further queries on the Accounts of the OBA, I formally present the Accounts of the
OBA. Thank you.”
Past President Franklin Antonat gave his comments on the above matter. He informed the General
Body that after the OBA Day, when he asked for accounts, it wasn’t being closed. He confirmed that he
wasn’t putting the blame on anyone but wanted the accounts to tally. The sums were put into different
columns and despite the Indian law, large sums of payments (22 lakhs) were made in cash, with or
without invoices. A single payment of 6.5 lakhs was made to the Catholic Club which could have been
processed by giving a cheque instead. He requested for a proper system in place. After sending his
resignation to the concerned persons, one member put the same on social media and refused to delete
the same. There is no income of memorabilia mentioned anywhere in the reports. The money is kept in
cupboards but not put clearly into the accounts sheet. The accounts are very confusing because
amounts are put under various headings without any proper system. Cash was given without
approvals. He mentioned that a system needs to be in place as this is a growing organization. When he
was President, the organization ended the year with minus 2 lakhs and now it ends the year with a
surplus of 70 lakhs.
Francis Satish (Batch of 1991), Joint Secretary for the past 2 years, had a few queries he wanted to
address to the General Body. He stated that on Thursday, 25th of July, 3 Past Presidents, the Ex-MC and
the current MC met at the OBA office and the accounts were looked into, which the BJES auditor sent
to them. There were amounts that the auditor had asked for explanations, the same is shown on the
slide. He said that being part of the MC, they had not passed those huge amounts and that is what they
are challenging. He said that they were requested by the Past Presidents and Ex-MC to do an audit and
among the office bearers besides himself, there was Jyotinath Ganguly, the 2nd Vice President and 9
other MC members who conducted that audit. Dr. C. S. Rajan, Lifetime Achievement Award winner was
also present. Francis also mentioned that they went through all the accounts and ticket sales of the
OBA day and came up with the following queries – There were payments made in cash without MC
approval – Vouchers were not numbered – All vouchers were hand written and had signatures of the
President and Secretary but not of the person who received it – The closing stock of the ticket count
was wrongly given to the auditor – The difference after that was Rs. 3,41,800 – regarding the
refreshments, the auditor was given a closing stock of 159 beverages while we did an audit and arrived
at a closing stock of 93 beverages only, therefore giving a difference of around 2,79,305 against what
the auditor has shown – regarding memorabilia, the auditor was given wrong stocks and we arrived at
a difference of another 2,13,430 against what the auditor has shown – Vouchers were missing and not
available in the office and this resulted in a difference of around 1,35,377.
Ian Faria requested that a solution be arrived at for this instead of throwing the blame on one another.
He stated that the Secretary Brian and President George had apologised for their shortcomings
because having 34 events in a year and handling the accounts where so many people are involved,
becomes a difficult task. He requested the members to confirm their opinions on Brian’s reputation as
he has worked tirelessly for the OBA for so many years. He also stated that Franklin only wants to
protect the OBA as it is becoming a huge organization. Ian Faria clarified that they were Old Boys first
but there would always be a difference of opinions in situations where everyone looks in different
directions. He suggested that Johnny Joseph who is a Forensic Auditor give an opinion.
Johnny Joseph lightened the mood and informed the General Body that both parties have the OBA’s
interest at heart and the accounts are just a matter of communication and clarifications. He mentioned
that he had a look at all the reports that Brian could give him and the emails and according to his
knowledge, it is only a question of clarification. It was not anyone’s case that money has been
misappropriated but misaccounted. He also suggested that the EGM scheduled on 1st December be
used to close the accounts with all clarifications.
Vishwas Basavaraj pointed out that as Josephites they needed to settle the matter and set an example
to the younger generations coming in. This AGM was full only because of the social media buzz which
shouldn’t have been the case. He suggested we find a solution. They inquired whether the General
Body felt that Brian should compensate the difference amount. It was also stated that no one was
accusing Brian of taking any money from the OBA but there have been procedural lapses.
Dr. Praveen Rodrigues was thankful that Johnny Joseph volunteered to do an audit of all the missing
accounts. He also suggested that the OBA appoints an accountant to take care of the accounts as they
are a huge organization and having an accountant will make a positive change.
Girish Punja agreed with having an accountant. Rahul Nixon suggested that an increase in the term of
office would solve this issue. Another suggested that an internal auditor be appointed to review the
financial controls internally because no one can expect a committee member to have each and
everything in place.
Manoj Pasangha mentioned that when a member stands in office, he is answerable to a lot of things.
He also strongly stated to the members that there were vulgar messages all over social media which
has tarnished Brian’s reputation. He also stated that he felt ashamed that the Old Boys were hurling
accusations all over social media which is not part of the Josephite spirit. On behalf of the Old Boys, he
apologised to Brian for all that he and his family had been through for the past few months.
Srinivas Guda (Batch of 1990) stated that he sent a mail to the OBA requesting that the audited
accounts as well as the auditor’s report for the 3 financial years be tabled at this AGM and inquired if it
was going to be done.
Secretary Brian informed the General Body that they haven’t received the audited reports from the
BJES as they had used it for their AGM. Once that is received, it will be circulated in soft copy to all
members and also will be available in the office.
President George stated that he has been allowing people to speak their minds but there is a lacuna
because in the past the OBA used to have its own audit but this has changed in the past few years. He
also mentioned that it will be placed on record the suggestion for our own auditor.
Gopal Bengeri (Batch of 1976) stated that there are procedures that do exist. He inquired on what has
to be done when payments are made despite unanimous rejection by the Managing Committee. He
mentioned that the MC would have to come to the AGM. He stated that if everything was done
according to procedure, there would be no need for the Past Presidents to go into the accounts. He
said that the only thing that is required is the people who have done it had to accept it was their
mistake. He mentioned that there was not even a whiff of allegation in the email that first surfaced.
Ian Faria requested the General Body to sort out this matter as it was becoming too emotional instead
of just being logical. He also requested Franklin, Past President to close this issue.
Franklin said that as he started it, he would finish it. He said he was genuinely tired because the
otherwise 3 day account took 2 months. He said he understood that Brian was tied up with many
organizations and inquired why an accountant was not appointed after the request for the same was
approved by the AGM 4 years ago. He also stated that the OBA, now, could afford to have an
accountant as well as an auditor as they have been in surplus for the past ten years. This organization
was growing because all the Old Boys have worked hard to bring it to what it is today. He requested
Brian to trust other Old Boys when they asked a question with regards to the accounts. He also
requested the incoming Secretary to allocate their work and spread it out so that everybody is
responsible. He also mentioned that if there was another person, in place of Brian, who misplaced 70
lakhs, how would the OBA handle it? He suggested that the procedures, mentioned in the
Memorandum of Association, be followed as it was made to have a system in place. He also apologised
for all that had happened in the past months and hoped his apologies would be accepted in good faith.
Ian Faria thanked Franklin for apologising to the General Body and requested the General Body to close
the issue and move on in Josephite spirit.
Passing of the Statement of Accounts from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 was proposed by Noel De
Nazareth and seconded by Dr. Bryan Nobbay. It was put to voice vote and declared as passed by the
President.
[To ratify the election officers] – The President asked the General Body to ratify appointment of the
election officers Zaki Khaleeli and Gurmeet Randhawa. He also stated that, as circulated, the venue for
voting would be the Concert Hall.
This was ratified unanimously by the House.
101.13 [To consider and adopt resolutions proposed by the Managing Committee or from any individual
member after providing sufficient notice, with permission of the Chair] – The President confirmed
that there were no resolutions received.
101.14 [To appoint an auditor for the year 2019-2020] – After a lot of discussions, it was decided that the
BJES Auditor continue to be the External Auditor for the OBA while the incoming committee was
requested to appoint an Internal Auditor as soon as possible.
This was proposed by Girish Punja and seconded by Dr. Bryan Nobbay.
101.15 [To consider any other business, with the permission of the Chair] – There was no other business
discussed.
101.16 [Vote of Thanks] – Nishant Gurjer proposed a Vote of Thanks.
101.17 [To elect the Office Bearers and Managing Committee for the year 2019-20] – The selected Election
Officer, Gurmeet Randhawa, took over and read out the names of the candidates standing for
elections:
Post of President – Ian Lewis and Nishant Gurjer
1
st Vice President – Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (unopposed)
2
nd Vice President – Rajeev Shenoy and Pramodh Naidu
Managing Committee – Sameer Gurjer, Sunil Rasquinha, Vinay Kamath, Kartik Murlidharan, Rehan
Ajani, Avijit Dutt, Rebecca D’Silva, Charles Raj, K N Naren, Aditya Kaura, Vikram Chugh, Vinay Jain, Jaya
Prabhu, Antonio Antony, Gavin Cordeiro
Secretary – Gurmeet stated that 2 nominations were filed but had to be rejected as per Section 7.1 of
the existing rules. He suggested that the incoming MC, at their first meeting, elect the Secretary from
the elected members of MC so that the Secretary can be functional from the first meeting itself.
Post election, the following were declared elected:
President: Ian Lewis (1990)
1
st Vice President (unopposed): Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (1985)
2
nd Vice President: Rajeev Shenoy (1996)
Managing Committee:
Aditya Kaura (1991)
Charles Raj (1983)
Rebecca D’Silva (2016)
Sameer Gurjer (1998)
Sunil Rasquinha (1995)
Vikram Chugh (1992)
Vinay Jain (2015)