The 10th National Congress of the Federation of Jesuit Alumni Associations of India (JAAI) – JAAI Milan Patna 2023 commenced in the evening of 10 February 2023. This Congress of hosted by Jesuits Alumni Associations of Patna. The first two days’ event was hosted in Patna’s prestigious and iconic St Xavier’s High School while the last day’s event was held in St Michael’s High School, Patna and St. Xavier’s College of Education, Patna.

Around 250 Jesuit Alumni delegates and more than 50 Reverend Jesuit Priests from different part of the globe assembled in the Main Ground of St. Xavier’s High School, Patna to witness the JAAI Milan Patna 2023 – the 10th National Congress of JAAI. A ceremonial procession with school flags and Bihar Home Guard band in attendance started from the ground escorting the dignitaries to the dais of the open stage of St. Xavier’s High School, Patna.

The inaugural session was started with the National Anthem followed by the traditional lighting of the lamp by reverend fathers and valued dignitaries of JAAI and World Union of Jesuits Alumni (WUJA). A beautiful welcome song was presented by the students of St. Xavier’s High School, Patna. Following the welcome song, the outgoing President of JAAI, CA S. Chenthil Kumar delivered the welcome address. This was followed by the report by the Secretary, JAAI, Mr Neel Mani Rangesh who also extended a warm welcome to the distinguished guests and participants of the Congress who have come from various parts of India as well as from a few other countries in Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia, North and South America.

He also highlighted the activities of JAAI in last term and some recent developments such as organizing of First Inter Zonal Alumni Football Tournaments and launching of different networking forums for professionals like Doctors, CA & Sports and also recent industry-academia tie-up, social entrepreneurship insights. PCA, Patna Fr Peter B. Arockiasamy, SJ, Rector of the School Fr. Daniel Raj, SJ, Principal of the School, Fr. K. P. Dominic, SJ and Secretary, St. Xavier’s Alumni Association, Patna Shri Abhay Krishna Kanoria also welcomed the guest.

The inaugural session was marked by release of the Souvenir by the Chief Guest, Mr Sunil Kumar, Minister for Prohibition, Excise & Registration, Govt. of Bihar, and addresses by various dignitaries and Guests of Honours – Rev. Fr. Donald Miranda, SJ, Provincial, Patna Jesuit Province, Rev. Fr. John Ravi, SJ – Secretary, JEA-SA & the National Advisor, JAAI and Shri Francisco Gaurner, President, WUJA, who came all the way from Spain to attend the JAAI Milan Patna 2023 and also scheduled a Governing Council meeting of WUJA at Patna alongside the National Congress. He heartily congratulated organizers of the congress for the successful organization of the National Congress and asked all the Jesuit Alumni to collaborate and work together. Rev. Fr. John Ravi, SJ in his address expressed the importance of the theme and highlighted the challenges of new risk, new inequalities and new ethical dilemma as technologies are rapidly transforming every aspect of our lives and society. He also expressed that Jesuit Alumni have a rich heritage of social responsibility to shape the technology

In ways that are responsible and equitable. The Very Reverend Fr. Donald Miranda SJ - the Provincial of Patna Jesuit Province who blessed the occasion with a speech that indicated purpose and intent. In his address to the august gathering, he emphasized on the importance of meditation contemplation called “contemplation to obtain divine love” that the founder of the Society of Jesus Saint Ignatius of Loyola practiced 500 years ago. He also elucidated the clarion calls of the Society of Jesus during the general Congregation (GC 35 & 36) to collaborate, call to network, call for discernment in common and call to reconciliation as the Jesuit and Jesuit Alumni are journeying together as co-pilgrims building up and strengthening each other.

On this grand occasion, the Chief Guest Shri Sunil Kumar, Minister for Prohibition, Excise and Registration, Government of Bihar assured the full support of Government to Jesuit Institutions and shared the values & knowledge he gained at St. Xavier’s & St. Michael’s, Patna like “a little thing is a little thing, but to do a little thing is a great thing” which always guides during any circumstances. He congratulated the organizers for the wonderful organization of the National Congress at Patna and requested one to all to come up with concrete suggestions and assured that Government will surely study it and see to it how a movement forward can take place.

The vote of thanks for the inaugural session was proposed by the Joint Secretary, SXAA, Dr Ashutosh and the inaugural session was ended with a glittering scintillating one and half hours cultural programme by the current
young students at the St Xavier’s School, Patna, St. Michael’s School, Patna and St. Xavier’s College of Education, Patna which was commended by all those present in the evening.

The culture programme showcased the rich cultural heritage and traditions of Bihar with folk dances such as Jat-Jatin, Sama-Chakwa, Jhijhiya, Kajri, Magahi Jhumar, Paika etc., folk songs on chath, sohar, hori, a prayer dance, a beautiful ganga Dance and a mesmerizing skit on Lord Buddha which showed that after defeating the forces of the demon Mara, how Siddhartha reached enlightenment and became a Buddha at the age of thirty-five by controlling his desires. After the inaugural session, fellowship and dinner followed.

The business of the second day i.e. 11 Feb 2023 began with a prayer service led by the Rector, St. Xavier’s, Patna, Fr. Daniel Raj, SJ in the morning and the Keynote address by Shri Abhyanand, IPS (Retd.), former Director General of Police, Bihar, and the co-founder of the famous “Super 30”. Shri Abhyanand spoke at length on the congress theme – “Shaping India’s TECHADE: challenges and opportunities”. He argued for suitably planning use of the technology affordances, especially in the context of the marginalized students. Shri Abhyanand himself is a distinguished alumnus of the St Xavier’s School, Patna.

After the keynote plenary session, four business sessions followed – the first among these was Shri Utpal Sinha, current Global Head of Transformation at Barclays, New York and also an alumnus of St Xavier’s Patna. His talk was relevant with examples where he argued how the transformative power of networking, which is a strength of JAAI can actuate TECHADE as a marker of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The second business session presentation was by Prof. Sanjay Shrivastava, Director (2013-2023), NIFT, Patna who emphasized on rethinking creative for the young minds to achieve TECHADE.

The third business session was a remarkable talk by eminent scholar Prof Shankar Ashish Dutt, former Head, Department of English, Patna University who unpacked various nuances of educational technology particularly arguing in favour of blended learning as a way to achieving empowerment of the marginalized communities of the country.

The fourth and final business session of the day was by Fr Sebasti Raj, SJ, Indian Social Institute, Delhi who underscored the value of caring through sharing and called upon all Jesuits Alumni for coming forward with financial support for the round-the-year development activities of the Jesuits Research and Development Society (JRDC). All the resource persons responded to many queries raised by the audience and clarified their doubts & queries and welcomed their suggestions.

Later, all the delegates were divided into four groups on the basis of Zone they were representing. All the groups were given topics on various facets of the congress theme and were requested to deliberate over the topics. Later, a representative from each group presented a brief report of the group-discussion which are guiding light for future action-plans of JAAI. The WUJA Governing Meeting also commenced simultaneously.

The South Zone delegates discussed on the topic “Role and Relevance of Jesuit Alumni Association in innovation, entrepreneurship & startup ecosystems” and Prof Edmund Frank, the group coordinator summarized that the Alumni of the institution who are business persons and entrepreneurs or have expertise in any functional area of a business should be encouraged to associate themselves with the incubation centers and spend time with persons with start-ups and assist and motivate them start small businesses and colleges that assist these young entrepreneurs can in turn get funding from the government through the MSMEDs.

Further, it was felt by the group that it is very essential to extend all these facilities to transgenders, differently abled and special mothers i.e. mothers who have special needs children with physical or mental disability and are restricted to one’s homes.

The North Zone delegates deliberated over the topic “Blended Learning in Educational Technology: Challenges and Opportunities – India’s perspective”. Dr. Partha Sarkar, the group coordinator informed that the group discussed the pros and cons of blended learning and considered it as an imperative for educational institutions in India. However, the delegates also felt that problems and constraints with respect to the Indian perspective need to be appropriately considered by all stakeholders.

The role of the Jesuit alumni associations needs to be synchronized in addressing the challenges and for utilizing the opportunities. Issues like digital divide and inclusivity, level of education, mobile addiction, disciplining the mind of students, resource constraints etc. need to be considered in the right perspective. The blended learning system can be considered in providing additional information along with the available knowledge resources. The alumni associations need to forge inter alumni collaboration and help students accrue the benefits of blended learning.

The West Zone delegates worked on the topic “Transformative Power of Networking in Actuating TECHADE sustainable development goals”. The Group Coordinator, Mr. Benison Vaz concluded that that while technology and networking can be used in all the sustainable goals, we should focus on one and that is ecology. For a sustainable ecology the west zone has already initiated multiple projects in the provinces.

He informed that the Gujarat Jesuit ecology mission has been working on various programs in the areas of eco education, organic farming, tradition medicine, promotion of renewable energy and communication for the last 8 years and is heading to become net zero carbon institutions. Bombay province along with Pune province have initiated energy audit with a goal to reduce energy consumption by utilising energy efficient methods, tools and products including conversion to Solar Energy.

The Central Zone delegate discussed on the topic “New India for Young India: TECHADE of opportunities”. The report for this group was put together and presented by Mr. Amit Kumar Mishra. The group felt that The Jesuit Alumni Associations have the potential to provide significant opportunities to the youth.

Although the World Union of Jesuit Alumni Association is currently in the preliminary stage of establishing a Youth Wing, individual Alumni Associations can create their own youth wings and provide training to young people to enable them to take over the association at an early age and advance aggressively. This would allow the youth to gain valuable leadership experience and contribute to the development and progress of the association, while also providing a platform for their personal growth and development. The youth wing can also act as a bridge between the older members and the young, ensuring that the association continues to move forward with fresh and innovative ideas.

The high potential of the youth in India has made it possible to pursue multiple courses at the same time, breaking away from the traditional notion of focusing on only one field. If such opportunities were not provided, the growth and potential of some children would be limited. By allowing young people to pursue multiple courses, they can expand their knowledge and skill sets, unlocking their full potential and driving progress and innovation in various fields.

This highlights the importance of investing in the education and development of the youth, as they are the future leaders and creators who will shape the world. According to the group, the vision of "New India Young India" calls for a positive outlook towards the future, with a focus on sustainable development and responsible citizenship. This vision recognizes the immense potential of the young generation in shaping a better future for humanity. By empowering the youth with education, skills and opportunities, we can unlock their full potential and unleash a wave of progress and prosperity that benefits not just India, but the world at large. With a strong commitment to this vision, we can create a brighter and more equitable future for all.

The evening sessions also was the time for presentations of the Zonal activities in which all the four zones elaborated the activities carried out by their respective provinces and alumni associations. Later in the evening a light musical entertainment programme was organized which was followed by a sumptuous Congress dinner.

The Day-three i.e. 12th February 2023 began with the Holy Mass in the morning followed by the second session of the WUJA Council Meeting and JAAI Governing Council & Accredited Delegates Meeting. The day-three events were held at St. Michael’s High School, Patna and St. Xavier’s College of Education, Patna.

The meeting of accredited delegates was held early morning which approved the accounts of JAAI for last three financial years, ratified the activities of JAAI during the term 2020-23, passed resolutions for long-term policies and action-plans of JAAI and approved nominations for JAAI Governing Council 2023-26. Later, the new Governing Council of JAAI for the term 2023-26 in its first meeting elected office bearers for the term 2023-26 unanimously. Mr. Neel Mani Rangesh was elected as the President, Prof. Edmund Frank, Mr. Bobby Jacob & Mr. Rajiv Talwar were elected as Vice-Presidents, Mr. Emanuel Furtado was elected as the Secretary, Dr. Himanshu Sharma was
elected as Jt. Secretary, Mr. Amit Kumar Mishra was elected as Treasurer, and Mr. Mathew C. Das was elected as Jt. Treasurer of JAAI Governing Council. Mr. Santosh Kumar Agrawal was appointed as the Financial Advisor and Mr. Gerard Mascarehans was appointed as the Editor & Webmaster for JAAI. It was also decided that the next Congress of JAAI will be held at Goa in 2026.

Subsequent to this, the fifth business session of the Congress was an illuminating talk by Shri Vivek Kumar Singh, IAS, the Development Commissioner, Govt of Bihar. Shri Singh is an alumnus of Patna’s prestigious St Michael’s School and he focused on the role and relevance of the Jesuit Alumni Association in creating innovative entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystems.

The last session of the Congress was the Valedictory session which got off to a wonderful start with playing of the National Anthem, welcome song by students of St. Michael’s, Patna and welcome address by Fr Norbert Menezes, SJ and Fr Christu Savarirajan SJ, the current Rector and Principal of St Michael’s School, Patna. This was followed by the felicitation of the WUJA Council members. Later all the old office bearers, PCAs, Past Presidents & GC members of the JAAI for the term 2020-23 were gratefully honoured & felicitated and the new office bearers of JAAI for the next three years were installed ceremoniously. The outgoing President of JAAI, CA S. Chenthil Kumar presented the new JAAI GC members to the Congress and handed over the President’s Baton & Badge to the new President Mr. Neel Mani Rangesh.

The new President of JAAI Mr. Neel Mani Rangesh in his acceptance speech thanked everyone for their cooperation & continued support for the growth of JAAI and assured all to give his more than hundred percentage to the Jesuit Alumni movement to live up to the motto of the JAAI i.e. to give and not to count the cost. The new Secretary of JAAI Mr. Emanuel Furtado expressed his gratitude and invited all to the next JAAI Congress at Patna in 2023.

JAAI awards for 2020-2023 were also presented during the Valedictory Session. Mr. Rajiv Talwar, Vice-President, JAAI announced the names of winners of JAAI Awards for 2020-23 in various categories such as Social Champion Award, Landmark Legacy Award, Glory to alma mater award, Evolving Education Award, Alumni/ae for Institute Award, Success in synergy Award, Supporting Spirit Award, special award for Covid-19 activities & Sports activities and Congress Champion Award for Highest Attendance by a province in the Congress. More than 50 nominations were received.

Loyola Alumni Association (LAA), Jamshedpur won the Glory to alma mater award and supporting spirit awards.

St. Joseph’s High School Alumni Association, Bengaluru won the Social Champion award.

ELAN, Pune won the Landmark Legacy Award.

Doranda Old Xaverians, Ranchi bagged the Evolving Education Award ans St. Xavier’s College Alumni Association, Thumba received the Success in Synergy Award.

Madurai province with more than 50 registered delegates at the 10th National Congress won the Congress Champion Award. St. Xavier’s Institutions, Jaipur and St. Joseph’s Institutions, Bengaluru were given Special Recognition Awards for activities during COVID-19 pandemic and St. Xavier’s College, Thumba was given Special Recognition Awards host the First Inter Zonal Alumni Football Tournament. Also, special felicitations were done for setting up of JAAI Doctors Network forum, JAAI CA Network Forum, JAAI Sports Vertical, St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Dindigul and St. Xavier’s College, Thumba.

The session was addressed by the Chief Guest, Shri Yashovardhan Sinha, Chief Information Commissioner of India who highlighted the immense contributions of Jesuit Institutions and spoke about the moral values and education that he learnt during school times and shared his nostalgic relationship with both the leading Jesuit Institutions of Patna.

He also congratulated the organizes for their efforts to bring together all the Jesuit Alumni Associations of the country under one umbrella to commemorate the contributions of Jesuit Institutions and Alumni Association and also to plan for future activities. The concluding address was given by Mr. Vivek Kumar Sinha, Secretary, St. Michael’s Alumni Association, Patna who thanked one and all for their contributions and participation for the successful 10th National Congress of JAAI.

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A Report on 10th National Congress of JAAI – JAAI Milan Patna 2023
by Neel Mani Rangesh, President, Federation of Jesuit Alumni Associations of India (JAAI)