THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The Loyola Old Boys’ Association (LOBA), the alumni association of the old students of the Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram, which has a membership of over 4000 old boys spread across the globe, will present its annual Global Leadership Award (GLA) for this year to Dr. Sujith Varghese Thomas, who spent the last 11 years rebuilding the 100-year-old Broadwell Hospital at Fatehpur, UP, from a dilapidated and ramshackle structure in one of the most backward districts of the country into one of the finest in UP. The LOBA Young Achiever’s Award will be conferred on Sanjay Vijayakumar, who founded one of the finest start-ups from Kerala MobMe and is Chairman of the Startup Village Board among many other positions of repute.
The Loyola Old Boys’ Association (LOBA) launched its annual Global Leadership Awards (GLA) in 2015. The award, a first among schools in India, has now entered its fourth year, and the awards function will be held at the Sri Mulam Club on June 15, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. Air Marshal B Suresh PVSM AVSM VM ADC AOC in C Southern Air Command, will be the Chief Guest for the evening.
Sujith Varghese Thomas of the 1993 batch did his MBBS and MS in general surgery from CMC, Vellore. With his dedication and painstaking efforts, he converted the ancient Broadwell hospital into one of rural UP’s best. He has initiated many community projects to help the citizens of the area with primary and preventive health care. Their palliative care unit is a model for the entire state today, giving people in their dying hours the dignity they deserve. The journey was laden with pitfalls – suspicion, administrative apathy, lack of funds, and even death threats. Sujith and his family have shown what can be achieved with grit, compassion and single-minded focus. He is truly a leader and role model for Loyolites, and indeed, for every Indian.
Sanjay Vijayakumar, of the 2000 batch, is the recipient of the Young Achiever Award. His present roles include Chairman of the Startup Village Board, Kochi; member of the board of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Kerala; member of the AICTE startup implementation committee; among others. Founding MobMe straight out of college and raising it to international fame was only the beginning. He remains passionate in encouraging youngsters to build startups in multiple states in India, with the backing of the governments and NASSCOM. He is also deeply interested in developing curricula for the students of today to make them future-ready.
According to Dr. C V Ram Mohan, President, Loyola Old Boys’ Association (LOBA), “the Leadership Awards aim to recognize outstanding leaders among the fraternity of old boys who can serve as role models for the new generation at Loyola School. LOBA would like these awards to inspire youngsters to change the world.”
LOBA, which is among a handful of school alumni associations in India, had initiated a medical insurance programme for around 120 Loyola School staff members in 2016 and a pension scheme for retired non-teaching staff in 2018 – both initiatives funded by the old boys of the school, he added.
