Media Release
Mangaluru, Aug 13: In recognition of his dedicated service to humanity, especially in the field of higher and professional education, director of Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology and former rector of St Aloysius Institutions, Fr Denzil Lobo has been selected for the 'Outstanding Community Leaders of Mangalore' Award by International Institute for Public Policy (IIPP).
IIPP is an international organization based in Mangalore for the cause of policy implementation for public good.
The announcement of the award is made on the eve of Independence Day every year by Max and Jessie Rasquinha, Houston/Dallas, Texas, USA, the founders of International Orientation Centre and International Institute for Public Policy.
“He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own” is a saying that may be aptly attributed to many a dignitary of Mangaluru, for even from a distance one can observe, year after year, their dedicated service to the community. One can witness, moreover, their charity, generosity and nobility, animated by an attitude of selfless and joyful service. It is but proper that the community expresses its gratitude for all they have done for society by conferring on them timely awards, remarks Max Rasquinha.
“We wish him continued success in all his future aspirations in life. The international institute for Public Policy, a fully sponsored family entity is proud to select Fr Denzil Lobo SJ, as our ‘Outstanding Community Leader’ for the year 2015 to 2016. As a spiritual advisor, he has been partially instrumental in endorsing many of the previous recipients of similar awards.
This year, through a quiet and discrete whisper, we wandered around our own 'garden of roses' and swiftly found the ‘Shining Star’ with the least effort.”
“Fr Denzil has always been a strong and vibrant well-wisher of our family, and we are indeed grateful to God that we found the most deserving candidate within our own vineyard.
The ‘Outstanding Community Award’ is planned to be presented officially during October, 2016 in Mangaluru in the company of three other awardees who were chosen for the year 2014 to 2015. We owe our sincere congratulations to Fr Denzil Lobo, SJ, for a well-deserved recognition as our ‘Outstanding Community Leader’. We also wish him continued good health so that he may fulfil all his academic plans that will benefit Mangaluru a great deal,” a media release from Max stated.
“We have in our list several such leaders who deserve to be recognized and honoured. They are the prospective candidates for the award of recognition. But for practical reasons, we can select only a few each year to be the recipients of our award from the International Institute of Public Policy. Such timely recognitions are considered essential in order to encourage others to emulate their example and be motivated to render vibrant service to society.”
Max and Jessie Rasquinha are keen followers of all developments taking place in their beloved home town of Mangalore.
“All the dignitaries that are dedicating their talents and efforts for our community and our society are always been noted and admired for future recognitions. Watching the greatness in others is a virtue of greatness in ourselves,” says Max E Rasquinha.
“It is the society that gains as an ultimate bargain. Max and Jessie Rasquinha and family from Houston/Dallas, Texas are extremely proud of this unique selection this year.”
Late Fr Ronnie Prabhu SJ, Sachitha Nandagopal and Joe Gonzalvas were nominated for the award for the year 2014-15, while Bishop of Mangalore Fr Aloysius D'Souza, eminent singer and composer Wilfy Rebimbos, former lokayukta Santosh Hegde, founder of Daijiworld Walter Nandalike, Mnsgr Fred Pereira, Social Work Educationist and activist Dr Olinda Pereira are among those who have received the ‘Outstanding Community Leaders’ award in the past.
About Fr Denzil Lobo
Many people dream, but Fr Denzil lives his dream and makes his dreams into a reality. He is a Jesuit priest by his personal choice and destiny, a Chemistry teacher for decades, a technocrat by evolution, an administrator par excellence, an architect in varied proportions and a genuine human being in his life through his simplicity and humility. Words fall short in describing this persona who has grown from strength to strength in a life span that has seen an array of avenues, unimaginable to many.
Fr Denzil is a devout follower of Blessed Mother Theresa. He is an exemplary Jesuit- one of a kind.
From a humble beginning of rural environs of Puttur to establishing one of country’s premier Management and Information Technology Institution; from being a student of the prestigious Institution of the likes of St Aloysius to ascending to be the rector of the group of institutions, his journey has been so much eventful and rewarding. Eventful for him and rewarding for the society for which he has consistently strived for. Fr Denzil has made Mangaloreans proud of his accomplishments.
The Computer Science Department of St Aloysius College which has grown in leaps and bounds over the past three decades, the Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology (AIMIT), various other infrastructural facilities and scholastic developments in this premier centre for learning, are a few testimonials for the dedicated efforts of an individual who has dreamt and consistently worked to make his dreams into a reality.
His departed parents, Joseph and Lethicia Lobo would have been proud of him.
Being a teacher in Chemistry, he did not just stick on to his academics but moved beyond to explore the new frontiers of technological advent the world over. His foresight was responsible for him to break away from the conventional beaten track and move to the West to pursue higher studies in the latest trends of technology, especially in the digital world. That was the genesis of the Aloysius Institute of Computer Sciences. This seed sown about twenty eight years ago has now grown into a massive tree of knowledge, catering to the needs of academic growth and career prospective of thousands of students over the decades.
Many of these students, regardless of their religious or cultural backgrounds, will turn out to be successful leaders in one discipline or another within or outside India, and will bring name and fame to their alma mater. India should be proud of the Jesuit contributions.
Fr Denzil, as much as he is religious by his commitments of being a Jesuit, he is a nature lover by aptitude, a rational and pragmatic thinker by his academic pursuits. He has proved to be an able administrator by the roles and responsibilities that were bestowed upon him by his superiors. Most importantly Fr Denzil has rendered basket-full of his God given talents in whatever that was entrusted to him. All the faculty members as well as the students are the best beneficiaries from Fr Denzil's able leadership.
As a teacher, Fr Denzil has been a member of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) for over four decades. His charismatic personality and his ‘never give up’ determination has taken him through heights of glory and achievement that is definitely praiseworthy.
The AIMIT Campus, a 17-acre complex situated at Beeri on the outskirts of the city is a world class Technological and Management studies hub that is not only growing in its stature but also gaining global recognition. The credit of the Beeri complex goes to none other than Fr Denzil Lobo, SJ, who not only architectured the entire concept but also successfully managed to gather as much monetary help from the old students as well as numerous entrepreneurs from world over. Beeri complex is a pride of Mangalore.
The provincial coordinator of the Society Jesuits of the South Zone, Denzil has rendered his delegated selfless services to the educational movement initiated by the Jesuit missionaries since centuries. He tirelessly dedicated his journey in order to pursue his dream bigger by the day, and saw it that they materialize in an orderly fashion. His next milestone to be realized was to transform St Aloysius Institutions into a full-fledged University which Fr Denzil is confident that will be a fruitful reality.