Josephite Rishabh-“malibu” & ukraine war

June 14, 2022 5 comments Admin

The entire world was witnessing the war which had unfolded in Ukraine. The sound of explosions and warning sirens and the sight of tanks and military vehicles patrolling the streets of Ukraine had traumatized our dear Josephite Rishabh Kaushik batch of 2018. Rishabh was seeking his computer engineering bachelor’s degree in Ukraine for the last 3 years. Along with his family, he was stuck in Ukraine the family members realized that the dispute between the two countries could escalate, on February 19 and 20, somehow booked tickets and left for Dubai, but Rishabh refused to leave just because his pet dog “Malibu” with whom Rishabh has been living for the last 1 year could not go on the riight. Therefore, Rishabh told his family members that he would return home with his “Malibu” (Ukrainian name for the dog which means ‘sweet’) after taking NOC from the Government of India and all the departments in 2 to 3 days. The family felt that the situation had not worsened so far, thus they accepted Rishabh’s words. Rishabh was stuck in Kyiv. The bombing was happening outside at a distance of about 5 to 6 kilometers from where he was in a Bunker. As soon as SJA AA received this news we immediately got into action. We shared Rishabh’s post on various social media platforms and made a fervent appeal to all the Josephite to please share the post as much as possible and see that reaches the right ears and helps Rishabh to be back home safe with his parents. And the miracle did happen for the first we witnessed the reach of social media our post went viral, was shared 216 times reaching more than 1,10,000 people and we were inundated by various calls contacted by PETA, BBC, FOX News, Youtubers, and various other channels with the help of PETA the issue was brought to the notice honorable Minister for fisheries and Animal Husbandry and dairying which resulted in one-time relaxation for carrying pet dog/ pet cat along with stranded citizens!! With Relaxation offered Rishabh Kaushik along with his Buddy and 9 friends somehow caught a train from Kyiv disembarked at Uzhgorod and reached Záhony and from there further to Budapest-Hungary. Thereafter boarded IAF (Indian Air Force) plane with his pet and landed in India (Hindon-Ghaziabad). We are extremely thankful to all those who prayed for him and supported us to see that Rishabh reached safely to Hungary. Special thanks to PETA and thousands of people fr om a ll o v e r the wo rld who continuously send us messages to help in eve ry way possibl e manne r financially, morally, and physically. We salute the outstanding tenacity, perseverance, and persistence of Rishabh to move out of the war zone along with his Buddy his pet “Malibu” and his 9 friends to whom he provided similar support in t h e s e extraordinarily tough times…

Glaucoma awareness walk held on the 12th of March 2022

June 13, 2022 0 comments Admin

The SJA Alumni Association joined hands with Drishti Eye Institute to create awareness of Glaucoma under the theme “The world is Bright, save your Sight”. Walkathon was Organised by “Drishti Eye Institute” the premier ophthalmic institution of Uttarakhand providing the best of facilities equipped with ultra-modern technology run by our prominent alumni Dr. Gaurav Luthra and Dr. Saurabh Luthra. We all gathered at the “Drishti Eye Institute & Dehradun Wave Lasik Centre, India ” premises at Subhash Road. The buzz was in the air. The presence of a large number of Josephites was thrilling and invigorating and everyone was eager to participate in the Walkathon… To convey the message and to help all those present the “Drishti Eye Institute” presented a beautiful script enacted by the staff to help understand the perils of Glaucoma. The participants’ hard work was visible by the applause and appreciation they received. Mr. Satish Sharma Guest of Honour and the editor of Garhwal Post joined the proceedings Dr. Saurabh Luthra introduced him to the crowd and praised his multifaceted personality which is appealing to one and all. Dr. Gaurav Luthra invited and felicitated the special guests for the occasion Praveen Chandhok, President of the SJA Alumni Association, and Gaurav Sethi the President of E- Rotary Club 3080 to share their thoughts and to inform the people about the ongoing activities of the organization they are heading. As the conversation was going on the Chief Guest of the occasion Honorable DGP of the state Mr. Ashok Kumar Sir along with his better half Mrs. Alak Nanda ma’am reached the venue and after the ribbon-cutting ceremony took the dais. Dr. Gaurav Luthra requested Dr. Alok Jain Vice President (Out-Station) SJA Alumni Association to welcome Ashok Kumar Sir with a bouquet and after that invited him to say a few words for the occasion as always he spoke eloquently and emphasized that in today’s world we are using the machines and mechanics we have created instead of the marvelous machine our body which has been gifted by the Almighty. Concluding his message he said we were all blessed to be living in a place like Dehradun which provides all the elements of a daily walk to keep ourselves healthy. Immediately after the address of Ashok Kumar Sir, the Walkathon commenced and every one of us utilized the best of our energies to keep up the pace with Ashok Kumar Sir and Alak Nanda ma’am and most of the participants were left behind and took a short route to join us later! Ashok Kumar Sir rightly said most of us are strolling every day. What we need is a brisk walk… Mrs. Aparna Misra former coordinator SJA in presence with her husband Mr. Anil Misra enlightened the occasion they were representing The Art of Living working to spread happiness among one and all. Mr. Pixie Sadana our senior and illustrious Alumni and a person to be emulated for achieving witness who’s an outstanding Tennis player and was full of praise of Ashok Kumar Sir and Mrs. Alak Nanda leading the Walkathon admirably. The Managing Committee members Secretary Sameer Uniyal, Treasurer Abhinav Goel, Rahul Singhal, Tushar Singhal, and Kamna Bagai Members also graced the occasion to create awareness. Recollecting the words of eminent Doctor Amardeep Kaur “Drishti Eye Institute” who heads the Glaucoma section she explained that glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that causes progressive damage to the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain. If left untreated, it leads to gradual worsening of vision or blindness. Once incurred, visual damage is mostly irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the “silent blinding disease” or the “sneak thief of sight”. Glaucoma has emerged as the second commonest cause of blindness worldwide, with about 8.5 million people rendered blind due to it. Early detection is essential to limiting visual impairment and preventing severe visual handicap or blindness progression. An eye-care professional can detect glaucoma in its early stages and advise on the best course of action. Glaucoma screening-cum awareness free camps are regularly organized by “Drishti Eye Institute” from time to time to raise awareness among the people regarding the disease. The Managing Committee of SJA Alumni Association thanks all the Josephites and all those present for the Walkathon for sparing their precious time and being present for the noble cause and as Dr. Gaurav said to earn some good karma.

Free vaccination camp held at St. Joseph’s Academy records almost 350 children new age group 12-14 vaccinated!

April 14, 2022 one comment Admin

There was a huge buzz in the school campus a lot of eligible children along with their parents were anxiously awaiting to get the Covid vaccination as India rolled out the inoculation drive for the 12-14 age group. The SJA Alumni Association in association with Uttarakhand Health Department organised a vaccination camp for the children Saturday 26th Of March 2022.The camp was inaugurated by Randhir Arora former President of SJA Alumni Association along with Navneet Oberai former Vice President of SJA Alumni Association. This time to expedite the process of registration we opened two registration counters and as the health department oficials were struggling to register the managing committee immediately arranged two laptops and senior member Taresh Sharma himself took the charge of registering the students.We knew it was going to be a long day as we had extended the timings of camp to 4.00 PM but simultaneously it gave us immense happiness to see children and parents queuing up for the vaccination. While most of the children we reached out to said they have been waiting for the shots for a long time, we were informed that many parents who didn’t turned up were still concerned, saying that they would wait for more kids to get vaccinated before sending theirs. “If vaccination is the solution to the pandemic, we will ensure our commitment to the drive in view of personal and public health,” said Reverend Brother Jeyaseelan S, principal, St. Joseph’s Academy. He thanked Managing Committee for regularly holding vaccination camp and said it has been getting “an enthusiastic response” from the parents and children. But some parents have shown reluctance and are waiting for other kids to get vaccinated. “The Omicron variant is highly transmissible which is why parents are very eager to get their teens vaccinated, especially with schools reopening. Yes some parents are still worried and apprehensive but they will deinitely come around once more and more children get vaccinated,” said Praveen Chandhok, President of SJA Alumni Association (SJA AA). The association as they did last time shall also hold follow up camp to complete the vaccination of children. Younger kids also need to be vaccinated, said Secretary Sameer Uniyal . “India was eagerly waiting to have its younger children (below 15 years) to be vaccinated, and as soon as we got the opportunity we immediately arranged the camp. Keeping in mind that already close to two years of education has been lost, nothing can be more important than getting children of all age groups duly vaccinated and safely back to school,” said Abhinav Goel treasurer of SJA Alumni Association. “We all kids were waiting for the Covid vaccination for so long.” said Shaurya Anand student of class 8th-A having observed his sister and his parents, he is prepared for side effects such as fever and said it is a good sign. “Kids who fear getting the vaccination should understand that they needn’t worry about getting a fever as a side effect. Having a high temperature is a good sign. It means that our body is ready to ight the virus,” added his friend Arnav Aggarwal student of class 8th-F accompanying him was his sister Ananya Aggarwal student of class 9th-B and his father Josephite Sachin Aggarwal. We are extremely thankful to our Patron Reverend Brother Jeyaseelan S for his whole hearted support and blessings and promise continue our ight against pandemics.

Srishti Bakshi batch of 2004 visited alma mater to speak to the students on 29th of March 2022!

April 14, 2022 0 comments Admin

Nostalgia is an emotional connection with the past. It is very personal and emanates from the innermost recesses of one’s heart. We could all witness the excitement, exhilaration, and elation on Srishti Bakshi’s face as she entered her Alma Mater where she spent memorable years of her student life from 2002 to 2004 and this time as an honored guest to address class 12th Students. She was accompanied by her illustrious father Lt. General Ashwani Kumar Bakshi. She and her father were warmly welcomed by Reverend Brother Jeyaseelan S, Principal of St. Joseph’s Academy, and by her idol Brother JC Carroll along with Managing Committee members led by President Praveen Chandhok, Dr. Alok Jain Vice President (Out-Station), Secretary Sameer Uniyal, Treasurer Abhinav Goel, Member Manish Jain, Pulkit Gupta, Tushar Singhal, and Kamna Bagai. Kalpana Pande, former Vice President (Out-Station) also joined them to hear Srishti talking to students of her Alma Mater. After a short welcome and courtesies, Srishti Bakshi took the center stage after thanking Brother Jeyaseelan S, Brother JC Carroll, and Praveen Chandhok she told the students gathered that she was walking down memory lane as she was addressing them. Reverend Brother Jeyaseelan welcomed her and admired that her inspiration was none other than her own father Lt. General AK Bakshi! She commenced her session by questioning students why women are unsafe? Taking the talk session ahead she asked students to answer what words that come to their mind when we say, male and female? Students came up with gender-biased answers about men being patriarchal, manipulative, controlling, overruling, womanizers, etc, and about women being tender, demure, kind-hearted, soft, beautiful, etc. on hearing the answers Srishti added the major differences Women bear Children, Men having facial hairs, a difference of voice pointed by Shreyashvi. This is where Srishti came up with the lesson of the day: Interchanging men’s and women’s characteristics and asked students if women too possess the same characteristics that men do? and all the students unanimously agreed with her. She elucidated that we point out words to others without looking inside. Stereotypes are a gift given by society and we need to move from biased to unbiased. Raising Your Voice The second exercise she conducted with students was to raise their hand in Yog mudra take a deep breath and exhale with the sound “Aaaa” “EEE’ and “OOO” the entire batch taking a deep breath created the sound but the noise she was looking for was not there. The lesson she conveyed was the whole motive of the exercise is to learn to raise our voices so to be heard.

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