The Hindu Business Line : Part of Booker award money for education of underprivileged

Love for the teacher and the values inculcated by him in students seems to have made the Man Booker award winner Aravind Adiga to donate a part of the award amount to his alma mater to start a special scholarship for the higher education of under-privileged children.

In an e-mail to Fr Denzil Lobo, Director of Aloysius Institute of Business Administration of St Aloysius College in Mangalore, Adiga said, “I have donated a part of my prize money for winning the Man Booker Prize for 2008 to my old school, St Aloysius College of Mangalore, in gratitude for the fine education I received there.

“I wish to donate the money in the name of the late Fr Victor D’Souza, a great teacher of physics and chemistry, who also always reminded his students of their responsibility to help and defend the poor and underprivileged. St Aloysius is one of the gems of Mangalore and I hope it will continue to shine brightly in the years to come, as it has done for over 100 years. Lucet et Ardet.”

(Lucet et Ardet, which means ‘It shines and it burns’ in Latin, is the motto of the college.)

Speaking to Business Line, Fr Lobo said, “We are very happy. Adiga called me up to say that he will do that. He got something from this institution, and wanted to give something to the poor.”

Fr Lobo said that late Fr D’Souza, who was a science teacher in St Aloysius High School from 1977 to 1990, was much appreciated by students. Adiga has already sent Rs 15 lakh to the Rector of St Aloysius College. “According to his expressed wish, the amount will be used to start a special scholarship fund for the higher education of the under-privileged children residing at Aloysian Boys’ Home at Kotekar near Ullal in Mangalore.

“This home was started by St Aloysius College to commemorate the centenary of the college in 1981. There are about 120 children looked after by the college through the generous contributions of friends and alumni of the college,” he said.

St Aloysius College will be honouring Adiga for winning the Booker Prize on January 4 during the Aloysian Conclave, he added.

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