Profile and interview by Richie Lasrado Exclusively for Daijidubai.com
 
Rev Dr Eugene Lobo sj, the new principal of St Aloysius College, Mangalore, sitting in his office, presents a cool picture. Getting an immediate access without much notice was no hassle at all. Ringing phones or visitors, staff and students barging in do not fluster him. He is as composed as ever.
 
His resume, if comprehensively compiled, can run into several pages. Born of Ignatius Lobo and Josephine D'Souza in Neerude, Mangalore on April 5, 1949, he had his early education in St Francis Xavier School in home-town. After high school education in St Aloysius, at 16, he joined the Society of Jesus. He did his PUC in the same institution in 1964-65, and completed BA in 1970, securing first rank in the University of Mysore winning three gold medals.

He pursued Regency studies in Hassan up to 1971 and Philosophy in Sacred Heart College,  Shembaganur, Kodaikanal up to 1974. Between 1974 and 1976, he did his MA in Economics from the University of Bombay, thereafter pursuing Theology studies up to 1979 at Vidya Jyoti, Delhi. In the meantime, he was ordained a priest on April 30, 1978 in Mangalore. Between 1979 and 1983, he worked as vice principal and lecturer in Economics at both St Joseph's Commerce and  Arts & Science Colleges in Bangalore.
Then on for a year he did the Tertianship at Hazaribagh.  
Between 1984 and 1987, he pursued Doctoral studies at the University of Bombay. The subject of his dissertation had a rare, exotic flavour: "Coffee: Production, Marketing and Trade". While at St Joseph's in Bangalore again from 1987 to 1989, he completed his thesis. From 1989 to 1994 he was principal of St Joseph's College of Commerce and from 1994 to 2002 that of St Joseph's College of Arts and Science.
 
Thereafter, a different mission beckoned Dr Lobo. From July 2002 to May 2003, he spent time in Boston, Massachusetts and Berkeley in western California in US and also in Brussels, Belgium conducting Catechetical, Sabbatical and Management and Counselling Programmes. One of his major achievements while in Bangalore was the execution and completion of the new building of St Joseph's College on Lal Bagh Road, which was inaugurated by the state governor in March 2002.
 
Among the responsibilities he has handled also include those as member of Bangalore University Academic Council, Syndice and Sports and Examination Council. He was also member of the selection committee for award of Best Teacher, one of only two such positions in the state.
 
Dr Lobo counts among his illustrious and favourite students cricketers Rahul Dravid, Carlton Saldanha, Ranjit Khanvilkar, Sadanand Vishwanath and others, hockey stars like Avil Aldrin, Sandeep Somesh and Olympian A B Subbaiah. Film-star-turned politician and current state minister Kumar Bangarappa also was his student.
 
He has gone places and among the prominent cities and countries he has visited are Rome (Italy), France, London, Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland, Austria and Dubai UAE.
 
Excerpts from an interview 
 
How does it feel to be back here again at St Aloysius?
 
Nice to be back in my own institution after so many years, a place that I liked so much, as
a student, as a Jesuit scholastic and even thereafter.
 
From your  college days to the present day, what differences have you found?
 
Indeed there has been a tremendous growth. There has been a development in the whole of
institution. It is just remarkable.  

Are the present-day students getting the right kind of orientation from the parents?