Honouring a Visionary Leader | Applauding the fruits of the labour | Acknowledging and associating for a greater cause 

NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044

It is with deep appreciation and respect that we celebrate the inspiring leadership of Rev. Fr. Praveen Martis SJ, the newly elected President of the Xavier Board of Higher Education in India. His election marks beginning of a new and dynamic chapter in Catholic higher education, one that combines faith, collaboration, and far-reaching vision.

From Host to Unanimous Leader

Rev. Fr. Martis has always been known for his clarity of purpose and his belief that true progress happens when people work together for the common good. Fr. Martis’s journey to the presidency is a story of humility, hard work, and grace. What began as a simple responsibility to host a board meeting turned into a moment of recognition for his exceptional leadership. He shared with Global TV that his first worry was about funding, since the estimated cost of the event was around twenty lakh rupees. Through careful planning, teamwork, and dedication, the event turned into a record-breaking success, collecting nearly thirty-one lakh rupees when only ten lakhs had been expected.

His ability to deliver excellence caught the attention of his peers, who encouraged him to stand for election. It was the first time in his life that he contested for a position. In a remarkable expression of confidence, he was unanimously chosen as the President of the Xavier Board, with no one against him. This moment of collective trust showed how deeply his integrity, calm leadership, and commitment were valued.

A Vision for Collective Growth

Rev. Fr. Martis shared with Global TV a clear and inspiring blueprint for the future of the Xavier Board. His vision focuses on strengthening the nearly four hundred Catholic higher education institutions across India, transforming them from independent entities into a connected and collaborative community.

The “Resource Mountain”

Why limit into resource pools; why not a large resource mountain? He  “Resource Mountain.” Instead of working with small groups or resource pools, he envisions a vast and united network. He explained to Global TV that if each institution contributes just a small number of experts and alumni, the collective strength would be immense. He gave the example of selecting fifty alumni from each college, creating a network of twenty thousand professionals who could serve as mentors and contributors. In addition, each institution could provide ten to fifteen expert resource persons in fields like science, engineering, and research. Together, this would form a national database of more than four thousand experts. Fr. Martis believes this collaboration will help every institution draw from shared knowledge and experience, ensuring that no college is left behind in its pursuit of excellence.

Supporting Civil Service Aspirants

One of Fr. Martis’s great passions is to guide students toward careers in civil service. He told Global TV that his goal is to identify at least one outstanding Catholic student from every region in India and give them full support for competitive exams like the UPSC and KPSC. He also plans to work with research conferences and other agencies to provide scholarships and mentorship. This initiative aims to create a new generation of Catholic leaders who can serve the nation with integrity and vision.

Building Skills and Entrepreneurship

Fr. Martis strongly believes that education must prepare students for the realities of the future. He emphasized that skill development and entrepreneurship are essential for progress. He encourages institutions to focus on training and capacity building for both faculty and students, so that everyone stays ready for the demands of the modern world.

He also dreams of nurturing student entrepreneurship. He explained to Global TV that if every region could launch even five new companies each year, the combined contribution of four hundred institutions would be extraordinary. Through this mission, Catholic colleges could become centres of innovation and job creation, not only producing graduates but also building opportunities for others.

Documenting Legacy and Speaking as One

Another key goal is to document the legacy of Catholic higher education and create a unified voice for advocacy. Fr. Martis pointed out that there has been no updated national directory of Catholic institutions for over two decades. His plan is to create a new comprehensive directory and present it to the University Grants Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Prime Minister, and the President of India. He also wants older institutions, especially those over one hundred years old, to publish their histories.

This would serve as a lasting record of their contributions to education and social development. By preserving this heritage, he hopes to highlight the Catholic community’s enormous role in nation-building and ensure that its value is recognized at the national level.

Mentorship and Student Leadership

Fr. Martis’s vision also includes mentorship and youth development. He proposes that well-established colleges should mentor younger ones, particularly those serving poor or remote regions.

This kind of partnership will help small institutions grow with the guidance and support of experienced mentors. At the same time, he wants to build a network of young student leaders.

He suggested choosing the ten best students from each college to represent their institutions. This would create a group of around four thousand young ambassadors of Catholic education. These students would carry forward the values of excellence, compassion, and leadership in every sphere of life.

A Pilgrimage of Hope

Through all his plans, Fr. Martis maintains one central message; hope. He calls this journey a “pilgrimage of hope.” Speaking to Global TV, he encouraged everyone not to be discouraged by difficulties but to focus on the possibilities that lie ahead. “Do not look at the challenges and bow down,” he said. “Rather, come up and see what positive can be done.” His message is deeply spiritual. He reminds educators and students never to forget the presence of God in their work.

“Let us not forget God. With God’s providence and help, we can do anything and everything,” he affirmed. He sees faith and collaboration as the two foundations on which lasting progress is built. “Ultimately, what is different networking and collaboration. There is nothing but collaboration and networking,” he explained with conviction.

A Leader of Vision, Faith, and Service

Fr. Praveen Martis SJ is widely admired for his ability to combine visionary thinking with practical action. As Principal of St Aloysius College, Mangalore, Vice Chancellor of St. Aloysius University, and now as the President of the Xavier Board, he has always championed education that is rooted in values, social responsibility, and the Jesuit spirit of service. He is known for his inspiring leadership, his tireless commitment to students and faculty, and his belief that education must create not only successful individuals but also compassionate citizens.

His initiatives at St Aloysius University have already set new standards for academic excellence, research innovation, and social outreach. Under his guidance, the university has strengthened its identity as a place where faith meets reason and where learning is both rigorous and humane. His appointment as President of the Xavier Board is a recognition of this outstanding record of leadership.

The Xavier Board of Higher Education in India: A Legacy of Leadership and a Future of Collective Vision | Global TV

A New Dawn for Catholic Education

With his visionary plan for the Xavier Board, Fr. Praveen Martis SJ has set the course for a new era in Catholic higher education in India. His Resource Mountain idea, his focus on civil service, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and collective documentation, all reflect a deep understanding of the present and a confident hope for the future.

In his own quiet and determined way, he has shown that great things can be achieved through collaboration, faith, and service. For him, the presidency is a responsibility and an inspiration to connect, collaborate and becoming a cocreator with of educators and students across the country. Catholic education in India has always been about forming leaders who can think deeply, act justly, and serve selflessly. As he takes this mission forward, he carries with him solid prayers from many and the blessings of generations of visionaries and association of a grateful community.

Beyond the Textbook: How Prof. Dr. Jolly Jose is Leading a Real-World Research | Professor & Chair, Strategic Development, Research & Innovation, St. Aloysius University | Global TV

By NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044

Much of academic learning stays inside classrooms and research papers end up in bookshelves. But the real study connects directly with people and their everyday lives. Here, the community becomes the classroom, their problems become the lessons, and real change is the only result that matters. Prof. Dr. Jolly Jose, Professor & Chair, Strategic Development, Research & Innovation at St. Aloysius University shares long stories about real research that had created impact at the very ground they have been conducted and implemented.

Across the world, there are plenty of research works that had impacted the society positively. The problems are many times addressed by the people themselves. Dr. Jolly has many stories to share about real studies conducted in scorching sun in Noida, on migrant labour issues during Covid – 19, Children got lost in online life or searching the true meaning of Synodality with real time study at the hamlets of faraway stakeholders. Her work is simple in spirit yet powerful in action. It is not about theories or trends. It is about people, their voices, and their realities.

The Problem with “Mimicry”: Be Real, Not Repetitive

Prof. Dr. Jolly Jose has a clear observation about the academic research framework in India: “Real practice is not happening these days. People mimic what they want.” The reason is in lack of commitment to education and society she says. People are to be empowered and encouraged to do true work in the area of research. They should get exposure to real essence of research, its role in contributing to real knowledge and  practice.

She points out that many researchers simply follow what is ‘trendy’ instead of connecting with the real world. For her, research is not for recognition or publication alone. It is for the society and its progress. True research, she says, must go beyond the classroom and touch human life in every form. When we move out of comfort zones, The people at the receiving end will become partakers of your research.

She often says that “football is much more expansive than the football itself.” It may sound unusual, but it carries a deep truth. Every subject, whether it is sports, economics, science or culture, opens doors to a larger understanding of life. It helps us see the links between people, society, and the wider world around us. There is scope for research everywhere there is a scope for improvement. It is plenty in Indian Context.

The Law of Participation: Knowledge Belongs to Everyone

Prof. Dr. Jolly Jose strongly believes in participatory research. She calls it the. a powerful methodology” In her words: “ It is executed on the grounded reality that ‘Every person has knowledge.” This means that everyone has something valuable to share. The researcher is not the only expert. The real knowledge comes from people who live the situation every day. This method begins by asking simple questions such as, “What is your major concern?” This question helps the community identify what truly matters to them.

She listens deeply and creates a map of the community’s reality. This map is not made through surveys alone, but through real conversations and mutual respect expressed by the community. This participatory approach is time consuming and the process leads the community to find solutions for their concerns. The community focused researchers task is to make them think in the right direction and often it can lead them to  think that “You have to build it.” Building means forming trust, understanding people’s needs, and finding answers together. She also reminds us that even children can contribute to the participatory research significantly. They often reveal truths that adults may hide for various reasons. Their honesty and fresh perspective can bring light to issues that others choose to ignore.

Impact in Action: From Child Labor to Personal Purpose

Dr. Jolly Jose does not turn away from difficult subjects. She speaks about the issue of child labour. While many say there is no space for children, she observes that they are already working. She listens to what they say. “The children will say that, you know, there is one there.” She values their voice because it holds truth and insight that others may overlook. Her way of working also helps people discover purpose in their lives. She often uses three simple questions:

• What is the purpose of this?
• What do you want to do with it?
• How are you doing it?

These questions help people take responsibility for their own growth. She tells them to “sleep with your reality.” In other words, face your truth honestly before deciding whether to change it or stay with it.

Real Outcomes, Real Change

Dr. Jolly Jose is a guide whose work leaves visible marks on people and places. Her success is not in how many papers she publishes, but in how many lives she helps improve. She believes that research must always lead to real outcomes that people can see and feel.

Her message is clear. Stop copying. Start building. Live your passion for research. Listen to people and the surrounding. They have the knowledge. And always make sure that research walks the right path, the one that leads to a better life for all.

For Global TV, this story is a reminder that the most powerful revolutions do not happen in headlines. They happen quietly, where people like Dr. Jolly Jose continue their steady and sincere work; turning knowledge into action and action into outcome.

The Sociologist of Systems | How Professor V. Sujatha Illuminates the Soul of Indian Medicine

NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044

There are people who heal through medicine. And then there are those who heal our understanding of medicine itself. Prof. V. Sujatha belongs to the second kind. She has spent her life exploring how India thinks, feels, and practices health. Her questions go far beyond hospitals and laboratories. She listens to the heartbeat of society, to the ways people make sense of illness, to the quiet trust that keeps ancient healing alive.

In Indian healthcare, where modern clinics stand beside traditional healers, Professor Sujatha has built a bridge of understanding. She does not draw lines between science and spirituality. Instead, she studies how both coexist in the same cultural soil. Her work shows that health in India is not a single road but a living network of many paths. Each path carries memory, faith, and meaning.

Listening to the Many Voices of Healing

At Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she teaches at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Professor Sujatha has created a unique space for dialogue. Her research is deeply rooted in the field. She listens to patients, practitioners, and healers who live far beyond the reach of city hospitals. Through their voices, she uncovers a truth that healing is beyond our basic understanding. It is the restoration of the confidence.

In her studies on medical pluralism, she reveals that Indians often move between many systems of healing. A person may take allopathic medicine for one illness, visit an Ayurvedic doctor for another, and still keep faith in a spiritual healer for comfort. To some, this might look like confusion. But Prof. Sujatha see it as an advantage of wisdom.

Our wisdom is built from generations of lived experience. People do not simply choose medicine. They choose meaning. They seek care that understands their story. Her book Sociology of Health and her paper Health Beyond Medicine explore this subtle dimension of care.

She writes about homeopathy not as an alternative science but as a conversation between healer and patient. What attracts people, she says, is not just the medicine itself but the time, attention, and empathy offered during consultation. Healing here is emotional as much as physical. It is personal, patient, and profoundly human.

The Healer’s Touch: Fieldwork as a Way of Seeing

Professor Sujatha’s scholarship is remarkable because it lives in the field, not just in libraries. She walks with traditional healers and listens to the quiet rhythm of their work. Her study on indigenous bone-setters is one such example. She does not write about them as curiosities of the past but as custodians of a living science. These practitioners work with inherited knowledge, guided by intuition, observation, and community trust. Their practice is not a rejection of modern medicine but a reminder that there are many ways of knowing the body.

Through her research, she gives dignity to professions that history has forgotten. She explores their ethics, their sense of responsibility, and their struggles for recognition. In doing so, she also raises larger questions about power and knowledge. Who decides what counts as medicine? Who has the authority to define healing? Her study on Merchants of Spiritual Medicine takes this inquiry further, showing how healing today is often entangled with commerce, media, and modern aspirations. Yet even in this changing space, she sees the enduring human desire for meaning and care.

Her writing carries the intimacy of storytelling and the depth of sociology. It reflects her belief that understanding people requires walking beside them. By entering their worlds with empathy, she turns observation into participation and research into relationship.

The Politics of Health and the Loss of Belonging

Perhaps the most moving part of her work is her concern for those left behind by progress. She has written powerfully about how development often uproots traditional communities and destroys their ways of living. When farmers, healers, or craftspeople lose their land, they also lose their identity, their food systems, and their natural sources of medicine. What disappears with them is not only livelihood but a way of life that once kept both people and nature in balance.

Prof. V. Sujatha calls this a silent epidemic; a form of social illness that affects entire communities. When the rhythm of local life is broken, health itself becomes fragile. She reminds us that wellness cannot exist apart from justice. Good public health depends not only on hospitals and vaccines but on land, food, and dignity. It depends on whether people are allowed to live with respect and continuity.

Her work, therefore, connects sociology with ethics. It challenges policymakers to see that healthcare is not just a system of delivery but a reflection of social values. When we measure success only in statistics, we miss the invisible wounds; the loneliness, the loss of belonging, and the erosion of community wisdom.

Bridging Traditions: The Future of Indian Healing

In her studies of Ayurveda and Siddha, Professor Sujatha examines how ancient systems of medicine adapt to the modern state. She looks at how they are taught, standardized, and integrated into national health programs. This process, she observes, is both necessary and risky. It brings traditional knowledge into the modern framework but can also strip it of its living essence.

She encourages scholars and practitioners to protect the spirit of these systems; the idea that health is harmony, not just the absence of disease. Ayurveda and Siddha, she reminds us, are not merely collections of herbs or techniques. They are philosophies that link the body to nature, and the individual to the cosmos. To keep them alive, they must be understood as ways of seeing, not just methods of treatment.

By bridging traditional wisdom and modern institutions, her work invites us to imagine a more inclusive healthcare model. A model where old and new do not compete but converse. A model that treats healing as a shared heritage, not as a divided field.

Seeing the Invisible: The Legacy of a Thinker

Professor Sujatha does not offer easy solutions. She does something far more valuable; she teaches us to see what has always been around us. Through her research, she reveals the invisible threads that connect knowledge, culture, and care. She shows that health is not a private matter but a mirror of society. It reflects how we relate to one another, how we value our elders, and how we listen to our environment.

Her writing has inspired many young scholars to approach research with compassion and courage. She has proven that sociology, when done with honesty, can become a form of healing. It can restore what modernity often forgets; that knowledge must serve humanity.

Through her eyes, we learn that true health is not only about the body. It is about belonging, memory, and meaning. It is about a society that remembers how to care; not just to cure.

Beyond State and Culture: Reimagining the Nation with Professor V. Sujatha | Seeing the Nation as a Living Act of Imagination

What is a nation?

Is it a piece of land, a border drawn on a map, or an idea that lives in the hearts of people?

For Prof. V. Sujatha, it is none of these alone. She believes that a nation is not a finished creation but a living process. It keeps growing, shifting, and reshaping itself through time. Every generation reimagines it, and that imagination gives it life. To her, imagination is not fantasy. It is a form of collective thinking, a way in which people give meaning to their shared world. Through this idea, she invites us to look at India not as a fixed structure of government or culture, but as a continuous story shaped by its people. The nation, in her eyes, is not a monument to be guarded but a conversation that never ends.

Two Views that Shaped Indian Sociology

In her reflections on Indian sociology, Professor Sujatha studies how scholars have understood the nation. She identifies two major views that shaped the field over time, both powerful but both limited.

The first is the view that places the state at the centre. This way of thinking treats the modern state as the main engine of progress. It sees governance, law, and order as the foundation of national life. In this picture, citizens become the primary actors, and the state becomes the symbol of modernity. Yet, Professor Sujatha points out that this idea often borrows heavily from European experiences. It assumes that every society must follow the same path from tradition to modernity, from emotion to rationality. In doing so, it overlooks the unique rhythm of Indian society. It fails to see the living layers of community and culture that make India what it is.

The second view emerged as a reaction. It placed culture at the centre. This school of thought argued that India’s strength lies in its traditions, its diversity, and its many ways of life. It saw the state as an artificial construct and culture as the real foundation of society.

But this too has its limits. When culture is treated as something pure and unchanging, it becomes another kind of cage. It forgets that cultures also evolve. They learn, borrow, and grow through time. For Professor Sujatha, both views stop short of seeing the whole picture. One makes the nation mechanical. The other makes it frozen. What is missing is the sense of flow, the sense of movement, the sense that a nation is an ongoing act of imagination.

The Cost of Frameworks and the Power of Labels

Prof. Sujatha is known for her fearless questioning of accepted theories. She uses a vivid image from Greek legend to explain her concern. In the story of King Procrustes, every traveller was forced to fit into an iron bed. If the person was shorter, he was stretched. If taller, parts were cut off to make him fit. She compares this to what happens when scholars try to fit the reality of Indian society into rigid theories. When life does not fit the model, it is trimmed to suit the theory. In this way, entire traditions, crafts, and forms of knowledge are dismissed as outdated or pre-modern. Generations of artisans, farmers, and healers are pushed out of the story of progress.

For her, this is not only an intellectual error but a moral one. It is a way of erasing living experiences because they do not fit a borrowed idea of modernity. It is an act of cutting away the richness of life to make it look neat. She finds strength in Professor Anand Kumar’s idea that every democracy is born with its own disabilities.

This simple thought holds great wisdom. It means that no nation is ever perfect. Each one begins with its flaws, its wounds, and its contradictions. Democracy, therefore, is not a finished goal but a continuing effort to grow, correct, and imagine better.

The Nation as a Living Process

Professor Sujatha offers a different way of seeing. She asks us to think of the nation as a living imagination. It is not something created once and for all. It is something people recreate every day through their work, their art, their struggles, and their hopes. She reminds us that the life of a nation does not only flow through government offices or parliaments. It flows through the hands of the farmer, the voice of the teacher, the craft of the artisan, and the songs of the common people. It is in these small acts of living that the real imagination of a nation grows. To understand India, she says, sociology must begin from the ground. Theories must arise from experience, not from imported categories. Knowledge must grow from listening, not from imposing. A true understanding of the nation should make room for every story, every language, and every form of life. She believes that we must accept the imperfections of our democracy and still continue to nurture it. The flaws we inherit are reminders that we are still in the process of becoming. The nation is not an object to be preserved but a journey to be continued.

A Call for a More Human Vision

Through her work, Professor V. Sujatha offers a fresh language for understanding India. She moves away from rigid debates about state and culture, and instead speaks about the nation as a living space of imagination. She sees it as a conversation between reason and compassion, between policy and experience, between tradition and change. In this vision, every person becomes part of the nation’s story.

The scholar and the street vendor, the artist and the farmer, the city and the village; all share a role in shaping the idea of belonging. None of them need to be trimmed or stretched to fit a single model.

Her view is not romantic. It is deeply realistic. It accepts that nations are built in struggle, and that imagination can be both fragile and powerful. But it also carries hope; the hope that understanding can heal what divisions cannot. Prof. Sujatha reminds us that sociology, at its best, is not only the study of society but also a form of care. It helps us see what is often ignored. It helps us imagine what we might still become. The nation, in her vision, is not just a system or a symbol. It is a living idea; shaped every day by the choices, voices, and dreams of its people.