Rev. Dr. G. Joseph Antony Samy, SJ is the Principal of Loyola College in Chennai. He holds a PhD in History and a Theology degree with an overall teaching experience of over 20 years. He is also the Director of Jesuit Madurai Province Archives, based at Kodaikanal.

Dr. Joseph Antony Samy SJ has published articles in six books, and has participated and presented papers in several National and International Conferences. His doctoral thesis is on “women of Tamil Nadu gleaned through the missionary records”.

In an exclusive interview Dr. Joseph Antony Samy shares with Marie Banu his passion for education.

Can you tell us about your childhood?

I hail from Nagarigathan, a village in Ramnad District which is near Oriyur where St. John Britto was beheaded because he stood for truth. My father was a farmer and an honest man. He was one among the four Panchayat members in our village and I have seen him suffer because he stood for truth. My mother is a dutiful housewife and a disciplined lady. She is hardworking and used to go along with my father to work in the field. Being the eldest son; I used to take care of my sister while my mother was away.

I helped my father to plough the field and after school I gathered fodder for our cattle. I used to collect water from a pond that was 300 yards away, and prepare rice and keep the oven ready for my mother to cook dinner soon after she returned from the field.

Late evening, I played games like kabadi and nila vilayatu and joined my peers for a swim at a lake which was 264 acres wide. I would spend hours gazing at the stars and would return home only around 10 pm.

Until ninth standard, I studied in a government school that was five kilometers away from home. I went by walk carrying my lunch pack. I then shifted to a school at Oriyur and studied until eleventh standard. I was very much influenced by Saint John Britto.

How important is sports for holistic development?

I will start by talking about our Government as this value should be passed on from the top. In every ward, there should be a place for walking and playing so that the public can enjoy good health. In Chennai, I would expect several hundreds of parks and playgrounds with all facilities. We do have parks in our city, but amenities need to be improvised.

I feel that everyone should spend time to exercise. Parents should take their children for a walk and share their day’s experience with them. Physical exercise is very important for the health of an individual. When parents teach, their children learn.

What are the values that you believe is most important for an individual?

I believe in discipline and punctuality, because I respect others and believe that everyone should care and respect one another. I have introduced a system where the staff arrive ahead of time and start the class on time. More than 99 percent of our staff are positively responding to this system which indicates that right leadership can influence good behavior.

We have planned to launch a system where students or staff, riding a two wheeler, will be allowed into the college only if they wear a helmet. I believe that one should adhere to the norms laid out by the government. The future of the nation is here! Control by using technology would not be as effective as systems that would help Individuals develop inner strength and character.

I learnt all these values in the Society of Jesus.

About the caste system. Your thoughts?

In my opinion caste system only divides the society and oppresses the poorest of the poor. People who work towards liberation of their caste should instead lobby with the government to provide a category NC – “No Caste”. This would lead to no certificate issued from birth to death revealing the caste of an individual.

As a remedial measure, we should strengthen the Panchayat Raj system where the marginalized people are identified and empowered. The village Panchayat should nominate a group to identify deserving children based on their need and such children should be given priority for education.

Religion is contaminated and has become a de-humanizing factor because of caste. Some argue that by removing the caste system, few communities will get affected. They may not benefit from scholarship or reservations. What is essential for a human being is attitudinal change! If our neighboring state does not have a caste system, why not Tamil Nadu? We have religious structures to show that there is God. Therefore religion is important and cannot be bypassed. But, is there a tangible structure for caste to prove its roots?

It may probably take 10 or 15 years for one to realise what I am saying. If appropriate actions are not taken now, the caste discrimination and related issues will continue forever causing more misery for the marginalized.

About the launch of School of Commerce and Economics by our Hon’ble President of India?

There is great demand for commerce related subjects and Loyola College is known for its quality education. We receive thousands of applications every year for hundreds of seats. Due to the increasing demand we felt that we should have an exclusive School of Commerce and Economics.

It took more than two years to construct the building as we did not have sufficient funds. Our alumni mobilized 3.5 crore rupees. We could construct only 44 class rooms against the need of 100 class rooms and hostel facilities for thousands of students.

Our alumni also took the effort to invite the President of India to launch the School of Commerce and Economics on 20^th December, 2013. The President of India being the first citizen is a symbol of our nation. Dr. Pranab Mukherjee is an educationist and a great leader. During inauguration he appreciated Jesuits contribution to education and it was an encouraging moment for our staff and students to commit ourselves to quality education.

Our honorable President shared his concern that none of the Universities in our country rank within the top 500 Universities across the globe. I take it as a challenge for Loyola College to achieve that position as our symbol of respect to fulfill the wishes of our honorable President.

Loyola College is capable of educating 25,000 children. For this, our Government should provide us with infrastructure and scientific instruments to enhance reach and research. We receive more than 30,000 applications every year, but the system allows us to admit less than 3000 students. We may have the poorest of the poor students studying, but we have the best of teachers.

Education should continue to be treated as service sector and not a business sector. Loyola College continues to be a beacon at that. Let your light shine!