Jesuit Management guru passes away

By Matters India Reporter

Bhubaneswar: Jesuit Father Abraham Enthemkuzy, former director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) and director of Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur on July 14 passed away at XIM Bhubaneswar due to a cardiac arrest. He was 70.

According to Father Jerry Cutinha, provincial of Jamshedpur Jesuit Province, the funeral details will be announced later.
Father Abraham was on born Nov 5, 1950. He was 52 years in the Society of Jesus and 39 years as a priest.

He was a “leading Jesuit management person, a good companion and a visionary. Let us build on his heritage,” said Jesuit Father George Pattery, former head of South Asia region of Jesuits or Jesuit Conference of South Asia, a body of heads of 18 provinces and two regions.

Fr. Abe, as he was fondly called was the longest-serving director of Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, one of the best management schools in India.
He was instrumental in setting up the Centre for Peace and Justice, XLRI Jamshedpur.

A former director of XLRI, he was regarded as a champion of India’s management academia and an eminent thought leader in academic governance who immensely contributed to management education. He was the founder President of the National HRD Network and the Indian Association of Autonomous Business Schools.

He served as a member of various prestigious bodies, to name a few, like the Board of IRMA, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), and the All India Board of Management Studies. He was also on the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools and the Asia Pacific Business Schools Board.

For his seminal contribution to the corpus of knowledge in the field of management education, Fr. Abraham received the AIM-ASMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

“His passing away is a great loss, not easy to fill. We will miss his voice and the sweet subtle smile, so assuringly warm always, but his message for the greater common good shall certainly inform our lives and work. May his soul rest in eternal peace with God,” said Paramjyot Singh, chairperson, Centre for Peace and Justice, XLRI Jamshedpur.

“I am sad to know that Fr. Abraham is no more. I cherished my memories of him. He was a gem of a person, open and warm-hearted. He welcomed us although we were students at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar,” said Father Ajaya Kumar Singh, a priest of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese and human rights activist.