THE DEROZIO AWARD

When India's premier Board for Public Education, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi, decided to commence a national award of Rs. 1,00,000/- (One lakh Rupees) in memory of the great Indian visionary, educationist and poet, Henry Vivian Derozio, Mr Jagdish Gandhi was the unanimous choice of the Jury as the first recipient of the honour. The award was handed to Mr Gandhi by Mr Abdul Halim, Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, at a special function held at St Xavier's College, Calcutta. The citation noted that the award was being given to Mr Gandhi for his "Outstanding Contribution to Education and Human Enrichment". Mr Gandhi donated the cash part of the award, to the ICSE Council for use in the cause of education of poor children. The highly eminent jury for the award consisted of national figures like General Shankar Roychowdhury, former Chief of Army Staff, Dr. (Ms) Kiran Bedi, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) and India's first woman police officer and Magsaysay prize winner, Prof. S. Gopal, Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, Fr. A. Hess SJ, XLRI, Jamshedpur, Mr Neil O' Brien, Member, Parliament of India and Chairman of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations and Mr Francis Fanthome, Chief Executive and Secretary of the same Council.