Dear Past Pupils of SIGA

For the past few years, I was in our Mother house Turin, Italy. I had the opportunity to live and work in the places where our father and founder Don Bosco lived, I feel so blessed. I am very proud to say that I was a past pupil of SIGA. I am very grateful to all my superiors for having sent me here to continue the mission in SIGA.

This year in our SIGA community we are blessed with fourteen confreres. As a rector and manager of the press I feel so happy for the confreres who are good and enthusiastic for community life. Our SIGA campus, which used to be full of life with our boys, looks empty due to COVID lockdown. Our oratory is also closed. Online classes for this academic year have been going on and the teachers are regular and effective in their classes and the boys too show tremendous interest in learning.

Regarding our PRESS, we had actually closed it in the month of March due to the lockdown, and our press workers were paid only half salary. We have restarted the press work in the month of September with less work and production; and the workers are paid full salary. In this period of COVID we were able to help the families of the workers by way of providing them with groceries. We did help our oratory boys’ families who had lost their livelihood due to this pandemic through covid relief works.

Now this is the time that most of our boys need scholarships, educational help, mental and moral help since they are closed up inside. Everywhere the workplace and shops are closed, and most of our boys parents are without work. Hence, they are in need of our help and support. Last year Fr. John Christy has planned to set a digital workshop and a conference hall with proper facilities just above the first floor of our SIGA building for the future training of our students in Digital Printing, Digital Online Publishing, Digital Art Design, etc. As the technology is improving printing is also advancing in the modern world, hence, we want to train our students with online publishing. This is the upper most dream of Bro. Santi. And I would like to take up this task and do this work for the good of our needy and poor youth and we will dedicate this workshop to all the Salsian Brothers who worked with Bro. Santi for the growth of SIGA — Bro. John Kespret, Bro. Amalraj, Bro. Tarcius.

Christmas is approaching: It is a time of sharing. Sharing our love, gifts and time with others. Though the boys are not with us physically to celebrate Christmas and to share gifts with them still we would like to extend our helping hand at this pandemic. We will try to reach them through post and other means possible, so that the Christmas celebration continues this year too.

When I think of you my dear Past Pupils of SIGA, I immediately think of the thousands of boys that we have in all our salesian presences, and I say to myself: we must give them the best of ourselves, because one day they will be Past Pupils and Past Pupils like those we have today. Let’s move on, go forward, always in communion with Don Bosco!” Looking forward to hear from you or meet you in person. Most Welcome to Siga! Let’s be united!

- Fr. Nallayan Pancras SDB