XLRI, Jamshedpur

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It took only a few months for the Superior – Fr Provincial Nugent and Fr Fasy – to realize the need in Jamshedpur of an Institution which would give deep consideration to the problems of labour and management. As early as January 1949 the subject was brought up in a letter to the Maryland Provincial. The choice fell on Fr Enright. The idea appealed immensely to him. In 1950, he rented a small room in the Boulevard Hotel and the first classes began on October 11^th, 1951. Fr Nugent was fully satisfied and wrote : “To my mind the inauguration of this Institute after no more than two years in the mission field is an outstanding feat to the credit of Jamshedpur Mission. More than that, the advanced level on which it is carried out is still more extraordinary.” It began with 70 students – almost as soon as the new building of Loyola School was up even though it had only one floor at the time and building was very much in progress; XLRI got a set of rooms and moved there from KMPM School in late 1951.

The aim of that Institute, as Fr Enright visualized it, was to impart the necessary knowledge and skills in human relations, to supervisors of the Steel City, and to implant sound doctrine and principles of labour and trade union organization among workers.

During the first seven years of experimentation and growth, several course for management and trade union groups were developed. Young graduates were spontaneously drawn to it, and in response to their demand a regular post-graduate course in labour relations and social welfare was soon introduced. Later the training was accepted by Bihar and then Ranchi Universities as leading to a Master’s degree in Labour and Social Welfare. In 1956, the institution’s two year course in industrial relations (day programme) leading to a postgraduate diploma was recognized by the Government of India as well as the State Governments.

The institute soon made a notable contribution towards a Christian social apostolate. Frs Holland, McGinley, Dineen and latter McGrath were lecturing in the Institute. In 1954 Fr Nugent could affirm:

The Institute is not only doing good work there in your midst, but it is an indication that the Mission is very much alive to opportunities offered for very practical effort. Certainly we must insist that XLRI is solidly established no matter what other details of the apostolate may seem urgent. We can take no chances of the Institute being undeveloped.

In 1950, Fr Enright rented a small room in the Boulevard Hotel and the first classes began on October 11 1951. Fr Nugent was fully satisfied and wrote: “ To my mind the inauguration of this Institute after no more than two years in the mission field is an outstanding feat to the credit of Jamshedpur Mission. More than that, the advanced level on which it is carried out is still more “extraordinary”. It began with 70 students – almost as soon as the new building of Loyola School was up even though\n it had only one floor at the time and building was very much in progress; XLRI got a set of rooms and moved there from KMPM School in late 1951.

The aim of that Institute, as Fr Enright visualized it, was to impart the necessary knowledge and skills in human relations, to supervisors of the Steel City, and to implant sound doctrine and principles of labour and trade union organization among workers.

Ever since XLRI has diversified significantly over the past 3 decades and has emerged among the nation’s top three Business Schools of the India . There are 750 B-Schools in the country.