PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, June 9: XLRI Jamshedpur, India’s first and among its most prestigious business schools, welcomed the incoming class of 2025–27 with a Prayer Service and Welcome Ceremony held at the Tata Auditorium here today.

The induction event marked the formal beginning of the academic journey for 429 new students across XLRI’s four flagship programs:

* PGDM (Business Management) – 215 students
* PGDM (Human Resource Management) – 180 students
* PGDM (Logistics & Supply Chain Management – Rutgers Dual Degree) – 14 students

* Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) – 20 students
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Delivering the keynote address, Fr. Sebastian George, director of XLRI, extended a warm welcome to the new batch, encouraging them to embrace academic excellence, self-discipline, and mutual support.

“Welcome to XLRI – now your family. Behave responsibly, support one another, and focus on your goals, especially academics. Learn from your failures, recognize your strengths, and steer clear of distractions. Learn, unlearn, and relearn. Understand the difference between problems, which have solutions, and predicaments, which require wise navigation,” said Fr. George.
The Prayer Service, an enduring XLRI tradition, was led by Fr. Donald D’Silva, S.J., Dean of Administration & Finance, and Dr. Sanjay Patro, Dean of Academics. It featured interfaith spiritual readings from the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Guru Granth Sahib, and Quran, symbolizing the institute’s emphasis on unity, ethical grounding, and spiritual reflection.
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The ceremony included the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and the Honour Pledge, administered by Dr. Patro, where students vowed to uphold values of ethics, inclusion, academic rigour, and service to society.
A video showcasing XLRI’s rich heritage and ambitious vision for the future capped the formal ceremony. This was followed by mentor interaction sessions, fostering early connections.