UDIT VANI Jamshedpur: XLRI – Xavier School of Management will host the 12th Annual Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Sustainable Development Oration on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Tata Auditorium, XLRI Jamshedpur. The event, an initiative of the Fr Arrupe Centre for Ecology & Sustainability (FACES), will feature a keynote address by Dr Vinod B. Mathur, Former Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority of India and Former Director of the Wildlife Institute of India.
Dr Mathur will speak on the theme “Ecological Security for a Viksit Bharat”, focusing on the interdependence of biodiversity, ecological balance, and sustainable national growth.
A member of the Indian Forest Service (1983 batch), Dr Mathur has devoted over three decades to wildlife conservation and biodiversity governance. After serving as Dean and later Director of the Wildlife Institute of India, he chaired the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) for three years, guiding key policy initiatives. A doctorate from the University of Oxford, Dr Mathur has also served as Regional Vice-Chair of the IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA–South Asia) and as Regional Vice-Chair (Asia-Pacific) of the UN Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (UN-IPBES).
He has been a member of both the UN IPBES Bureau (2019–2023) and the UN-CBD Bureau (2019–2022). Currently, Dr Mathur works as an International Biodiversity Expert with the Asian Development Bank and is an Affiliate Faculty Member at Colorado State University, USA.
The evening’s program will begin with a prayer song by the XLRI Choir, followed by the lighting of the lamp and an introduction to FACES by Fr Donald D’Silva S.J. The annual report of FACES will be presented by Dr Tata L. Raghu Ram, after which Fr S. George S.J. will introduce and welcome the chief guest. Following Dr Mathur’s oration, there will be an interactive Q&A session with students, and the event will conclude with a vote of thanks by Dr Sanjay Patro.
The Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Oration series, instituted by XLRI, honors the legacy of the Father of the White Revolution and aims to inspire dialogue on sustainability, social justice, and ethical development.
