Rev. Fr Xavier Rajan SJ Amphitheatre

About the Amphitheatre

Fr. Xavier Rajan, SJ, was a Jesuit of profound intellectual depth, humility, and gratitude. Gifted in languages, he could read nine -Tamil, English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi -and converse in many of them. This rare ability enabled him to connect effortlessly with people across cultures and continents -music flowed naturally through him. He played several instruments with ease, expressing through music the same harmony he sought in human relationships.

For over five decades, Fr. Xavier devoted himself wholeheartedly to the ministry of communication. After earning a Master’s degree in Broadcast Communication in Manila, he taught Developmental Communication at Loyola College, Chennai. He was later called to Rome, where he served for eleven years as Director of the Indian Section of Vatican Radio, linking the Indian Church with the universal Church through weekly news bulletins in Indian languages.

His passion for Catholic media found lasting expression in Catholic World Last Week, an online newsletter he founded to summarize Vatican events and papal reflections for a global audience. Week after week, with remarkable fidelity, he prepared and shared it -never missing a single issue -until his final days. Fr. Xavier also taught at the Angelicum University in Rome, edited South Asian Religious (SAR) News, and served as Administrator of the Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai.

We fondly remember Fr. Xavier Rajan SJ with deep gratitude and affection. His life was a quiet yet powerful testament to faith, communication, and service.

Rev. Fr Xavier Rajan SJ

Features & Spaces

Live Studio Space

This high-specification environment is engineered to support the full spectrum of digital media production with fully equipped tools and background. With a green matt allowing to fix the desired backdrops the space facilitates professional grade podcasting, news capsule, live broadcasts, and curated interviews, providing a robust infrastructure for both traditional journalism and experimental multimedia productions.

Open Stage

Singing the heritage of the college intertwined with nature, the Open Stage is a versatile arena for the performing arts. With a vibrant gallery under the ancestral trees, accessorised by the student’s graffiti and wall art, the space creates memorable scenes to cherish. It accommodates a diverse range of academic and cultural expressions, including theatrical productions, film screenings, symonic performances, stage events and formal debates. This space can accommodate 400 audiences conveniently at a time.

Darkroom

Dedicated to the preservation of traditional photographic techniques, the Darkroom offers a tactile exploration of the analog process. In an era defined by the immediacy of the digital image, this space invites students to reconnect with the physical alchemy of light and chemistry, fostering a deeper understanding of visual history and craftsmanship. By engaging with the tactile nature of film development and silver gelatin printing, practitioners encounter the evolution of the medium through a nostalgic lens, honoring the historical lineage of visual storytelling. This facility is not merely a technical lab but a pedagogical bridge, encouraging a profound appreciation for the deliberate, meditative pace of classical image-making and the enduring legacy of the photographic grain.

Visual Galleries

This space is curated for the exhibition of diverse artistic modalities. The gallery provides a professional platform for displaying art, photography, illustration, and mixed-media installations, allowing students to engage in the critical discourse of visual culture. This space encourages thematic explorations by individual or collective artists/ students in order to move beyond the classroom and engage with the complexities of public display. It is a site of active critique, where the "reflexive turn" in visual communication is manifested allowing creators to interrogate their own perspectives and know that of the others.

Creative Spaces

An exclusive space to slow down, sit and create. Prioritizing the conceptual phase of the creative process, this space is dedicated to ideation, sketching, and design. Artists/ students can use this space to draw and paint with a model. This environment provides a focused atmosphere for students to transition from abstract concepts to tangible artistic prototypes.

Vetridam

Vetridam is a student-led, non-hierarchical forum established to advance the principles of equity and social justice. Resisting the stereotypic components of a class room, the space is filled with emptiness. With a carpet (Jamakalam) on the floor facilitating to sit, a mirror on the wall meant to reflect, and a punching bag to express, the space is coloured with students palm impressions to record and authenticate individual identities. Celebrating the powerful leaders such as Che Guevara, E.V.R. Periyar, Frida Kahlo, B.R. Ambedkar and Savitribai Phule, this space is designed by the student body for the student body, this space functions as a sanctuary for political discourse, ideological exchange, and the collective pursuit of democratic education.

Guidelines & Non-Negotiables

General Guidelines

We share this ground with nature. Respect her. Remember that a professional leaves the space better than they found it.
Maintain digital etiquettes, use your mobile phones mindfully.
Let us maintain a volume that respects the focus of others.
Keep PDA off-campus and keep the academic atmosphere awkward-free.

Non-Negotiables

Do wear ID cards in this premise.
It is essential that you record your visit by scanning your id card during entry and exit.

Note: You are welcome to use this space. You can prebook this space through our online booking system. For special requests, contact the Head of the Department of Visual Communication & BMM.

Contact

Rev. Fr. Justin Prabhu SJ

Head, Department of Visual Communication

Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034

[email protected]