CARMEL VIKAS CONVENT, PATNA

All the Apostolic Carmel educational enterprises in Bihar are focused on the uplift and empowerment of women and the girl children, who are enslaved and suppressed by forces of customs and rituals in the family and society. To reach out to the women of Bihar, especially the underprivileged was one of the many visions of Sister Amabel, a trained social worker who had a magnanimous heart and mind.

In order to put into practice the recommendations of the General Chapter of 1960 regarding education at the service of the poor. Income generating courses like Typing and Tailoring as well as training in community living, was started with residential facilities.

The foundation stone was blessed on 23 March, 1969. The project was called Carmel Technical Institute (CTI). On 16 November 1970, CTI started functioning with 12 students on roll. It was a project to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of Apostolic Carmel in India. The new building was blessed by Bishop Wildermuth, S.J., on 1 December, 1970. In March 1973, it was affiliated to the Bihar State Board of Technical Education and the first batch of students appeared in Shorthand Typing and Domestic Science in May, 1973.

The CTI students also joined the Taru Mitra (meaning lover of trees) movement in 1994, initiated by Fr. Robert Athickal S.J. to create environment awareness in youth. A part of the land outside CTI was fenced off and named Jayant Gardens after a youth who had died to preserve the environment.

From 1997 onwards, there was a regular drop in the intake of students. Jharkhand had been separated from Bihar in 2000 and there was no need for the tribal girls to come to Bihar as training and employment was available in Jharkhand. There was a drastic fall in numbers in 2001. It was felt that a time had come to start another apostolate.

The Provincial Superior, Sister Mena D’Sliva and her team, decided to close down the hostel in 2003, to prepare for the new apostolate, the B.Ed classes that were to be started under Patna Women’s College, as the Department of Education. The entire building was given a facelift and a lot of time and money was invested in this venture.

In June 2005, Sister Maria Sylvie was appointed Sister-in-charge of Carmel Technical Institute, which was renamed Department of Education (Patna Women’s College) and the convent was given a new name on 8 June, 2005, as Carmel Vikas.