The St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) Alumni Association :

There will always be a new mountain to climb and Xaverians will always try to scale every peak. It is Father Felix Raj, our president who has taught us, by his own example, that it doesn’t matter how fast we get to the top or what’s waiting on the other side, but that its only the climb that matters. Under his leadership, the Alumni Association has grown and extended its chapters globally. He has steered the SXCCAA movement with such quiet efficiency that it has achieved pioneering status in terms of uniqueness and quality – becoming the yardstick against which alumni movements are judged. It was his idea that if Xaverians scattered all over the world, could not come to their alma mater in Kolkata, the association would reach out to them.

It is during his time that Beyond Boundaries, the international convention of Xaverians was started. Beyond Boundaries has now become an important event in the calendar of every Xaverian. It was held successfully in 2010 in Bangkok, in 2011 in Dubai and 2012 in Singapore.

Dr. J. Felix Raj has given the alumni an unparalleled access and responsibility in every matter of the functioning of the college. Thanks to him, the alumni have an important say in the matters of the college just as they actively contribute and work hand in hand with the staff and the students. The Alumni/ae association now shares a wonderful relationship with the teaching and the non-teaching staff, students and the Jesuits, as envisioned and facilitated by Father Raj.

The sensitive and humane leader that he is, Father Raj has revived the Women’s Forum and its activities too. He has given each member of the Women’s Forum the confidence that has helped them to become the kind of women who in the face of adversity shall continue to embrace life.

We are not surprised by the fact that he shares his date of birth with Mother Teresa, which is on the 26th of august. Much as we would love to celebrate our President’s birthday, he only allows the members to celebrate it as the Philanthropy Day of the SXCCAA. The greatest achievement of the President is perhaps the fact that he has helped to transcend SXCCAA from being an association to becoming a close-knit Xaverian family. The members with the Jesuit values deeply instilled in their hearts believe that life will always be an uphill battle and sometimes one may even have to lose but as long as there is faith, love and togetherness, it is only the climb that will matter.

- By Ms. Hasnu Mukherjee