“Jesuits had greatly contributed to the development of education in India. Being Jesuit alumnus myself, I am aware of the great contribution of Jesuit education not only in India, but around the world,"

“Education and knowledge had no religion. Religion should help in developing human personality. The real aim of every religion should be propagation of morality and values.”

- Dr. Abdul Kalam, President of India on January 22, 2003 at the Global Jesuit Alumni Congress at SXC, Calcutta

Father with Dr. Abdul Kalam, former president

"It’s a great pleasure, honour and privilege to be here on the 150 years of St Xavier’s. It’s an honour to be in an august institution which has produced individuals who have led in various fields worldwide. I’m also honoured to be speaking at an institution which is located on a street named after Mother Teresa, another great person who lived and worked in this great city,"

"The Jesuit Fathers had an inclusive approach when it came to education. They embraced the rich and the poor and helped the spread of English education in Bengal and India. At the same time, they familiarized themselves with different regions of India. The St Xavier’s alumni includes famed names like Rabindranath Tagore (though he disliked formal education), Jagadish Chandra Bose, JyotiBasu and so many others. My mind reaches out to Shri Basu now, who is battling for life. .. My prayers and thoughts are with Shri JyotiBasu.”

"I want to see that day when we achieve 100 per cent literacy and when every child derives education. And, every girl child enjoys the fruits of education. Schools should be accessible to every child. I remember the day when I used to walk miles to school….”

- Prime Minister Dr. Monmohan Singh at the 150th Anniversary of St. Xavier’s, Calcutta on January 16, 2010

PM and Jesuits

“I congratulate the Jesuit Fathers for setting up yet another seat of higher learning of strong spiritual and human values; St. Xavier's played an exemplary role in spreading excellence in Education and spreading Peace and harmony". I firmly believe that St. Xavier's University Kolkata will soon be of global significance, thriving on the principles of faith and wisdom”.

- Mamata Banerjee, HCM, West Bengal, on December 23, 2016, the Foundation Stone-laying Ceremony.

Rajarhat Father with the CM

“I acknowledge the contribution of my Alma Mater. I have always seen opportunity in challenge and that taught me to take bold decisions. I am indebted to St. Xavier's for inculcating in me a sense of adventure and giving me confidence, while keeping me grounded.It is always a great pleasure to come back to Kolkata.

Today is a great day for St. Xavier's. Fr. Felix Raj and I have been dreaming of this day for some years now. When we met in London we discussed about it and now it has become a reality."

- Shri Lakshmi Mittal, on July 7,2017, Inauguration day of SXUK

Fr. Felix Raj with Mr. LN Mitta

“St Xavier's University is ‘the model to follow’ after showing in its inaugural year that an institute backed by a legacy of excellence will attract students irrespective of its location.The university, whose campus is in New Town, had received more than 3,000 applications for admission to four postgraduate and two undergraduate courses. Only 400 made it to the first batch”.

- Dr. Partha Chatterjee, Education Minister on SXUK’s second Foundation Day on February 8, 2018

Father Felix Raj with Minister Partha Chatterjee

“Education is most important for upholding human rights…jobs were scarce and degrees were abundant in our country and if this mismatch continued many qualified graduates would end up jobless.I am sure this won't be a problem for the graduates I am addressing today at St Xavier's University. But you must be aware of the broader national picture…”

“You don't create graduates for the real world without knowing what the real world wants...Too many of our graduates are overqualified for the jobs available. For the talent we have, we don't seem to know what to do with it."

"How to think" was far more important than "what to think" and the big successes in life were those who were able to think out of the box and to think beyond what was in the textbook. "...The big examination called life has a habit of asking you questions for which you couldn't prepare answers from a textbook…"

- Shri Shashi Tharoor delivering the First Convocation Address at SXUK on July 27, 2019

Shashi and Father

“Each day that I serve, I am reminded of the long history of St. Xavier’s and its dedicated service in the field of education.”

“We, Jesuits at St. Xavier’s stand for a multi‐cultural, multi‐linguistic, multi‐religious and well integrated India.”

“We stand for education with a human face. St. Xavier’s is committed to the cause of social justice and has therefore devised the rural outreach programs.”

-- Father Felix Raj, SJ, Principal SXCK presenting a Report in 2010

‘Three shorts to soften the blows’

St. Xavier’s was known as an Anglo-Indian school in those days. Most of the students were Anglo-Indians Latin was compulsory. JyotiBasu, who was about six years my senior in school, could not write the Bengali script. When I said this in the Assembly some time ago, Jyoti just smiled.

In school, maintaining discipline was of foremost importance. School started at 9am and the teacher would not let the latecomers enter the classroom without a note from the prefect, who would give us a strapping (a form of caning) when we went to his office to get the note. Many of us preferred to wear two or three shorts when we went to meet him on such occasions!

I joined the school as a seven-year-old in the first standard in 1926 but was withdrawn, along with my brothers, at the height of the nationalist movement, post 1930, when I was in the sixth standard. Both my parents were from nationalist families. But I would like to testify that, contrary to the belief of some, the St. Xavier’s authorities never harboured anti-nationalist feelings. They were beyond all that.

One incident that comes to mind was that I had skipped school the day the martyr JatinDas’s mortal remains were brought to Calcutta, to watch his funeral procession from the first floor balcony of our house. The next day I had to go Fr Prefect to explain why I had been absent. I went wearing three shorts because I was sure I would be strapped. When Fr Sebastian asked me, I told him the truth. Father didn’t scold me, he instead said: “I see that, my boy, I see that.”

A misconception doing the rounds in our time was that St. Xavier’s wanted to convert its non-Christian students. I have never heard anything further from the truth. In my six years in St. Xavier’s, I never got that sort of vibe.

Even in those days, St. Xavier’s took sporting activities very seriously. I owe it to St. Xavier’s that I went on to play cricket and football quite well and led Presidency College in both the sports. I also played tennis.

Even at this age, I remember all my teachers vividly. In the third standard, MrCarr used to teach us, in the fourth standard it was Mr Couch and in the fifth and sixth standards it was Fr Pinto. Fr Vermere was the rector and Fr Stephens the prefect.

I was mesmerized by the building every day and used to gape at the majestic columns near the hall after my father dropped me to school on his way to office.

- - Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Former chief minister of West Bengal, January 22, 2009

Mr. Siddhartha Shankar Ray and Jyothi Basu

‘Discipline that became a lifelong passion’

Addressing at the valedictory and first convocation of St. Xavier’s College Calcutta on January 18, 2008, Shri Hamid Ansari said:

Homecoming is a feeling that is difficult to articulate. A sense of happiness is evident. So is a flood of memories. I return to St. Xavier’s to express my gratitude to the college that initiated me in disciplines which became a lifelong passion.

I come also to salute an institution whose dedication to its mission is exemplary and foremost amongst them is a passion for excellence.

More objectively speaking, it is always a privilege for any alumnus to return to his alma mater after half a century, to interact with a new generation of students, to share perceptions, to catch up with their vision of a new world, and their hopes and aspirations in it.

This is a convocation with a difference — that of an autonomous college. The students graduating today follow an illustrious lineage. They have demonstrated academic excellence. This was the easier part of the endeavour. As Xaverians, they bear a lifelong responsibility for a wider concern pertaining to humanity. Let Nihil Ultra — the motto of this institution — be their guiding principle.

- Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India on January 18, 2008

Mohammad Hamid Ansari

‘The Fathers have shaped my vision’

St. Xavier’s has produced some brilliant students and has today become a trademark of quality education. Now the whole city wants their children to study in St. Xavier’s and everyone is wondering how to get his son admitted, which itself speaks for the institution.

During my time, the Jesuit Fathers did all the teaching that was steeped in strictness and principles. It is the thoroughness of the Jesuit Fathers who taught us that has given me the confidence I have today.

We were always given a broad picture on every subject. I have been fortunate to study in an institution that has enabled me to hold my own while discussing any subject. I was never a very good student and usually trailed from class to class, but it was never a problem because we were not expected to become experts and were given broad-minded education.

The democratic attitude of the college has also left an impression on me. Religion was never an issue. We as students were never pushed to become Christians.

My fondest memory associated with the college is when Pope John Paul II came to Calcutta. Fr Picachy, who taught me in the sixth standard and who was the archbishop then, had organized a special audience with the Pope for my family and me. I felt gratified that he had remembered me.

I will always remember how gracious the Fathers were. You did not have to be a brilliant student for them to remember you. Fr Picachy and Fr Verstraeten gave me a lot of encouragement. They have shaped my vision and how I looked at the future.

St. Xavier’s has my unquestioning support in whatever endeavour it undertakes.

- B. M. Khaitan, Tea baron and chairman, Eveready Industries

‘For us, every teacher was a role model’

I joined the school in 1945 in the third standard, after we moved to Calcutta from Dehradun. There were two sections and there was intense competition between them, I remember. I was in section B throughout, till I had to leave in Class IX just before my Senior Cambridge examinations.

Significantly, there were four of us in the same section at St. Xavier’s who later went on to join the armed forces and did quite well — Surinder Kapoor, who got the Mahavir Chakra in 1971, Late SK Chowdhury, Late N Bhavaadam and myself.

Like most other students, I was mesmerized by the magnificent, colossal building on my first day in school. I remember walking up the stairs to my classroom on the first floor that day, awestruck by the grandeur around me.

I remember all my class-teachers very clearly. They were MrBellety, Mr White, Fr Byart, Fr Desbruslais, Fr Marrlot and Fr Dobinson. SgtRony Moore was our physical training instructor. He later went on to become the deputy commissioner of Calcutta Police. Sgt Moore was himself an ace boxer and there was quite a boxing culture in the school during his time. A boxing ring was constructed in the gymnasium, and intra-school weight category-based competitions would be held. I took a keen interest in boxing apart from football and hockey.

I am in touch with a few of my batch-mates, while many have passed away. Many generations of Xaverians know one of my classmates particularly well, Fr (Boris D’ Santos), who was the senior school prefect till a few years ago. I bet you did not know he was a fantastic athlete and that there weren’t many who could take him on in 100m and 200m on the annual sports day!

Fr Desbruslais was my class-teacher in the seventh standard. We were probably his first batch. He was young and handsome and he excelled in athletics. He was also a wonderful teacher. We often hear that education at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School shapes the moral character of its pupils. Well, if you want to know how that happens, you have to come in contact with the likes of Fr Desbruslais in your formative years.

In fact, each one of our teachers was a role model. We are what we are today because we got the opportunity to interact and look up to these fine people. They were lessons in how to talk, how to walk, how to carry yourself and even how to feel for others, and these things have rubbed off on us.

- General Shankar Roychowdhury, Former Indian army chief

‘Academic knowledge and human values’

St. Xavier’s College brings to mind many pleasant memories... memories of the morning hours and of my walk through Short Street to my home.

I remember running away from college and going to flurry’s for breakfast, avoiding the watchful eyes of Fr Joris who was an institution in himself. Through his inspiration and authority he maintained strict discipline in the college. He would often come by flurries to catch unsuspecting students bunking classes. I was, however, not a regular at Flurry’s and was thankfully one of the fortunate ones never to get caught.

St. Xavier’s College is an institution of excellence. It is a role model for many colleges and institutions in the country and has introduced a high standard of education not only to the St. Xavier’s fraternity but also to faculty and students of other institutions.

Education in St. Xavier’s College is not just about academic knowledge but also about humanitarian values. And it is a learning that has stayed with me all my life.

- Kamal Nath, Former Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and CM, Madhya Pradesh

Kamal Nath, Former Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and CM, Madhya Pradesh

‘The spirit of working in a team’

The 150th year celebration of St. Xavier’s is a momentous occasion. The effort is to focus on the school in a manner that does justice to the culture, ethos and glory of St. Xavier’s. The attempt will be to have all the celebrations with warmth, subtlety and the right profile of dignitaries.

The celebrations will carry on for a year and it will have an appropriate mix of Xaverians from different cross-sections. We would like to involve Xaverians from different fields — politicians, entrepreneurs and the cultural sphere. Lots of Xaverians have done the city and country proud; we would like to involve them in the celebrations.

Being a Xaverian is not just about studying in St. Xavier’s, it’s about imbibing that tradition. My years in St. Xavier’s were the most important years of my life. Those years were definitely about education, but more importantly, they were great levellers. In school, I came in contact with different cultures, religions and backgrounds and realised that there is a society beyond the one I knew. St Xavier’s also imbibed in us the spirit of working in a team. No victory was individual, it was always team victory.

The most important lesson that St. Xavier’s taught me is humility. There were so many people far more capable than you that if you had any illusions that you were special, they came crashing down. One of my classmates was Sandeep Chatterjee, the renowned surgeon. He would always top the class in every subject and with him around the competition was always very tough.

I remember many of my teachers well, but two of them were really special — Mr Hassan, our maths teacher, and MrBienna, our English teacher. They just made everything sound so simple.

The institution right now has a great set of Fathers — Fr Jerome, Fr Mathew and Fr Sebastian. These are people with great mission and vision. If these people continue to be in charge of St. Xavier’s, the future can only be bright.

- Sanjiv Goenka, Vice-chairman, RPG Group

‘I was madly in love with my school’

I joined St. Xavier’s Collegiate School in 1978 and that was the start of a very long association with 30 Park Street as I went on to completes my Higher Secondary and then B.Com from St. Xavier’s College. I was madly in love with my school and still am.

Everything about St. Xavier’s was special though I must say that I enjoyed myself much more in school than in college. My brother SnehashisGanguly also studied in St. Xavier’s College.

My first teacher was Ms Braganza in Class IA and I remember all my teachers more or less. There are some special memories from each class. My favourite teacher was MrRozario, who unfortunately died at a very young age in a motorcycle accident. We had an intensely competitive house system in high school and I represented Britto House. Mr Rozario was our house master and I was his favourite since I was good in sports. I was also very close to Anindo Sir, who taught us in Classes IX and X. I also have the highest respect for Fr Bouche.

There was a lot of accent on sports in Xavier’s. The annual sports day was something we all looked forward to. The excitement would begin as soon as the goal posts on the big field were removed and the tracks marked with lime and chalk. On sports day, I would participate in all the races, including the 100m, 200m and the 110m hurdles. I have many best sportsman awards that are very close to my heart, despite the many trophies and medals that came my way later in life.

I also remember the relay races between the boys of Classes V and VI on both the primary school and high school sports days, which would be the premier event of the day. Those were really special. I also represented the school in football and cricket.

In between, strangely, I found time for studies. I was quite good actually till my cricket schedule got really busy. By Class X, I was already playing for Bengal Under-15 but I managed to score 86 per cent in Madhyamik.

The discipline in St. Xavier’s was really stifling at times but later through the ups and downs of life I realized that it has stood me in good stead. But I can assure you that we found little virtue in it back then!

- Sourav Ganguly, Former skipper, Indian cricket team

Sourav Ganguly