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XAVIER’S TRIBUTE TO GURUDEB
FATHER FELIX RAJ, SJ

Rabindranath Tagore, the youngest son of Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, was born on May 7 1861. The year 2011 marked the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. The UNESCO had declared 2011 as the year of Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1913 for "Gitanjali".

Tagore was admitted to St. Xavier’s School, Kolkata at the age of 14. He was uncomfortable with formal schooling and so left the school after a short while. His short period at Xavier’s left a deep impression on him.

The person who seems to have had the greatest impact on young Tagore was a Jesuit Father, Alfonso de Penaranda, a Spanish Jesuit. Tagore himself has acknowledged this, “ I cannot speak for other boys, but I felt in him the presence of a great soul, and even today the recollection of it seems to give me a passport to enter into silent seclusion of the temple of God”.

Thirty-six years later, at the age of fifty, he wrote in his autobiography, “ a sacred memory of St. Xavier’s remains un-faded in my mind – the memory of its teachers”. In 1927, when he was 66, he agreed to a request to serve as patron and vice-president of the St. Xavier’s Alumni Association, and even autographed his photo “with tears in his eyes”.

He also presented to St. Xavier’s a white marble bust of Jesus Christ which is still preserved in the principal’s office. It is believed that Tagore’s faith in God, his understanding and relation to God as Father and his deep respect for Jesus Christ were all influenced by what he imbibed at St. Xavier’s.

As a mark of respect to Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore, an alumnus, St. Xavier’s College has started an Honours course in Bangla from July 2012. To usher in the course, St. Xavier’s staged a Bengali drama based on Maheswetadevi’s ‘Ajir’ on August 4th and 5th. The honourable Minister for Higher Education, Bratya Basu was be the Chief Guest on the occasion. The drama was directed by Prof. Ashis Siddhanta of the Chemistry department.