St. Xavier's College, Kolkata

I shall care for the main hostel, my home. If found going against the hostel rules and regulations, I shall abide by the decision of the college and the hostel authorities.


LET THY LIGHT SHINE -Park Street Main Hostelites The inauguration ceremony of the 2010-11 session of the hostel took place within the premises of the St. Xavier’s College Main Hostel. The occasion saw a gathering which comprised students of various castes, creeds, faiths and religious beliefs. All had gathered with one motive, that of invoking the blessings of the Almighty. The gathering also highlighted the very theme of the evening which was ‘Let Thy Light Shine’, a plea to the Lord. To grace the auspicious occasion we also had amongst us Fr. Rector, our very Rev. Fr. Principal, Frs. Vice-Principals, Fr. Treasurer, Superintendent of the L.C.R. Hostel and Fr. Mangal Das. The proceedings of the evening began with the prayer ceremony with students reciting from the Holy Scriptures - the Bhagvad Gita, The Bible and the Koran. The aura was one of unity, brotherhood, peace and above all faith in God. Fr. Principal graced the occasion even more when he sought the blessings of the Lord for all present in the ceremony. We then proceeded to the cultural ceremony that was planned by the hostel students. With so much of hatred and violence prevailing throughout the globe, the theme which was thought to be most apt was ‘Heal the World’. To second the theme, we had a solo and a group song, along with a dance performance, presented by the hostelites. The main attraction of the evening was, however, the group song which was sung by all the hostelites. The song was to beckon the Lord to ‘Give us sunshine’. This was also central to the theme of the evening. Everybody who comes to the hostel after a long time nowadays says that it has changed. The hostelites are, however, the best persons who could say how much the hostel has changed- for the good. To quote Fr. Dominic,” If we are to compare what the hostel was before and what it is now, the change is indeed remarkable. Thanks to Fr. Xavier’s”. Indeed it is. For I can vouch that there is no other hostel where the students are taught the values of life. To live and grow with integrity, and to inculcate in one’s self a sense of brotherhood and great discipline is central to living as a part of the main hostel. The change was, however, evident. For, the atmosphere which prevails in the Main Hostel is healthy, even literally. Proper care of health and hygiene issues is undertaken by Fr. Xavier himself. Such a clean environment automatically induces a sense of discipline amongst the students. Under the continuous support of Fr. Principal, the care, love and warmth of Fr. Xavier, the hostel has indeed become a home away from home. All we can hope for is that the hostel and the hostelites grow in leaps and bounds under the efficient guidance of their able master and make the college proud.

St. Xavier’s Main Hostel- “A home away from home” - Rajiv Simon George, IIIrd Year B.Com (M) Hostel life is one of the most cherished moments that every hostelite frames in his mind.It ignites the memories of his ‘home away from home’. St. Xavier’s College main hostel overlooks the school field on one side and just like every brick which constructs the building, values and discipline are built within the building under the guidance of Rev. Fr. Xavier Savarimuthu. The strength of the hostel is 140. We are privileged to have a share in this number. We have a library/ study room and notes of our seniors left behind as the legacy continues. We are grateful towards Prof. Hanif and Partha Prathim Ghosh (PPG) for gifting their hard-written book on financial accounting to our library and all professors who take time out of their busy schedule to help us with special classes and guidance in hostel with the subject concerned. For those who intend to live a salubrious lifestyle, we also have a gym where the gym equipments are provided by hostel boys. We also have a small chapel where we meet every day before going to bed and grow in our spiritual relationship with God Almighty. On a Sunday weekend, we are allowed to watch movies on Blue Ray Disc or projector and the viewers are in a state of ecstasy. Recently, we were granted the request of an LED TV sponsored by Rev. Fr. Felix Raj as a token of treat on his birthday. We express our gratitude to Fr. Principal. Our ‘mess’ is the place where we ‘sit and dine’ together. Just like a mustard seed which grows into a mighty tree, plans were made for the expansion of our Park Street hostel and construction has already begun. It has been a kind of experience for the inmates of the hostel. People from different walks of life live together under one roof as brothers of a large family and over time this bond of unity is strengthened by an invisible force. This spirit of brotherhood is celebrated every year as ‘Cofradia’. Fr. Principal and Fr. Vice Principal are invited to grace the occasion. It is a special day for the hostelites, staff members and of course, Fr. Xavier who works day and night to make ‘Cofradia’ a grand success. The day begins with an inter-faith prayer service to invoke God’s blessing on each one of us. The tables and benches are arranged on the school field in a ‘CF’ pattern and you can see cameras being flashed every now and then to keep the memories alive. Prior to this day, we have many sports activities that are organized like football, cricket, basketball, table tennis and carom and winners find themselves a medal. After all this, we have the real fun at night with most of our hostelites displaying their talents on the stage setup on the basketball court. ‘Cofradia 2012’ had agility in the form of breakdancing, brainwork and acting in skit. We also witnessed Nepali cultural song and dance coupled with Mizoram’s traditional bamboo dance and Kerala’s boat race. It was all a sure spectacle of ‘unity in diversity’. It can be said that ‘Cofradia’ brings with itself the spirit of brotherhood and this spirit prevails throughout the year. It is displayed as inmates take care of any of us who get unwell or keeping lunch ready for our brother so that he does not skip it because of tuitions when he is just a phone call away. These are some of the memories that will bring along with it a sweet fragrance of our hostel, “a home away from home”.

From “I, me, mine” to “we, us, ours”… Rev. Dr. Xavier S, The Director of Main Hostel Before I begin to jot my article on the main hostel, I am bound to quote the words of a principal who on the occasion of farewell to his class 12 students’ assembly addressed. “As you step out of the warm cocoon, you may be a bit apprehensive, a little feared as to what may befall in future. But as you take your tiny steps into this competitive world, you grow and learn to live with the values taught and devote yourself to service, for the greater glory of God”. That describes the young chick (the young class 12 student) which (who) has just broken open it’s (his/her) protective shell into the harshness of the world around. In the words of Mr. Tamal Roy, a biotechnology student, “This (the main hostel) is just where the meaning of NIHIL ULTRA lies embedded. So when we broke open from the shell into a new place, there was it this great institution, to embrace us and our new home, the main hostel, to shelter, nurture and care for us in the person of Rev. Fr. Xavier Savarimuthu. And we then have never felt we are out of the cocoon but rather we are again into a warm nest, a shantir nir (a nest of peace)”. These encouraging words marked my beginning in the main hostel, where together my students have learned to grow and live but not just to exist. And this unique togetherness well knits all of them into one family which stands by as the evidence of the days when despite the political storms and social unrest this great banyan tree has been still and fully protective towards its inmates, providing them ‘a home away from home’. It has taught them to help themselves and to help all those in need. It has nurtured them to develop love for friends and foe and truth in word and deed. They have learnt the art of cultivating the sense of responsibility in themselves and to take up challenges, come what may. This great temple of learning has, over the years inculcated those values which makes its pupils better human beings. I believe that a mere bookish knowledge does not help attain the mark or goal but it’s the right blend of sociality and the intellectual pursuit that develops a persona. Having had an extremely glorious history, the main hostel as an extended appendage of St. Xavier’s college, has succeeded in propagating the view of “Duty first self last” and has always highlighted the principle of selflessness over selfishness. What can be a better satisfaction than having an attitude of “Ad majorem de gloriem” (for the greater glory of God)– with all what they have absorbed, they are on their way to add glory to God for their existence! The Director’s Profile Rev. Dr. Xavier Savarimuthu, SJ, was born in Ramanathapuram district of Tamilnadu, the same district of the former Indian president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuit father’s oragnisation) of Kolkata province in the year 1989. Thus setting his feet in Bengal, he graduated in B.Sc. Zoology Honours from Scottish Church College under the University of Calcutta in 1994. In the year 2000, he completed his M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Bishop Heber College in Tiruchirapalli (a college named after the second CNI Archbishop of Calcutta) under Bharathidasan University in Tamilnadu. He stood first in the University and did pass the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) for lectureship in the same year. He teaches in the departments of environmental science and microbiology in an esteemed and A- Grade educational institute, St. Xavier’s college, Kolkata since 2000. In 2005, he obtained Ph.D. in the epidemiological research on arsenic poisoning and its health impacts on the affected population of North and South 24 Parganas districts in West Bengal. He had involved in a dugwell program in India to provide arsenic-safe water to the poor villagers in the arsenic affected blocks of Degonga and Habra(I) in North 24 Parganas district. He has presented and published valuable papers on his work in arsenic both in India and abroad. From June 2009, he has been appointed as the director of St. Xavier’s Park Street Hostel.		Student’s Memoire by Ritam Sinha A very good evening to the honorable chief guest, Mr. Debasis Moitra, the guest of honor, Mr. Shantanu Ganguly, Rev. Fr. Felix Raj, The Principal, Fr. Dominic, The Vice-Principal, Fr. Xavier, the Director of the hostel, and my dear friends. My first visit to the main hostel dates back to the day when I enrolled into the course of Physics Honors in this college. Unfortunately, owing to certain unavoidable reasons, I missed an admission here. The following one year was spent in the hustle-bustle of the city of Kolkata, where every passing moment made me realize how far away I was from home and from my loved ones. One can call it a stroke of luck and also generosity on part of our Director, Fr. Xavier, who very warm heartedly welcomed me to the hostel, in July 2009. It was then and thereafter, throughout, that I have always felt at home and amongst friends. This has been truly a home away from home. After 9 months of stay in the hostel with this family, I have grown old in sense that I have learnt a lot about the past from the senior members. In this hostel, we have together learned to grow and live and not just exist. Moreover, this unique togetherness well knits all of us into one family. What it used to be before and what it is now is a difference remarkable and evident enough. The person who has been the greatest pillar of support, both financial and supervisory, and who has made this absolute transformation possible is our own principal, very Rev. Fr. Felix Raj. The untiring efforts and initiatives taken by him and assisted by our Director, Fr. Xavier, whose role has been equally instrumental, has made this rejuvenation possible not only in terms of improving the infrastructure but also in changing the ambience of the hostel. Today, not just us, but everyone who sees us calls us a family. I feel the hostel represents a befitting example of ‘unity in diversity’. We all hail from different cultural and social backgrounds and more so, from different departments. But the one word which binds us all is ‘Hostel’. Concluding, hereby, I feel it’s an ultimate flavor and exquisite taste that I, and largely speaking, we, have developed here. This is the place where we all have been learning the art of cultivating the sense of responsibility and self-dependence and to accept challenges, come what may. And, it is this spirit of unity and brotherhood that underlies the theme of ‘COFRADIA’. And with the just aim of celebrating this theme, I should like to call up on stage my fellow hostilities for a group song-“Give me some sunshine” from the movie ‘3 Idiots’. Thank you everyone. The principal shares a carom match with the hostilities.