St. Xavier's College, Kolkata

St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
Latin: Collegium Sancti Xaverii
Motto Nihil Ultra (Latin)
Motto in English
 Nothing Beyond
Type Private
Established 16 January 1860 (16 January 1860)
Founder Fr. Henri Depelchin S.J.
Religious affiliation
 Jesuit (Roman Catholic) under the Archdiocese of Calcutta
Academic affiliation
 University of Calcutta
Principal Rev. (Dr.) Fr. Dominic Savio S.J.[1]
Location 30, Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
22°32′54″N 88°21′21″E / 22.54837°N 88.35596°E / 22.54837; 88.35596Coordinates: 22°32′54″N 88°21′21″E / 22.54837°N 88.35596°E / 22.54837; 88.35596
Campus Urban
Colours Blue and White          
Nickname Xaverian
Website www.sxccal.edu

St. Xavier's College is a private, co-educational college located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1860 by Fr. Henri Depelchin S.J., it is the second oldest of Jesuit Institutions in India (after St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli) and is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Navarre Jesuit of the 16th century, who ministered in India. In 2006, it became the first autonomous college in West Bengal, India,[2] and is affiliated to the University of Calcutta. Currently, the college offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, Ph.D.s, diplomas and certificates.

A sister of the college, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata has been created through the passing of the St. Xavier's University Bill on 16 December 2016, by the state Assembly of West Bengal.[3]

History

The 1905 Crest remains unchanged
The Goethals library

The college was founded in 1860 by the Jesuits, an all-male Catholic religious order formed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The college is named after Francis Xavier, the 16th century Jesuit saint from Navarre, northern Spain. The founder of the college was Fr. Henri Depelchin, who oversaw most of its development during its early years.[4]

Sans Souci Theatre

Sans Souci Theatre occupied 30 Park Street (now Mother Teresa Sarani), Kolkata-700016, until a fire in 1843 burnt it to the ground. The site was bought by seven Belgian Jesuits. It is here that the present day campus stands tall.[5]

Foundation years

The present site of the college at 30, Park Street (Mother Teresa Sarani) is an amalgamation of numbers 10 and 11 of Park Street. Number 11 was bought for Rs 45,000 by Fr. Depelchin with generous donations from the Anglo-Indians and help from the home Jesuit Province of Belgium. Park Street is a landmark street in the heart of Kolkata, a melting pot of its diverse cultural, culinary, social, and intellectual milieu.

The college opened with 30 students. Two years later, in 1862, it became affiliated to the Calcutta University. However, there was a paucity of funds for expansion work for of classrooms and for accommodation for the Jesuits fathers. So in 1864 the Rector used the newspapers to appeal to the public of Calcutta for assistance and received a magnanimous response from well-wishers in the city. Also, Jesuit Father Henri Depelchin and his assistant Bro. Koppes, the architect of the new school, went around personally collecting funds. The present, imposing, five-storied building took six years to build, 1934 to 1940, at a cost of Rs 9 lakhs, which came from donations from the people of Calcutta, assistance from Belgium, and generous rental fees from the U.S. army that occupied the building during the Second World War.[6][7] Expansion of the college has been a ceaseless effort and a campus in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, is planned.

The college hostel moved in 2014 from what is now the Central Library and the B.Ed Department to its present location on the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road (formerly Lower Circular Road). Two imposing six-storey buildings, Fr. Leeming Boys' Hostel and Mother Teresa Hostel for Girls, cater to the needs of students from distant locations. The hostels house 250 boys and 190 girls, all of whom are students of the College.

Goethals Library

The Goethals Library, situated above the College Chapel, houses some of the oldest periodicals, journals, and books. The College received these treasures in 1908 from the Archbishop of Calcutta, Paul Goethals, S.J. These well-preserved treasures have made the library a spot of historical significance.[8]

Postal stamp

A commemorative stamp was issued by the Indian Post on 12 April 1985 depicting the college campus, recognizing the college's contribution to society.[6]

Courses

The college has morning batch for boys only, that offers the Bachelor of Commerce degree. The day section of the college houses the arts and science departments which offer undergraduate (honours) degrees in various subjects including English, Bengali, political science, sociology, microbiology, computer science, animation and multimedia, mass communication and videography, mathematics, statistics, chemistry, physics, and sconomics. Masters programs in commerce (evening session), biotechnology (integrated five-year M.Sc), physics, microbiology, and education are housed in the college along with the co-educational Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Business Administration programs.

The college, in its first-ever foreign collaboration, had entered into cooperation with the University of Manitoba, Canada. The MOU was unveiled on 4 February 2008 by the principal of the college Fr. P.C. Mathews and the dean of the faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences at Manitoba University, Professor Michael Trevan.[9]

This college also offers COP and other diploma and certificate courses. The batches function in both day and evening.

Observatory is situated on the top floor of the main college building

Community and clubs

Apart from service to the community in the educational sphere, Xavier is also involved in environmental issues, youth welfare, women's welfare, and poverty alleviation. It has an elected students' council (SXCSC) which co-ordinates all the cultural activities on campus.[10] The college clubs include:

  • Leadership Training Service (LTS)
  • Fine Arts Society
  • National Cadet Corps (NCC)
  • National Service Scheme (NSS)
  • Hindi Literary Society (HLS)
  • Bengali Literary Society (BLS)
  • Xaverian Theatrical Society (XTS)
  • Xavier's Academy of Dance & Music (XADAM)
  • Xavier's Management Society (XMS)
  • Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC)
  • Xavier's Commerce Society (XCS)
  • The All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF)
  • The English Academy
  • The Debating Society (XDS)
  • The Placement Cell[11]

Sports and festivals

A 110-meter hurdle race underway on Sports Day.

The college has facilities for cricket, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, and caroom, played at the intra-college and inter-college levels. A sports day is organised every December, when students compete in track and field events before a large citywide audience.

The undergraduate level sponsors the following prominent festivals:

Xavotsav 2018
  • XAVOTSAV, a cultural festival held annually in late January.[12] Colleges of Kolkata and various other colleges from across India participate in band performance, neon dance, western dance, singing, and there are special performances by personalities such as Nuclea Reactor, PaponE Angaraag Mahanta and the East India Company, Miss Tara, DJ Harish, Euphoria, Parikrama. This festival is organized by the students' council, which raises a healthy amount through sponsorship and donates part of the surplus funds for scholarships.
  • BIZTATVA, a four-day entrepreneurial simulation program launched in 2015, is designed to take students through an entrepreneurial journey. There were a total of ten events in the four-day program which consisted of nine competitions, each testing the students on specific traits that an entrepreneur must gain in order to rise to the top. The final event consists of a speaker session in association with IIT Kharagpur & Enactus, St. Xavier's College where the speakers gave the students a walkthrough of their lives as an entrepreneur, sharing their moments of pride and mistakes.
  • INERTIA, an international marketing festival held annually in February or March.[13] The events include Ambush Marketing, Ad Spoof, Brand Manager, International Trade, and Crisis Management. Participants include undergraduates as well as post-graduates from around India and its neighbouring countries. The festival is organized by the students along with professors from the Department of Management (Commerce).
  • INSIGNIA, a management festival held annually in mid February.[14] The top ten commerce colleges of India are invited to fight it out in events like Human Resource Management (HRM), Best Manager, Business Quiz, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Development (ED), among many others. The organizers are students pursuing the Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree.
  • EXABYTE, a two-day tech-fest organized by the Department Of Computer Science. It includes inter college competitive coding and technical events such as code play,database manager etc. and also events such as tech-talk,seminars,workshops, etc.[15]
  • LITERARIA, a festival of the Department of English, which includes competitive events such as creative writing, poetry slam, literary quiz, research paper presentation, among others, as well as non-competitive events such as a department drama production.
  • SPECTRUM, a festival of the Department Of Physics. It includes debate, quiz, drama, and public lectures by renowned physicists. It generally spans two days.
  • ANALYTICA, a festival of the Department of Mathematics. Along with quiz, wiz, and exhibition, there are lectures on mathematics by famous mathematicians.
  • THE SPOTLIGHT, a culture fest held annually in September or October. Christian colleges of Kolkata participate in events like Battle of Bands, Junk Funk, Dare To Differ, and Movie Buzz. This is organised by The All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) unit of the college.

St.Xavier's is the only English medium college to have separate festivals for Hindi and Bengali.

  • VIVIDHAA, a Hindi festival with events such as drama competition, extempore, and elocution.[16] Hindi is used throughout the festival. This festival is organized by the members of the Hindi Literary Society (HLS).
  • XAVULLLASH, the Bengali festival, comprises events such as debating, extempore and elocution. The mode of communication throughout the festival is Bengali. The Bengali Literary Society (BLS) are the organizers.
  • BEYOND BARRIERS, A musical extravaganza organised by St. Xavier's Alumni Association that commenced in 1995 to raise funds and for philanthropy.[17] Celebrities are invited to perform and since the time this fest began, St Xavier's has had the honor of having the most popular celebrities on its ground. Some of them were Farhan Akhtar, Shivani Kashyap, Sunburn, Shankar Mahandevan and many more.

Publications

A spread of magazines
  • XAVERIAN: articles by students and staff members who share their experience of college.[18] It also includes interviews with famous alumni and photos of passing out batches.
  • YOUTHINK: commerce journal with articles by students and staff on current commerce-related issues.[19] Past topics include The Business of Sports, Turbulent Times, Superpowers, Change, and The Gamble.
  • ODE TO EXPRESSIONS: from the Department of English.
  • ECO ECHOES: from the Economics Department.[20]
  • X-CRYPTUS: from the Department of Computer Science.
  • HORIZONE: from the Department of Physics. It highlights technological advances from across the world.
  • PEBBLE: from St Xavier's College Science Association (SXCSA).
  • CHIASMA : from the Department of Biotechnology.
  • BEACON : from the Department of Mathematics.
  • PRAKARSHOW: from the Department of Statistics.[21]

Philanthropy and social activities

The college has adopted several villages in West Bengal. the 'Prayass' project funds the building of proper infrastructure and provides food and shelter for the needy in these villages, funded by the students and alumni. This project was started by Rev. Felix Raj, S.J., as principal of the college.[22]

College students assist at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IIIIICP) where they teach the special children of IICP every week.[23]

'Village to college camp', a social service festival, is held annually in early January. Underprivileged children are brought to the college campus from nearby villages and slums for a fun-filled day of activity and entertainment. The children provided with free meals and gifts. This festival is organized by the National Service Scheme (NSS).[24]

Alumni association (SXCAA)

Alumni Association Committee

The college has a very active alumni association.[25] The association supports the college in several projects by extending financial and managerial assistance.[26] It was the first alumni association in Kolkata to be granted 80G Certification from the Income Tax Department, acknowledging SXCAA's philanthropic activities.

SXCAA has recently been expanding its reach to ex-students by opening chapters in cities around the world, including Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, London, Dubai, New York, Dhaka, and Australia.[27]

Project 'Lakshaya' was launched by the college to solicit donations from alumni to fund a new campus.[28] The college was allotted 16 acres of land at Rajarhat (New Town) by the West Bengal government, for the new campus. The plot of land will cost a subsidized 64 crores.[29]

Ranking

College rankings
General – India
NIRF (Colleges) (2018)[30] 17

St. Xavier's College, Kolkata was ranked 17 among colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2018.[30]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Administration". St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  2. ↑ sxccal.edu Autonomous Notice Archived 13 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 4 February 2008
  3. ↑ "West Bengal Assembly passes bill to set up St Xavier's University in Kolkata". The Indian Express. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  4. ↑ Foundation of SXC Archived 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ History of the institution
  6. 1 2 indianpost.com commemorative stamp Retrieved on 4 February 2008
  7. ↑ sxccal.edu history Archived 19 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 6 February 2008
  8. ↑ "The Goethals India Library and Research Society". Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. ↑ economictimes.indiatimes.com tie-up with The University of Manitoba Retrieved on 6 February 2008
  10. ↑ "List of clubs and societies". Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  11. ↑ SXC Placement Cell Official Blog
  12. ↑ Xavotsav Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Inertia Archived 30 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ Insignia reference Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ http://exabyte.sxccal.net/
  16. ↑ Vividha Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "Farhan Akhtar to rock Beyond Barriers, with The telegraph, on Sunday". www.telegraphindia.com. January 26, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  18. ↑ Xaverian Magazine Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ↑ Youthink Journal Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ↑ Eco Echoes Journal Archived 12 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ The Rizwanur Debate on NDTV
  22. ↑ Prayas
  23. ↑ IICP association
  24. ↑ Village to College Camp
  25. ↑ SXCAA Archived 30 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  26. ↑ SXCAA Official Site
  27. ↑ SXCAA Chapters Archived 23 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ↑ Project Lakshaya Archived 4 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  29. ↑ New campus cost
  30. 1 2 "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2018 (Colleges)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Human Resource Development. 2018.
  31. ↑ "Abhishek Poddar". The Arts Trust.
  32. ↑ "Aki Narula:Biography". indobase.
  33. ↑ "A Citizen Soldier". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. 5 November 2010.
  34. ↑ Ronen Sen
  35. ↑ Tata Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  36. ↑ "Shawkat Ali passes away". The Daily Star. 1 July 2006.
  37. ↑ "CCB@IIIT-Delhi". ccb.iiitd.ac.in. 2017-12-26. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  38. ↑ Salam, Muhammad Abdus (2012). "Chowdhury, Nawab Ali". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
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