St. Xavier’s College observes International Mother Language Day

St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, paid tribute to language martyrs and honoured eminent Bengalis on International Mother Language Day, February 21.

Jesuit Fathers, professors and alumni members paid tribute at the Bhasha Bedi in the college quadrangle on the Park Street campus.

Toufique Hasan, deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh, Kolkata; Father Dominic Savio, principal of St. Xavier’s College; Father Jeyaraj Veluswamy, rector of St. Xavier’s College; were present on the occasion

“St. Xavier’s College has always stood for the highest form of education under the aegis of the Jesuit priests and with stakeholders from every religion, caste and strata of society. The institution represents the true spirit of India. It has been a tradition for the past few years to pay tribute to Bhasha Dibash and celebrate International Mother Language Day on the campus. The evening is starlit with eminent personalities being felicitated at Dashabhuja Bangali by Father Dominic Savio, who is also the president of St. Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association (SXCCAA),” said Firdausul Hasan, the secretary of SXCCAA.

Actors Anirban Bhattacharya, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, and Koel Mallick; writer Procheta Gupta; Supriya Roy of Sugarr and Spice; Samrat Ghosh, cluster-head of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (East); magician P.C. Sorcar Junior; music composer Shantanu Moitra, and gastroenterologist Abhijit Chowdhury were the recipients of this year’s Dashabhuja awards.

Major (retired) Shamsul Arefin, who was a part of the Bangladesh Liberation Army, was felicitated for his lifelong contribution. Actor Dhritiman Chatterjee received the lifetime achievement Dashabhuja Samman.

“Dashabhuja Bangali does not only honour eminent personalities from Bengal but also upholds the rich Bengali culture. It is the cumulation of two months of hard work. The pandemic made this year’s event all the more challenging,” said Dipan Das, member of the organising committee and governing council member of SXCCAA.