Father P. C. Mathew speaks at his farewell. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Students past and present gathered at the St Xavier’s College auditorium to bid farewell to a man dubbed by his ex-students as the “icon of the college”.

On Saturday, the St Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association (SXCCAA) organised a grand send-off for Father P.C. Mathew, the president of the association for the past 14 years.

As ex-students recounted their experiences with the Father — either as a friend, a leader or as a disciplinarian — there were tears in many eyes.

“This is not a farewell but a change of garb. You don’t bid farewell each time you change clothes,” said the rector, Father George Ponodath.

Alumni like business stalwarts Harsh Neotia and Sanjay Budhia, musician Bickram Ghosh, actor Arindam Sil, educationist Neil O’ Brien and police commissioner Goutam Mohan Chakrabarti attended the ceremony. Joining them were Left Front chairman Biman Bose, members of the St Lawrence Old Boys’ Association, and the Women’s Forum of the SXCCAA, comprising students and their spouses.

“Even before I met him, I knew Father Mathew as the man who had worked wonders in Bankura. He is always on a crusade for the expansion of education,” said Bose.

The present students of the college thanked their mentor for encouraging students’ opinion and ushering in changes as the principal.

Bickram Ghosh applauded his sense of humour. “Father Mathew can also be a difficult person. Someone who is friendly at one moment and passes orders at the next,” added the police chief.

“This has been a revelation for a person who remembers only his weaknesses, about the times when he has hurt his students, about the times he has been unkind. I have learnt more about the kind of person I am today and if I had the chance I would try and do a better job,” said Father Mathew, urging students, both past and present, to carry forward the spirit of altruism.

Chandreyee Chatterjee

Little Bhajjis on a roll

The Xavier’s team exults after taking a wicket. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

The primary section boys of the St Xavier’s Collegiate School ‘A’ team celebrated the institution’s 150 years in style, romping home to a victory over Julien Day, Ganganagar, in the finals of the Blue and White Cricket Tournament, organised by SXC on February 4.

Set a modest target of 62 in the high-voltage final, the boys from Wood Street got the required runs with five wickets and four balls to spare to win the 10th edition of the eight-overs-a-side tourney. The six other teams in the tournament included Calcutta Boys’ School, La Martiniere for Boys, Birla High School for Boys and St Thomas, Kidderpore. The teams comprised students of classes III, IV and V.

The ‘galleries’ were filled to the brim during the finals and decibel levels knew no bounds whenever the St Xavier’s boys — clad in blue — took a wicket or scored a boundary. Ganganagar made a steady start but lost their way after the fourth over as wickets fell in a heap, thanks to a flawless catching display by the Xaverians. The visitors finished with 61 for eight as Rahul Vithani of Class V went on to claim a five-wicket haul that won him the Best Bowler award.

“It was a close match, like most of the matches in the tournament this year. We did not get enough runs but were in with a chance till the last stages,” said losing captain Soham Banerjee.

The Xaverian captain, Joyjeev Nedhi of Class V, who took three catches to break the Julian Day progress, agreed. “It was a tremendous experience playing the tournament in front of the entire school. It gave us a chance to showcase our talent,” he added.

“We do not have a school fest. In its place, we have activities throughout the year for which other schools are invited, like this cricket tournament,” explained Geoffrey Menezes, the brain behind the tournament. Menezes is himself an ex-Xaverian.

Rith Basu

Star Spot

Teen scientist

Diptarka Hait

Fourteen-year-old Diptarka Hait is referred to as the “scientist” among his peers. He livedup to his nickname with a silver at the fifth International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) in Changwon, South Korea.

Among the six Indian representatives, Diptarka was the only one from the city. “I am sad that I missed the gold” he says. The selection happened through a nationwide screening, followed by a round of written tests and a camp held at IIT, Bombay.

The 10-day IJSO saw participants sitting for more than nine hours of exams and lectures on biotechnology, spectroscopy, and renewable sources of energy. But the student of Salt Lake School held his own among 247 participants from 51 countries, including Germany, Russia, Sweden, and Bulgaria. He wishes to pursue biotechnology in future.

Jhinuk Mazumdar