Author Archives: indrajit
Newsletter December 2019
Dear Fellow Xaverians,
December is well upon us and at ALSOC it means that it’s reunion time. Our reunion conveners Anand Agarwal (1993) and Amish Raja (1990) are busy at work putting together Xavulous 2019. We will have great and lively music, sumptuous food and lots of reminiscing and fellowship. The focus this year will be on “Remember those days”. We will have some classrooms open so that you can sit at the desks and chat with your friends – without fear of punishment!
On behalf of ALSOC, I heartily invite all of you to join us on Saturday, the 21st of December, 7 p.m. onward. Call the ALSOC office at +913322875735 or email us at alscocmail@gmail.com for
We have had a busy month since I last wrote to you. On Friday, the 8th of November we celebrated ALSOC Day at the school with the Societas addressing the school assembly. Dr. Biswaroop Mukherjee (1986) was the chief guest and spoke about how Fr. Bouche, the Jesuit Fathers, the teachers and the ethos of St. Xaviers have shaped his life. After the speech, ALSOC member Arpan Paul (1995) arranged for cupcakes for the school boys and ALSOC provided breakfast for the teachers. Over 70 ALSOC members attended the function. That same evening we gathered for the monthly fellowship meeting where we also had 30+ members joining together in fellowship. On the 10th, the birth anniversary of Fr. Bouche, despite the after effects of cyclone Bulbul, a group of about 15 members went to Dhyanashram to pay our respects to the Jesuit Fathers laid to rest there. Dr. Ananda Chanda (1978) and Anindya Tarafder (1980) organized the floral and musical tribute at Dhyanashram.
The next week, on November 15th ALSOC established its Singapore Chapter with a gala dinner at Pasta Fresca in Boat Quay. We had a superb turnout of over 50 people and were able to connect several Singapore-based alumni across different batches with each other. Aditya Lodha (1981) will be the chapter head and will in due course be working with the other alumni in Singapore to coordinate chapter activities and events moving forward. The next day, Rev. Fr. Thamacin, ALSOC President, and I visited the Jesuit-run Parish of St. Ignatius and were able to connect with Rev. Fr. Colins, parish head and Rev. Fr. Adrian Danker who is the principal of St. Joseph’s Institution (SJI), which is one of the oldest secondary school for boys in Singapore. Our school will be working towards establishing a student exchange program with SJI and we at ALSOC will be there to provide support whenever it’s needed.
On November 18th ALSOC addressed the outgoing Class XII batch and gave them a presentation about the societas. The members who addressed the students were Adarsh Kanoria (1983), Shankar Singhal (1991) and Utpal Singh Roy (1962). Thanks to their efforts and the tireless efforts of the ALSOC office staff and membership committee we have had a record 120+ new members from the outgoing batch and we expect to get a highest ever 75-80% of them inducted into ALSOC before the year ends.
On Sunday the 24th, a unique ALSOC Family Series event was organized with Yash Nathany (1988) as the convener. ALSOC booked a heritage tram and members along with their families enjoyed a ride in the lovely air-conditioned heritage tramcar through north Kolkata, while engaging in conversation, fun family quizzes and competitions, as well as some incredibly tasty old-world snacks. Around 90 people attended this event.
On December 4th, we had the 12th edition of the ALSOC Interactive Series where Mr. Ashok Dhar, author of a book on Kashmir – “Kashmir as I see it – From Near and Afar” spent around an hour and half in conversation with members. Mr. Dhar went into great depth on the history of Kashmir, starting from ancient times and and explained in detail the issues that have arisen in the recent past. With objective analysis, he also put forward his prescriptions on what we should do to try and bring peace to the region. We had a strong showing of 50+ members for this interaction. Adarsh Kanoria was the Programme Convener.
On Saturday 14th December, the school had its annual Sports Day function. The Principal and Vice Principal warmly invited ALSOC members to participate in this year’s event. Sharat Singh (1990) took the initiative to organize a special alumni relay race: Relay Rampage. Four teams took part and in the vigorous and fun race that followed, the Hitmen with Ratan Postwalla (1993), Denzil D’Silva (2014), Mihir Toolsidass (1987), Saurav Roy (2001) and Shatadru Dutt (2010) were victorious. About 50 ALSOC members were at the school to participate and cheer.
Photos and comments on all the above are available on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds as well as on our website – https://ALSOC.in. Please do follow us on social media – we have a Facebook Group: Alumnorum Societas; our instagram handle is alsocapp; our twitter feed is @alsoc6
You may also download the ALSOC Mobile App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store using the link http://onelink.to/alsoc.
On behalf of ALSOC I wish all of you a merry Christmas and happy New Year! I hope I get a chance to meet many of you on the reunion on the 21st.
NIHIL ULTRA
Shiv Siddhant Kaul (1994)
Honorary Secretary
An Evening with Ashok Dhar
The ALSOC Interactive Series received another boost with the session held on December 4th 2019 from 6pm at the Xavier Hall. The session was preceded by the fellowship tea in which Mr Ashok Dhar, the speaker and author, had a chance to meet some of the members present.
The programme began with the felicitation of Mr Dhar by Rev Fr Thamacin s.j., Principal of the School, handing over a bouquet. Mr Dhar responded by handing over a copy of his book Kashmir as I see it: From Within and Afar for the School Library.
It was heartening to see 50+ Alsoc members, including some spouses and Mallika Kapur, a history student and the daughter of alumnus Shiv Kapur.
Mallika Kapur offered to do a short write up on the event from her perspective. Here it is in her own words:
The interactive session on ‘Kashmir’ with Mr. Ashok Dhar at the Xavier Hall was indeed very interesting and informative providing us with a genuine and well researched insight into the history and politics of a region that has been the focus of national and international attention during the past six decades.
The most interesting part of the session with the author of the book, titled ‘Kashmir as I see it: From Within and Afar” was that it is from a person who is a retired executive from the corporate world. Being a student of History and passionate about the subject, what I found most appealing about this session was the unbiased nature of Mr. Dhar’s account. He is neither a politician, historian nor a regular book writer and his opinion does not rely on biased media reports. It’s a true account of a passionate Kashmiri Pandit who has a genuine love and concern for his homeland. It’s further heartening to know that the prospective proceeds of the royalty from the sales of his book have already been contributed by him for the welfare of Kashmiris.
The session was eye-opening as it made one view Kashmir as more than a territorial dispute but also in the light of its rich history, leadership and morality. Mr. Dhar presented different models of resolving this age old conflict and made it very clear that the first step to restoring peace in this region is by understanding the true meaning of ‘Kashmiryat.’
Thanks to all who attended and to Adarsh Kanoria and his team for another excellent programme.
ALSOC Day Celebrations 2019
As we approach November, we come closer to 10th of November, one of the most special days in the ALSOC annual calendar – ALSOC DAY.
As we have in the past few years, this year we will be marking the occasion in two ways:
1. On 8th of November, ALSOC will address a special assembly of the SXCS students. We will speak about the uniqueness of the Xaverian culture and ethos and how it has impacted us throughout our life.
The assembly will start at 8 am sharp and will be followed by breakfast.
2. On the 10th of November, there will be the traditional ALSOC delegation to Dhyan Ashram.
All ALSOC members are requested to join us at both the occasions.
Here are the messages from our event co-convenors Mr. Siddhartha Parasampuria and Mr. Anindya Tarafder
ALSOC DAY Assembly with School Students on 8th November 2019
ALSOC DAY is celebrated every year to pay homage to Rev. Fr. Camille Bouche and other Rev Fathers. Old Boys observe his birth anniversary on the 10th of November every year as ALSOC DAY.
Rev. Fr. Camille Bouche landed at St. Xavier’s in 1948. He became a Jesuit Priest in 1955 and has since been teaching at the School. Rev. Fr. Bouche had been Father Prefect at the School from 1960 to 1986 before becoming the Headmaster of the School for 5 years. He loved his students and his students loved him. Countless Xaverians fondly remember his as a guiding force during their formative years. He was known as “an institution within an institution.”
Under the guidance and with the support of our Rev. Fathers, ALSOC Day will be celebrated this year on the 8th of November with the Senior School Assembly including all Teachers, Students, Rev. Fathers and ALSOC members.
7.45 am – Students gather on the School Grounds
8.00 am – Special School Assembly for ALSOC Day.
8.20am – Fellowship Breakfast
Dhyan Ashram Visit on ALSOC DAY 10th November 2019
Dhyanashram – the Jesuit retreat situated at Poilan near Joka on Diamond Harbour Road about 20 kms from SXCS in South 24 Parganas is an oasis of peace and tranquillity – a Jesuit centre for spiritual learning and meditation. It houses the residence of the Jesuits Novitiate & Juniorate and also the resting place of the Jesuit Fathers who have left for their heavenly abode.
St Xavier’s has a glorious past and tradition which challenges the present to deliver world class leaders and personalities; to stand out and bring about change within & to the outside world. As part of this tradition, our nurturing years are carved out by the selfless contribution of the Jesuit Fathers who are the back bone on which our institution rests. ALSOC exists to fulfil this commitment to serve without counting the costs and to be a support group for the fraternity.
Alsoc Day was conceived on a visit on 5th March 2002 – the day Fr Bouche’ passed away – to the hallowed grounds of Dhyanashram to ensure a link and an understanding of the values and ethos of the Jesuit monastic life. The sacred ground is worshipped by Xaverians across the globe for the dear Fathers who dedicated the lives for generations of Xaverians, lie in peace at Dhyanashram.
Since 2007, on 10th November ( birth day of Fr Camille Bouche’, one of the most venerated and loved Jesuit priest who served St Xavier’s for over 30 years ) every year Alsoc members visit Dhyanashram in the early morning hours to pay their homage and respect to the many Jesuit priests who lie in eternal peace at Dhyanashram by lighting candles, offering flowers and garlands, singing & reciting prayers and songs of illustrious poet alumnus Rabindranath Tagore!
This year’s programme is as follows:
Assembly at 30 Park Street Gate – 7.30 am
Departure by cars (pooled within our resources and contacts) 8.00 am
Homage to the Fathers at Dhyanashram – 9.30 am- 10.30 am
Tea & snacks at the Canteen at Dhyanashram with the resident Fathers.
11 am – we leave Dhyanashram for the city .
Address : Dhyanashram, Diamond Harbour Road, Konchowki , Bishnupur , South 24 Parganas Pin code: 743503
38th Alsoc Reunion
ALSOC Day on the 6th of November 2015
Dear Members
We are delighted to inform you that under the guidance and with the support of our Rev Fathers, Alsoc Day will be celebrated with the Assembly of the entire Senior School including all teachers and students. The program envisages paying homage to Rev Fr Camille Bouche and celebrating ALSOC Day on the 6th of November 2015 at St. Xavier’s School grounds at 8.00 am. Rev. Fr. Bouche was and remains a legendary guiding light and moving spirit of the School. He shaped and touched the lives of all those he came in touch with and what better way to celebrate his Birthday than with the School Boys who were so dear him. Please note the change of date this year given the school holiday on 10 November 2015 on account of the festive season.
We are also very pleased that this year eminent Industrialist and Alsoc Governing Body member, Mr. Sanjiv Goenka, has very kindly consented to address the Assembly on behalf of Alsoc.
A Free Health Check Up Camp after the School hours for interested members, teachers and the staff of our school apart from other deserving and challenged sections of Society has also been arranged.
Program details are as below :
8.00 am – celebrate Alsoc Day including paying homage to Fr Bouche –
Rev Fathers, Alsoc members, Teachers and Students at School field.
8.30 am – Breakfast for the Rev Fathers and Alsoc members at the Main Parlour.
2.30 pm – 5.00 pm Free Health Check Up Camp at the Gymnasium
We look forward to seeing you on the 6th morning
Warm Regards
Aditya Lodha
Hon. Secretary
7th All India Alsoc Inter- Alumni Quiz
