SXCCAA-ANZ honour distinguished alumni
By Rana Pratap Nag
St. Xavier’s College Calcutta Alumni Association (SXCCAA) – Australia & New Zealand chapter, hosted its second ‘Xaverian Fellowship Night’ of 2015 in Sydney on July 25 at Celebrations Indian Restaurant and Function Centre, Harris Park, NSW. The first event was held on July 8 at the Irish Times Pub in Melbourne. Xaverian Fellowship events are platforms for the alumni of St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, who are settled in Australia and New Zealand to reconnect with their alma mater.
SXCCAA ANZ recognised the work and achievements of their alumni in Australia for excellence in their chosen career paths and making the institution proud with two awards, the ‘Xaverian Community Leader Award’ and ‘Xaverian Young Achiever Award’. Mr Zarir Bamji, a 1964 graduate received the ‘Xaverian Community Leader Award’, “a unanimous choice by the selection committee for his outstanding service to society, both in Australia and overseas,” said Mukesh Garg, Vice President of the Australian chapter.
At the Melbourne edition of the event, Dharmesh Parmar was felicitated with the ‘Xaverian Young Achiever Award 2015’, presented by Reverend Fr. Dominic Savio, Rector of St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata. The award was presented for outstanding personal accomplishments and active participation in the growth and development of the alumni association. The nominees were Prosenjit Dutta, Corporate Banking Manager, HSBC Australia and Anubhav Ghatak, National Operations Manager, Mercedes Benz Australia & New Zealand.
“Apart from providing a platform for our alumni to connect with each other, SXCCAA also helps its graduates who arrive in Australia for higher studies, transit into their new surroundings,” said Subhro Bhattacharya, a 2005 Economics Honours graduate.
At both the fellowship events, strategies were discussed to grow the association and work towards Vision 2020, which is the college’s blueprint for development in the next six years, including building 2 new campuses in order to attain university status by 2020. St. Xavier’s College Kolkata has been accorded with ‘College of Excellence’ and ‘Heritage Institution’ statuses by the University Grants Commission of India. St. Xavier’s College has already started two new campuses this year, at Asansol in Bardhaman district, West Bengal which commenced classes from the 2015-16 academic year, and at St. Lawrence School in Kolkata.
The Australian wing of SXCCAA hosted the fifth edition of their flagship event, ‘Beyond Boundaries’ in October 2014, that was attended by a delegation of 100 Xaverians, as they proudly call themselves, from India led by Father Felix Raj, S.J., Principal of the 155 year old institution. Also present were around 100 Xaverians settled in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian chapter is one of the eight international alumni chapters of SXCCAA, one of the most influential alumni associations in the world.
