Faculty of Science hosts workshop on cyber security

Faculty of Science, St. Xavier’s University Kolkata (SXUK) in association with St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organises a two-day workshop on Cyber Security on March 22 and 23, 2024 in the university campus.

The theme of the workshop was to enrich students' understanding of contemporary topics in cyber security like overview of Cyber Security, types of Cyber Attack and Attacker, Ethical Hacking, Cyber Security Mechanism, Cryptography, ISO Standardization for Informative Study Management System and case studies on cyber-attacks.

While delivering the welcome note, Fr. Dr. A. Arockiasamy, S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science highlighted the significance of cyber security in current scenario.

The resource persons were Sambiti Chakraborty, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate; Monotosh Raj, Sub-Inspector of Police (CID), West Bengal, Sk Tajuddin, Sub-Inspector of West Bengal Police and Shri. Ajoy Ganguly, Cyber Security Expert, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Cyber Crime Police Station.

Sambiti Chakraborty emphasized that fear and allurement are the main causes of cybercrime. Monotosh Raj delivered an insightful lecture on different causes of cyber crime. Sk Tajuddin and Ajoy Ganguly presented a few case studies covering different aspects of cyber-crime techniques.

The second session was on ‘Overview of Cryptography’ by Dr. Mrinmoyee Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science. Mr. Malay Mitra, IT Coordinator of SXUK showed different case studies on database server, Linux server, proxy server and uncomplicated firewall.

Mr. Anand Raje, Co-founder and Director, BASIS Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Co-founder, CTO India Internet Foundation delivered a lecture on ‘The Evolving Realm of Cyber Security’. A session on cyber-attack was conducted by Dr. Sayan Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science.

Mr. Avishek Raychoudhury, Scientific Officer at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), GoI highlighted the understanding of vulnerability, cyberspace and its importance, recent cyber-attacks and live threat map, CIA Triad, etc.

Students found the workshop highly enriching. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Head, Department of Computer Science.

Dr. Sayan Das

Click on the following link to read the news published in the Edugraph on March 28, 2024

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MoU Signed between SXUK and Alliance Française du Bengale

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata and Alliance Française du Bengale on March 18th 2024 in the University campus. The MoU was signed by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor, and by Mr. Nicolas Facino, Director, Alliance Française du Bengale.

The MoU opens up scope for foreign language education in the university campus as well as a number of other academic, cultural and research collaborations between the two institutes.

Manali Bhattacharya

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SXUK celebrates International Women’s Day

In an effort to commemorate women’s struggles, encourage gender equity and awareness of women’s rights in the workplace, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the International Women’s Day, 2024 at the university campus on March 9, 2024.

Prof Swati Ghosh, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) was the Chief Guest in this programme. V Solomon Nesakumar, Additional Commissioner, Kolkata Police and Dr. Payel Rai Chowdhury Dutt, Department of Human Rights, RBU were the Guests of Honour.

Prof Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK delivered the welcome address emphasizing the importance of gender equity in workplace.

While delivering the lecture entitled ‘Corporeality in/as work’, Prof. Ghosh shed light on the complex relationship between gender, body, and labour.

Mr. Nesakumar delivered an insightful speech on the importance of self- defence for girls and highlighted the need for women to be empowered to protect themselves and stand up against violence and discrimination. He also distributed the certificates to a few female students of SXUK on the successful completion of their Unarmed Defence Training Course conducted by Kolkata Police in the university campus earlier. He Dr. Rai Chowdhury Dutt said that women’s rights encompass the rights of one half of humanity. She deliberated on understanding gender issues in the workplace.

Dr. Antara Ghatak

Dept of Mass Communication hosts fact-checking workshop

Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a fact-checking workshop for its students on March 7, 2024 in the university campus.

The resource person was Mr. Joydeep Das Gupta, a trainer with the Google News Initiative India Training Network and the BBC Young Reporter India Programme.

Mr. Das Gupta, an expert in combating misinformation and disinformation, shared his insights and enlightened the students in the two-hour-long session. He discussed differences between misinformation and disinformation like hoax, satire, parody, imposters, etc.; its perils, and ways to combat the looming threat.

He emphasised the term 'infodemic,' coined in 2003 by David Rothkopf. The term rose to prominence in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after being used by the World Health Organization (WHO). It refers to the abundance of information, including false or misleading information, in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak, as seen during the global pandemic.

He also discussed uses of efficient tools like Google Lens, Fireshot, Invid and Yandex for verifying content online. Students learned about fake memes, misquoted news headlines of opinion leaders, viral videos, fact-checking of live political speeches, etc. An interactive session took place at the end. Students found the workshop highly enriching.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar

Dept of Economics hosts second Economics Conference

Department of Economics, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with the Jesuit Economics Association of India organised a two-day Annual Economics Conference on February 29 and March 1, 2024 at the University campus. The theme was ‘Contemporary Issues in Economic Theory and Policy.’

In his inaugural speech, Rev. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata, highlighted India's current economic challenge, stressing the importance of effective policy-making to address it and promote collective efforts for economic and societal advancement. He said, “I am happy to see that the department is organising a conference on this pertinent topic. I hope that the conference will facilitate meaningful discussions and collective efforts toward the advancement of both the economy and society.”

80 research papers were presented in 10 different technical sessions in the conference. Research scholars and academicians from Jesuit institutions and other nationally reputed colleges and universities participated in this conference.

The keynote addresses in the conference were delivered by Prof. Anjan Mukherji, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Prof. Erol D’Souza, Ex-Director and Professor of Economics at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Prof. Anjan Mukherji delivered his speech on ‘Markets, Governments, and Governance’ highlighting the government's crucial role in addressing market failures and maintaining economic prosperity. He emphasised Milton Friedman's view on government duties, focusing on security and law and order. He also said, “Countries with better law and order and rule of law are more prosperous. It is important for the government to frame a set of laws and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”

Prof. Erol D’Souza discussed role of public sector banks in India including nationalization of the banks and highlighted key problems pertaining to the public sector banks in India. He also shared his views on non-performing assets. He argued that there is a need to restructure the public sector banks.

Prof. Mausumi Das, Professor, Delhi School of Economics; Prof. Anup Mitra, Professor, South Asia University; Prof. Amit Basole, Professor, Azim Premji University; Prof. Udhay Bhanu Sinha, Professor, Delhi School of Economics and Prof. Saibal Kar, RBI Chair Professor of Economics, CSSSC were the other eminent speakers in this conference.

Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury

Department of Economics conducts fourth Economics Summit

Department of Economics of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) in association with Xavier’s University Economics Society (XAVECOS) organised the fourth Annual Economics Summit on February 28, 2024 in the university campus. The theme was ‘Contemporary Issues in Economic Theory and Policy.’

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK stressed the importance of shaping India's future through the exchange of ideas called for sustainable economic growth and highlighted India's role in global value chains. He further congratulated the students from different parts of the country for participating and presenting their research works at this summit.

Prof. C. Veeramani, Director of the Centre for Development Studies was one of the eminent speakers at this summit. He discussed India's potentialities, challenges, and opportunities in the global economic landscape. He highlighted the impact of globalization on employment dynamics, particularly female labour force participation, and the need for job creation. He mentioned that India can gain significantly by concentrating on the backward linkage in the Global Value Chain.

A panel discussion took place on ‘Sustainable Development in an Uncertain World’ where Dr. Kausik Gupta, Professor of Economics, University of Calcutta; Dr. Swati Bhattacharjee, Senior Journalist at Ananda Bazar Patrika and Dr. Achiransu Acharyya, Assistant Professor of Economics at Visva-Bharati participated.

The summit witnessed more than 88 research scholars and students across the country participating and presenting their research works on sustainable development goals, social sector, trade and development, banking and finance, etc.

Oishidatta Mukherjee of SXUK and Shreemanti Datta and Oitijhya Dutta from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata jointly won the best paper award in the postgraduate students’ category. Their research included factors influencing female participation in unpaid household activities and MSME, a friend or foe to growth and development respectively. Amit Mitra and Rahul Sinha from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata, and Sayantan Basu of Amity University, Kolkata bagged second and third prizes respectively.

In the undergraduate section, Srinjoy Majumdar and Spriha Mondal of Jadavpur University won the first prize. While the second prize was bagged by Souptik Dasgupta, Ranjani Roy, and Adishree Acharyya of Jadavpur University, the third prize went to Bhoshanaa N and Madhusree N K from Madras School of Economics, Chennai.

Prof. Soumyen Sikdar, Professor of Economics, formerly associated with the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, delivered the valedictory address, where he explained the evolution of the theory of economic growth over the last many decades.

Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury

Xinephile celebrates 100th year of Mrinal Sen

Xinephile, the film society of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the centenary year of Shri Mrinal Sen, the legendary Indian filmmaker on February 27, 2024 in the university campus.

The society conducted the screening of one of Sen’s famous films, ‘Bhuvan Shome’ at the Father Albert Huart Hall amid the presence of faculty members and students of the university.

Shekhar Das, a National award winning filmmaker was the Guest of Honour in this programme.

The event was inaugurated by Dr. Achyut Chetan, Dean, Faculty of Arts & Social Studies, SXUK, followed by felicitation of Mr. Das by Dr. Reshmi Naskar, Professor-in-Charge, Xinephile.

Mr. Das delivered an insightful lecture on the contribution of Mrinal Sen to Indian Cinema. A montage of the films made and directed by Mrinal Sen was screened before ‘Bhuvan Some’ was played. The event witnessed the spontaneous participation of around 350 students and faculty members of SXUK.

The film captivated the audience with its storytelling prowess and visual brilliance. A post-screening discussion was held where Mr. Das shared his valuable input, listened to the queries of audience and responded. The entire event was coordinated by Dr. Reshmi Naskar and her team members.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar

LCERI organises FDP

Father Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI) of St, Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a two-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on February 23-24, 2024 in the university campus.

The topic of the FDP was ‘Advanced Trends in Research Techniques: Series-II on Structured Equation Modelling- Mediation and Moderation’. The FDP was open to faculty members and Ph.D. scholars of SXUK.

The resource persons for the workshop were Dr. Soma Sur, Professor, Xavier Business School, SXUK, Dr. Asim Mitra, Assistant Professor, North Bengal St. Xavier’s College and Dr. Banhi Guha, Assistant Professor, Xavier Business School, SXUK.

The FDP was conducted to deliver conceptual knowledge and hands on experience of the advanced software used for SEM analysis. Participants also learned about Structural Equation Modelling, which is a multivariate statistical technique, used to analyse structural relationships. Participants found the FDP highly enriching.

Dr. Soma Sur

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XSLAJ conducts XMC 2024

Xavier Society of Law and Justice (XSLAJ) of Xavier Law School (XLS) organized the second edition of ‘Xavier Mediation Competition (XMC) 2024 – Intra Edition’ on February 23-24, 2024 at the university campus.

The two-day event marked a significant chapter in the pursuit of legal excellence. The event attracted commendable participation of more than 180 students from various semesters and courses, reflecting the enthusiasm and commitment of the legal fraternity at XLS.

The first day of XMC’24 was dedicated to the preliminary rounds. These rounds were organised into four slots. The rounds were adjudicated by esteemed judges (external) and faculty members of XLS, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the competition.

A total of 24 participants, 8 from each category, i.e. Mediator, Attorney, and Client earned their spot in the qualifier round. The qualifier round took place in the next day with esteemed judges presiding over the proceedings.

Radhika Basu, a student of Semester VI, XLS bagged the title of ‘Best Mediator’ for her exceptional skills in communication and problem-solving, while Nabendu Krishna Ghosh of Semester VIII, XLS earned the accolade of ‘Best Attorney’ for his remarkable legal acumen and advocacy prowess.

Agnik Chowdhury of Semester VI, XLS won the title of ‘Best Client’ for his authentic representation and cooperation throughout the mediation process.

All of them were awarded medals and certificates. The winners will proudly represent XLS at the upcoming national edition of the Xavier Mediation Competition 2024, embodying excellence and dedication in alternative dispute resolution in the form of mediation. Dr. Animesh Das, a faculty member of XLS was the convener of the event.

Dr. Animesh Das

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SXUK Support Staff team defeats Teaching Staff in friendly cricket match; Sudipto makes stormy century

A pleasant day with a lovely cricket match! The spring breeze was enjoyed by the audience at its fullest as the Xavier’s University Sports Society (XUSS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a friendly cricket match between its Teaching Staff and Support Staff on February 23, 2024 at the university playground.

The cricket match was held in the fond memories of Fr. P C Matthew, S.J., former Principal of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

The opening ceremony took place at 2:00 pm with a prayer in the presence of Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK; Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J., Hostel Director; Fr. Alphonse, S.J, Campus Minister; Fr. Jospeh Raj, S.J. Finance Officer, Dr. I K Moitra, Controller of Examinations, all players and the audience.

The team of Teaching Staff (ST) won the toss and decided to bat first. They scored 167 runs in 15 overs with a loss of 8 wickets. It was indeed a good score. The team of Support Staff (SS) chased the runs, scored 168 runs in 13.2 overs and bagged the victory. They made it in 6 wickets only.

Mr. Sudipto Ghosh of the Support Staff team emerged as the Man of the Match. His outstanding century in 39 balls left the audience mesmerised. He marked a record of hitting 14 over boundaries and 2 boundaries. Scoring the century, he declared to leave the ground remaining as a not-out wicket. All efforts of the pacers and spinners of the Teaching Staff team to stop Sudipto’s blustery batting went in vain.

On behalf of the team of Teaching Staff members, Mr. Sandeep Mundra scored 62 runs in 25 balls. He made four boundaries and one over-boundary. The next highest score was made by Prof. Tutun Mukherjee. His 23 runs in 17 balls including two boundaries and one over boundary were significant.

Each player of both teams was awarded a medal and the victory trophy was handed over to Mr. Sudipto Ghosh, the captain of the winners by Dr. I K Maitra. Dr. Anupam Mitra was the captain of the Teaching Staff team. Mr. Sandeep Mundra, the Sports Officer of XUSS organized the entire event.

Somak Sen

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Association of Jesuit Collaborators hosts first workshop

The Association of Jesuit Collaborators (AJC) of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the first workshop on February 24 and 25, 2024 at Parasmani, Santiniketan, the research outfit of SXUK.

The theme of the 2-day workshop was ‘Jesuit Philosophy and Principles.’ While delivering the inaugural speech, Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble President of AJC and also the Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to see that our faculty members and officers have willingly joined the association to carry forward the Jesuit philosophy and principles in their life and work. This workshop aimed to imbibe the culture of Jesuit life, ethics and principles among the participants.”

The welcome address was delivered by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK, who is also a member of the association. Fr. Dr. Julian Sahaya Das, S.J. was the resource person in this workshop.

The theme of the first day of the workshop was ‘Revisiting Ignatian charism and its roots in the context of higher education.’ It had four sessions starting with the session of Fr. Dr. Julian Sahaya Das, S.J. who narrated the life history of St. Ignatius of Loyola with a detailed outlook of how the ‘Cannonball moment’ transformed his life from a soldier to a priest.

The second session was also conducted by Fr. Julian on ‘Jesuit Life and Mission.’ Here he narrated how a person after sacrificing various material comforts of the world becomes a Jesuit and serves for the sake of humanity.

The third session was taken by Fr. Dr. A Arockiasamy, S.J. on ‘Jesuit Education and Worldview’. He narrated five enduring values of Ignatian Mission and Jesuit Education – Cura Personalis (Care for the individual person), Men and Women for and with others, Unity of heart and mind, Magis (more), and Contemplatives in Action. The last one is related to finding God in all things amidst the ups and downs of one’s daily experiences.

In the same session, Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. delivered a delightful lecture on ‘Personal reading and reflection’, thus, enabling the participants to realise the key concepts and philosophies of the Jesuit life and mission.

The fourth session was group discussion and presentation of day-long learning by the participants. All the participants were divided into two groups, led by two secretaries Dr. Sitangshu Khatua and Dr. Jacob Islary respectively. Each group discussed among themselves and then the secretaries respectively presented the views of their teams. The general session was moderated by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri.

The first day ended with the reviewing of the entire learnings of the day by Fr. Julian. The theme of the second day of the workshop was ‘Engaging association of Jesuit collaborators for apostolic effectiveness.’ The day started with meditation in the prayer hall, located in the premises of Parasmani. All participants joined the meditation guided by Fr. Dr. Julian Das, S.J.

The fifth session started with a recap of previous day’s activities by Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri. It was followed by a speech by Fr. Dr. Felix Raj, S.J. who deliberated on the relevance of Association of Jesuit Collaborators. He said, “The Jesuit Collaborators, if guided and trained, may fulfill the mission of the Society of Jesus.”

Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK said that his association with a Jesuit institution for more than three decades enabled him to realise the principles of Jesuit life and mission. He also said, “My further inclusion in the society will definitely help me to move forward to accomplish my goals.”

The fifth session concluded with a group discussion, moderated by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri. The group reporting was moderated by Fr. Dr. Julian Das.

The sixth and concluding session was conducted by Dr. Jacob Islary and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri where the participants discussed the future action plan of the association. Everyone shared their views and the review was done by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Somak Sen. Participants found the workshop highly enriching and informative.

Dr. Somak Sen

Dept of Mass Communication visits Red FM

In an effort to offer practical exposure to the intricacies of radio broadcasting, Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised an industrial visit for its postgraduate students to the Red FM office on February 23-24, 2024.

The aim of the visit was to acknowledge the students about the organisational set-up of FM office and its ways of functioning. The visit took place under the guidance of Dr. Manali Bhattacharya, a senior faculty member and the Coordinator of PG programme

During the visit, the students were immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of the Red FM office, where they were given a guided tour of the internal operation of the radio station. They also interacted with various departmental heads, gained insights into the multifaceted operations of a radio station, including programming, production, marketing strategies, etc.

Highlighting the interactive nature of the visit, renowned Radio Jockeys Neil, Abhishek, and others engaged with the students, addressed their queries and shared industry insights. Maitree, an employee of Red FM and an alumnus of SXUK facilitated students in the entire event.

The visit also helped students understand the process of launching campaigns, creating advertisements, adding voice-overs, and composing music within a radio environment. It also enhanced their understanding of the pivotal role played by radio in communication and entertainment.

Reflecting on the experience, a student said, "It was truly enlightening to witness the behind-the-scenes operations of a renowned radio station like Red FM. The visit has broadened our perspective on the significance of radio broadcasting in today's media landscape."

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

Faculty of Science organises special lecture

Faculty of Science of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a special lecture on February 24, 2024 aiming to enrich students' understanding of contemporary topics in data science and statistical modeling.

While delivering the welcome note, Dr. Manisha Pal, Head of the Department of Statistics highlighted the significance of such academic endeavors in fostering intellectual growth and exchange within the academic community.

The first session delved into the captivating narrative of the ‘Evolution of Data Science - A Short Story’ presented by Dr. Ashis Kumar Chakraborty, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. His expertise and insights illuminated the participants on the progression of data science, and a comprehensive overview of its journey and significance in contemporary society.

The second session was on ‘Multivariate Statistical Model’ by Dr. Partha Sarathi Paul, Associate Professor at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. He delivered an insightful lecture on multivariate statistical modeling, its applications, and implications in various domains. Participants found the sessions highly enriching.

Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul

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Xposure organises Xenith'24

Xposure, the photography society of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with the St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organised ‘Xenith'24 - A Symphony of Frames’, an inter-college photography exhibition on February 22-23, 2024 in the university campus.

The two-day event was sponsored by the WRS Graphics and powered by Reach. Xenith'24 aimed to provide a platform for photography enthusiasts from SXUK and different colleges and universities across the state to showcase their talent and creativity under the theme ‘Contrast, Minimalism, and Connection’.

The first day commenced with an inaugural ceremony presided over by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK. The creative works of the students were viewed by faculty members of SXUK and they shared their valuable suggestions. The second day of the event witnessed participation of students from various colleges and universities in the exhibition.

Photos and artworks by students were judged by Mr. Arup Roy, Lumix Mentor and Wildlife Photographer; Mr. Somnath Roy, Nikon Creator and Fashion Photographer; Mr. Satyaki Ghosh, Fashion & People Photographer and Prof. Asok Dasgupta, a faculty member of SXUK. An interactive session took place between the judges and participants at the end. The winners were awarded with certificates and prizes.

Dr. Nitesh Tripathi

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XBS organises Convergence 24

Xavier Business School (XBS) of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with HR Learning Network (IIDR), hosted Convergence 2024, a dynamic HR Conclave on February 18, 2024 in the university campus. The event witnessed an impressive turnout of over 100 HR professionals hailing from reputed industries.

The conclave was designed to provide a platform for HR professionals to engage in enriching discussions, network with peers, and participate in fun-oriented activities. Throughout the day, attendees participated in panel discussions, shared their insights and best practices from their respective fields. These discussions delved into emerging trends, challenges, and innovations in the realm of human resources.

In addition to the insightful discussions, the event featured dedicated networking sessions aimed at fostering connections and collaborations among attendees. These interactions facilitated the exchange of ideas and experiences, enriching the collective knowledge of all participants.

Moreover, Convergence 2024 provided a valuable learning experience for MBA students from Xavier Business School. They had the privilege to engage with seasoned professionals, gaining firsthand insights into the intricacies of the HR domain. The event served as a bridge between academia and industry, offering students a glimpse into real-world HR practices and challenges.

Overall, Convergence 2024 was a resounding success, leaving participants inspired and empowered to drive positive change in their respective organizations. The event exemplified the spirit of collaboration and learning, underscoring the importance of continuous development in the field of human resources.

Dr. Sitangshu Khatua

XBS organises MDP

Xavier Business School (XBS) conducted a Management Development Program (MDP) on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Risk Management on February 17, 2024.

Students of XBS, industry professionals, finance enthusiasts and other participants attended the MDP.

Dr. M.V. Rao (IAS), Chairperson of WBERC was the Chief Guest. While delivering the inaugural address, he deliberated on the significance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk management.

The MDP had four technical sessions. Dr. Binoy Bhushan Chakraborty, former Professor of Finance, IIM Calcutta emphasized the integral relationship between sustainability and profitability in corporate decision-making, highlighting the necessity of balancing ethical practices and business imperatives.

Kaushik Mukherjee, CS and Executive Director of PCBL Ltd. explored areas like challenges during COVID-19 pandemic, investment losses, corporate social responsibility, and integrating ESG norms with business.

Dr. Santanu Ganguly, Professor of Finance at Jaipuria Institute of Management, New Delhi and and Dr. Sitangshu Khatua, Dean, XBS addressed stakeholder theory, corporate governance, and ESG factors in decision-making.

Mr. Sayak Kumar Ghosh, a Facultative Underwriter-Property for Indian subcontinent at Munich discussed importance of ESG factors in investment decisions, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices in business to uphold reputation and long-term value creation.

Participants found the MDP highly enriching.

Dr. Sitangshu Khatua

Dept of Mass Communication conducts studio visit

In an effort to keep its students aware of practical works in television industry, the Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a television studio visit for its undergraduate and postgraduate final semester students on February 12 and 15, 2024.

The aim was to bridge the gap between classroom theories and the practical intricacies of audio-visual production.

Students visited the New Theatres Film Studio (NT-1) along with Dr. Sithara Puli Venkatesh and Prof. Debasish Sen, faculty members of the department.

Students learned how in a tightly packed schedule, shooting was carried out for the daily soaps that are currently running on prominent Bengali television channels.

They also met the cast and crew of different Bengali television productions and had conversations with directors, assistant directors, art directors, camera men and sound recordists.

Students also realised the practical outcomes of pre-production, production and post-production stages involved in television programming. They also gained first-hand experience in acting, direction, celebrity management, time management, creativity and other nuances of script to screen journey in the television industry.

Dr. Sithara Puli Venkatesh

SXUKAA hosts XAVMILAN 2024

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organized the XAVMILAN 2024, the second annual reunion, followed by a fellowship dinner of the alumni association at the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) campus on February 11, 2024. The event brought together a tapestry of memories, laughter, and shared experiences.

The event was inaugurated by Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK and President, SXUKAA. He extended a heartfelt welcome to the alumni and alumnae, setting the tone for an evening filled with camaraderie. Father Raj was felicitated by Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, Hony. Secretary, SXUKAA on behalf of the alumni/ae.

The gathering was graced by the distinguished presence of Dr. S. Ignacimuthu, S.J., a renowned Bio-scientist and the recipient of D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) at the fifth Convocation Ceremony of SXUK. Adding to the intellectual fervor of the occasion were Dr. Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi, an eminent economist and Dr. Prabhakaran Ramachandran, a renowned lawyer.

The highlight of the evening, however, was not just the esteemed guests but also the cultural extravaganza that unfolded. Adhiraj Bajaj, a popular singer, set the musical stage ablaze with a captivating performance. The beats continued with DJ Azfar Aziz taking over for a lively DJ Night, ensuring that the celebration resonated through the campus. The event was also covered by 91.9 Friends FM.

The reunion, more than just an event, served as a poignant reminder of the cherished days spent by the alumni/ae within the hallowed halls of the university. As laughter echoed and memories were revisited, XAVMILAN 2024 became a testament to the enduring bonds forged during the formative years at the university.

Mr. Vatsal Chirimar

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SXUK’s Global Ambassador of Peace

With the consent of Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for 'Sustainable Energy for All', Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK), announced on February 10, 2024, at the University's fifth Convocation that Dr. Yumkella would be SXUK’s Global Ambassador of Peace.

Fifth Convocation Ceremony at St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the fifth Convocation ceremony on February 10, 2024 at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town. The ceremony was presided over by Hon’ble Chancellor Rev. Dr. James Arjen Tete, S.J.

While presenting the annual report of the university, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “We are proud to celebrate the fifth Convocation ceremony of SXUK. I congratulate all rank holders and qualifying students and wish them a bright future ahead.”

Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ was the Chief Guest and he delivered the Convocation address. He congratulated the university for providing quality education and its various efforts to develop society.

Father Raj also announced that Dr. Kandeh would be the global ambassador of SXUK for peace.

In this convocation, SXUK conferred the Doctor of Science (D.Sc, Honoris Causa) on Rev. Dr. S. Ignacimuthu, S.J., a noted Bio-scientist and the Doctor of Law (LL.D, Honoris Causa) on Mr. R N Jhunjhunwala, a renowned Attorney-at-Law respectively.

A total of 889 Ph.D., postgraduate and undergraduate students were awarded their degree completion certificates in this ceremony. There were 124 rank holders who secured first, second and third positions respectively in different programmes.

Ms Priyadarshini Laishram, a research scholar was awarded the Ph.D degree in Commerce. She is also the first Ph.D recipient from SXUK.

There were 37 medal recipients who were awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. Nilanjan Ghosh, a faculty member of the Department of Mass Communication was felicitated for completion of his Ph.D. programme during his service.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar. All faculty members and non-teaching staff members attended the Convocation ceremony. Father Vice-Chancellor thanked all stakeholders particularly the organising team and the alumni members for their efforts and contributions to make the programme a grand success.

Dr. Somak Sen

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SXUK Journal 2024

St Xaviers University Kolkata Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (SXUKJIR) [ISSN: 2584-055X (Print)] is a peer-reviewed academic journal published annually by St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata. Committed to the highest standard of excellence in interdisciplinary research, it is inspired by the values of the University. On February 10, 2024, at the 5th Convocation Ceremony, the second volume of SXUKJIR was launched, and the first volume was re-issued with the inclusion of our newly acquired ISSN number. The launch was blessed by the presence of the Chief Guest, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General. SXUKJIR will enter its third year in 2024. Submission guidelines for authors can be found at: https://sxuk.edu.in/nihil_ultra_journal

Dr. Prayag Ray

Celebration of 8th Foundation Day of the University

The 8th Foundation Day of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, was celebrated on February 8, 2024, at the Albert Huart Hall. The programme started at 4 p.m. with the opening song.

In the welcome address, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., upheld the memories of the inception time and the values of Jesuit education. The Chief Guest, Hon’ble Justice Sanjib Banerjee (former Chief Justice of Madras High Court), was felicitated by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj.

The Foundation Day lecture titled "Legal Reforms in the Age of Globalisation and Its Effect on the Society" by the Chief Guest was focused on the interface between society and legal reforms. The book titled "A Brief on Fixed Point Theorems with an Invitation to Some Fixed-Point Theorems for Ray-Oriented Maps," authored by Rev. Dr. Anthony Arockiasamy, was released by the Hon’ble Justice in the presence of the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and the Registrar of the University, and the first copy was presented to Rev. Dr. Ignacimuthu, the former Vice Chancellor of Madras University.

The members of the University gathered for the cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the event. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Somnath Banerjee, marking the end of the programme.

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SXUK Sports Day 2024

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Annual Sports was held on February 3, 2024, at the university ground. A plethora of events for men and women was organized. The university students, faculty, alumni members, and support staffs took active part in various events with great zeal and enthusiasm.

Brigadier R.K.Singh, Deputy General Officer Commanding, Headquarters, Bengal Sub-Area graced the occasion as chief guest. The army band comprising of the Pipes and Drums of 4/9, Gorkha Rifles (CHINDITS) and Bihar Regiment enthralled the audience with their musical note. The parade of the students, faculty, alumni members and support staff was led by the army contingent.

Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj said, “students need to participate in sports along with their pursuit for academic excellence.” St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata is proud to host this milestone event for the younger generation.

Whereas, Brigadier R.K.Singh complimented the university authorities for taking up this event with utmost care and perfection for the betterment of students in life

Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Rev.Dr.John Felix Raj announced THE introduction of scholarship to the best athletes (Men/Women) during their academic pursuit at St. Xavier’s University.

The programme concluded with a cake cutting.

Sandeep Mundra

Sports Officer

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Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK, Rev. Dr. J. Felix Raj, SJ received the JHEASA Magis 2024 Award on January 27, 2024 at St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata.

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Dept of Economics conducts field survey

The Department of Economics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) carried out a two-day field survey at the handicrafts markets in Santiniketan on January 26-27, 2024.

The objective of the survey was to study financial literacy and digital awareness among the artisans and entrepreneurs of the handicraft industry and its effect on their earnings.

21 students of fourth semester of the department participated in the survey under the guidance of Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder and Ms. Srijita Ghosh, two faculty members of the department.

They collected primary data from both male and female respondents in the market and then analysed the same. Students found the survey highly enriching.

Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder

SXUK celebrates Republic Day 2024

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the 75th Republic Day in the university campus on January 26, 2024 with great pomp and ceremony.

Hon’ble Justice Dr. Sambuddha Chakrabarti, former Judge of the Calcutta High Court was invited as the Chief Guest in this programme.

The celebration started with the hoisting of the National Flag by Rev Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK infront of the Chief Guest, Fathers and Sisters, faculty members, support staff members and students. Everyone sang the National Anthem collectively.

While delivering the welcome address, Father Raj said, “This day is very significant to us because 75 years ago, on this day, our leaders declared that India is a country of the people, by the people and for the people.”

While narrating the significance of the Republic Day, Father Raj said, “Loyalty and dedication begin from our homes and from our institutions where we study and work. Every little drop of water makes a mighty ocean. So, every drop is important and precious to build the nation.”

Justice Dr. Sambuddha Chakrabarti said, “In December 1929, Pundit Nehru declared that ‘purna swaraj’ would be the goal of Congress. Accordingly, it was decided to hoist the flag on the last Sunday of the month of January, 1930. This fell on January 26. Thereafter, till India attained independence in 1947, for all the 17 years 26th of January was observed as the ‘purna swaraj’ day.”

Justice Chakrabarti further said, “In the memory of ‘purna swaraj’ day, the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950. Thus, we resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic country.”

While concluding his speech, he mentioned, “I end with a sense of re-assurance that despite everything India has truly come up to its present position and is now an international entity to be reckoned with all seriousness. She has come out from her age-old image of the yester years and has made unprecedented progress in various branches of science and learning.”

The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Mario Martin Louis.

Somak Sen.

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Dept of Social work organises rural camp

Department of Social Work of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a rural camp from January 15 to 24, 2024 in collaboration with the Child in Need Institute (CINI) at Baikunthapur village.

The camp was organised to make students understand various dimensions of rural life and role of NGOs in riverine villages of the Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

A total of 55 students along with faculty members participated in the camp. An orientation programme was organized by CINI at Pailan for the students. They visited panchayat, health centres and anganwadi centres. Interactive sessions were organized for the students in Chetna Resource Centre on the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Public Health Structure.

Students also met Upa-Pradhan, Officer-in-Charge, and Block Development Officer in Baikunthapur and learnt about the village administration and Panchayat governance. As a part of their course curriculum, students also visited multipurpose cyclone shelter (flood centre) and interacted with tiger widows.

Faculty members helped the students to conduct community survey and generate awareness about the drowning project started by CINI, and social resource mapping. They also visited an NGO to understand their role and responsibilities.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

SXUK celebrates Xavrang 2024

St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated its annual cultural fest, Xavrang 2024 on January 22 and 23, 2024 in the university campus.

The theme of the fest was ‘Enchanted Garden’. It was a vibrant tapestry of diverse activities that catered to a myriad of interests, creating a truly enriching experience for participants.

The fest showcased a plethora of events, ranging from captivating dance performances and melodious music sessions to engaging literature discussion and thrilling treasure hunts, fashion show, etc. The diversity in activities ensured that there was something for everyone, fostering a sense of inclusivity and participation. This included participants from across 30 institutes across the state.

The excitement reached it apogee with a lively artist performance by Shreya Jain, captivating the audience with her artistic prowess. At the end, the fest reached its crescendo with an electrifying DJ performance by Kryso, creating a pulsating atmosphere that had everyone on their feet.

The seamless integration of various art forms and cultural activities contributed to an atmosphere of celebration and camaraderie. Students not only enjoyed the entertainment, but also had the opportunity to appreciate and engage with different facets of the arts.

Xavrang 2024 was an immersive experience that left a lasting impression on all attendees. The fusion of creative expression, talent, and cultural diversity made it a memorable celebration.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

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SXUK at Kolkata Book Fair 2024

St. Xavier's University, Kolkata has set up a stall in the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair. The stall was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Dr. Mamata Banerjee on January 18 at 4.00 pm to the great excitement of the faculty and students who had gathered at the stall. Fr. Felix Raj blessed the stall after its inauguration. Faculty members and students in turn man the stall and receive guests. The IKBF 2024 will be held till January 31, 2024.

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Dept of Economics conducts field survey on rural life style

The Department of Economics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) carried out a field survey in Bolpur, West Bengal on January 20, 2024. The objective of the survey was to explore how people in Bolpur, Birbhum, West Bengal diversified their livelihoods.

18 postgraduate students participated in the survey under the tutelage of Dr. Poulami Chatterjee, Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury, Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder and Dr. Chayanika Mitra, faculty members of the department.

7 students of semester four and 11 students of semester two of postgraduate programme in Economics collected primary data from 105 households residing in the rural areas of Bolpur.

Dr. Biswajit Haldar, a renowned Professor of Economics, Visva-Bharati also extended his valuable support to conduct the survey.

Participants collected data on household and personal factors like monthly household expenditure, educational status, asset ownership, type of homes in which respondents live, number of family members, and status of land ownership.

Following that, data on employment migration and availability of government schemes were collected to determine the primary livelihood concerns of the rural inhabitants of Bolpur.

Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder

XBS hosts XAVIESTA’24

Xavier Business School (XBS) of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted XAVIESTA'24, the annual fest on January 19 and 20, 2024 at the university campus.

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to see that XBS is organising such a large event that includes participants from the entire city. I wish the organisers and participants a grand success.”

Mr. Sanjay Budhia, an eminent industrialist was the Chief Guest. The event witnessed the participation of nearly 600 students from more than 30 colleges from different parts of the city in various fields like business, sports and other cultural events.

The festivities concluded with prize distribution and a memorable cake-cutting ceremony, encapsulating the spirit and success of the event.

Mekhola Mukherjee
MBA, Semester 4, XBS

Dept of English organises National Conference

Department of English of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a two-day National Conference on ‘War and Literature’ in collaboration with the Father Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), the research wing of the university on January 17-18, 2024 in the university campus.

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to find that the Department of English is organising the conference on such a pertinent theme. I believe that the conference will witness the outcomes of quality research articles by renowned academicians and scholars.”

The keynote speaker was Dr. Kalidas Misra, former Professor, Department of English, Sambalpur University, Odisha. The plenary speaker was Prof. Sumit Chakrabarti, Department of English, Presidency University, Kolkata.

The inaugural ceremony, keynote speech and plenary sessions took place at the Fr. Albert Huart Hall. The other parallel sessions took place at the LCERI Conference Room and LCERI Open Classroom.

The conference witnessed the participation of a huge number of research scholars and academicians from SXUK and many other colleges and universities from different parts of the country.

The conference aimed to address pertinent issues on war from myriad perspectives, with reference to the 20th and 21st centuries. The corpus of work in the ambit of war themed literature took a wide variety of approaches to comprehend the experience through different genres- drama, short stories, novels, journals, diaries, oral histories, memoirs, and letters.

The subject was thought-provoking and relevant given the ongoing conflicts across the world. The conference had been able to successfully address them, engaging mostly faculty members, scholars and students of esteemed institutions.

The convener of the programme was Dr. Indira Chakraborty Bhattacharya and the vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Ananya Saha.

Dr. Indira Chakraborty Bhattacharya

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Faculty of Science organises seminar on Cyber Security

Departments of Statistics and Computer Science of the Faculty of Science, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) jointly organised a seminar on ‘Exploring Cyber Security – How it impacts life’ on January 15, 2024 in the university campus.

The speaker was Mr. Rakesh Asthana, Managing Director and CEO of World Informatix Cyber Security, Florida, USA. Father Dr. A. Arockiasamy, S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science, delivered the welcome address.

Mr. Asthana talked at length about the necessity of cyber security and discussed various methods of cyberattacks that hackers use. He narrated the incident at the Central Bank of Bangladesh in 2016, the largest cyber heist in history, in which he was involved in exposing the hackers.

He further narrated the dark web and its use by cyber hackers in illegal activities. He also shared the ways to get protection from being hacked and the employment scenario in this field. An interactive session took place at the end.

Faculty members and students of the host departments, and students of Commerce and Management, Economics, Law and MBA attended the seminar.

Dr. Manisha Pal

SXUK hosts conference on women empowerment

The Research Development Cell and Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) jointly organized a one-day national conference on ‘Women Empowerment for a Sustainable Future’ on January 11, 2024 in the university campus.

It aims to address the pertinent issues related to gender equality and women empowerment in line with the sustainable development.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK delivered the inaugural address. He said, “Structural impediments to gender equality exist and gender-based discrimination persists inspite of the efforts by the government, democratic institutions and other key stakeholders.”

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Nirmal Kanti Chakrabarti, Vice Chancellor, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He gave an overview of various schemes by Central & State Governments for women empowerment.

He also highlighted the initiatives taken up by legislative, executive and judiciary and discussed various legislations, Women Reservation Bill 2023, and also various cases that have remedied gender inequality, the emergence of Nari Adalat, etc.

A total of 61 participants including faculty members, research scholars, students and professionals across the country participated in this conference.

Dr. Mononita Kundu Das

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Dept of Economics conducts ICSSR sponsored research project

In a bid to excel more in research work, the Department of Economics of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a one-day dissemination workshop on the ICSSR sponsored Minor Research Project 'Evaluation of PMUY: A Case Study of Kolkata’ on January 10, 2024 in the university campus.

The project focuses on the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) coverage and its effects on health and women empowerment among the BPL households in Kolkata.

Dr. Devleena Majumdar, Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder and Ms. Srijita Ghosh presented the project report in front of external experts, other faculty members of the department and research scholars.

Three distinguished external experts were Prof. Saibal Kar, RBI Chair Professor of Economics, CSSSC, Director (Hony.), Eastern Regional Centre, ICSSR; Prof. Ajitava Ray Chaudhuri, Professor Emeritus (HOD), Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Adamas University and Dr. Subrata Mukherjee, Associate Professor, IDSK.

An in-depth discussion was held regarding the project report. In addition, the audience offered several insightful suggestions. The sample design and research methodology of the study were appreciated by experts.

Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumder

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Dept of Statistics hosts guest lecture

Department of Statistics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, organised a guest lecture for the postgraduate students of Statistics and Computer Science on January 4, 2024.

The speaker was Dr. Nitis Mukhopadhyay, an eminent statistician and Professor, Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut-Storrs, U.S.A. He delivered a lecture on ‘Sufficiency-Completeness-UMVUE and Related Issues: Some Personal Reflections’.

Prof. Mukhopadhyay dwelt at length on the concepts of sufficiency, completeness, UMVUE (Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator) and discussed related issues. He also narrated the significance of Rao-Blackwellization and Basu’s theorem in deriving important results in the field of statistical inference.

All the students of both departments and faculty members attended the lecture. An interactive session took place at the end. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Priyanka Talukdar

Golden Jubilee celebration of Father Felix Raj and his Companions

The Golden Jubilee of Father Felix Raj, S.J. as a Jesuit, was celebrated in the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) on January 4, 2024.

Father Felix Raj celebrates his 50 years of being a Jesuit in Kolkata this year. He began his Jesuit training in Patna from January 2, 1974. To make the celebration more meaningful, Father Raj had invited all his 1974 Novitiate companions to SXUK.

In his address at the function, he said, “Nine of us came together for two days, from January 2nd to 4th and had very fruitful and enriching sharing sessions, reliving our rich experience in the early years of our formation and rejuvenating ourselves. We gratefully remembered all, Jesuits and others who journeyed with us in these 50 golden years.”

On January 4 evening, the St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) oraganised a programme in which the alumni members felicitated all the nine Jubilarians.

Father Raj narrated his journey with a sense of deep gratitude to all those who were present as the audience. He said, “Jesus Christ had an inner circle of 12 apostles and hundreds of disciples at the peripheral level. Among the apostles, there were a few like Peter who denied Jesus thrice, like Thomas who doubted his resurrection and Judas who betrayed him.”

He further said, “Still Peter was chosen as the first Pope of the Church and Thomas was sent all the way to India. Inspite of shortcomings, weaknesses and sinful nature of human beings, God chooses the weak and makes them strong. And that is what God has done with me and with my companions.” Father also shared some of the anecdotes of his early life.

Father's nephew, Naveen David, his wife Priya David and their 6 year old daughter, Zarah David had come all the way from Tamil Nadu for the celebrations.

To make the celebration memorable, students staged a beautiful cultural show. The celebrations ended with a dinner hosted by the alumni association. Thanks to Vatsal Chirimar, Honorary Secretary and his team of council members for their efficient organisation of the programme.

Dr. Somak Sen

SXUK

Message for Christmas 2023

Fr. J. Felix Raj, SJ

It is rightly said, “A thousand times in history a baby has become a king. But only once in history did a king become a baby”.

Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore has touchingly brought out the divine encounter in human life in his beautiful song, “Have you not heard his silent steps? He comes, comes, ever comes. Every moment and every age, every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes.” Jesus Christ’s birth in our midst is to propagate peace which is the most precious gift of God. As Christ visits us he reposes in us the message and meaning of life and mission.

‘Every child comes with the message that God is not yet disappointed with humans. The birth of Jesus, the holy Child of Christmas, brought a special message of hope to humankind. He was born to be the saviour of sinners.... Today, Christmas is for the people, by the people and of the people. Christmas is an opportunity to apply the message of Christ in each person’s life. It should not turn into a meaningless annual ritual,’ wrote Rabindranath Tagore..

The world is painfully different today. There are deep differences among us. We are constantly disturbed. Many of our cities are violent and unsafe. Many are deprived of their dignity and suffer rejection. Children and women are the most vulnerable. They are under great distress and are crying for justice.

Mob violence, lynching, rape and sexual abuses against women remain at high levels over the past few years. The Government crime figures report a figure of 31,516 rape cases in 2022 in India – an average of 86 per day. Rajasthan reported the highest with 5,399 cases followed by UP (3,690) and MP (3,029). These figures highlight the distressing prevalence of this grave crime across different states.

Today our houses, churches, prayer halls, properties and all we own are at great risk. One can sense the waves of fear and insecurity. Yet, in the midst of all distress, Christmas brings us the message of hope that life is meaningful and worth-living.

We celebrate Christmas in many ways. Some do it publicly; they throw big parties, wanting to share their excitement with others. Many organizations and offices organize Christmas carnivals. December calendar is often filled with social obligations. But they may not even know the inner reason why the party is being held. The spiritual aspect is often overlooked or even excluded.

Some prefer to celebrate Christmas privately, with their family members and relatives. This type of celebration is warm and supportive. There are individuals and families who reach out to children, the aged, the poor and the dying and destitute and express their joy by sharing a meal or distributing gifts as the Magi and the Santa Claus did.

Jesus Christ is not only a historical person; he is a metaphor for human life, an avatar of love, self-giving and companionship in the service of humankind. On this occasion of the birth of the Divine Babe, let me recall for us the essential truth of every religious

belief: ‘Religion is a way of life; it is an endeavor to preserve the beauty of our conscience and intention in our actions. Religions can never be the source of fundamentalism and violence. But the root causes of all violence flow from the hidden agenda and opportunistic strategies of our rulers from time immemorial.

We are the makers and markers of our destiny. On this joyous occasion of Christmas, let us pledge to break the boundaries of superstitions and parochialism, be illumined by divine delight that embraces us all and relieve the world of suffering caused by misappropriated manifestations of spiritual sentiments and religious fundamentalism.

Let me conclude quoting from the Christmas Message of Pope Francis:

“Christ is born for us; let us rejoice in the day of our salvation! Let us open our hearts to receive the grace of this day, which is Christ himself. Jesus is the radiant “day” which has dawned on the horizon of humanity. A day of mercy, in which God our Father has revealed his great tenderness to the entire world. A day of light, which dispels the darkness of fear and anxiety. A day of peace, which makes for encounter, dialogue and, above all, reconciliation. A day of joy: a “great joy” for the poor, the lowly and for all the people…”

“….Where God is born, hope is born; and where hope is born, persons regain their dignity. Yet even today great numbers of men and woman are deprived of their human dignity and, like the child Jesus, suffer cold, poverty, and rejection. May our closeness today be felt by those who are most vulnerable, especially child soldiers, women who suffer violence, and the victims of human trafficking and the drug trade…..”

On this joyous occasion of Christ’s birth, I wish the Herald readers A Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year 2024.

Christmas get-together at SXUK

St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organised a Christmas get-together for academicians and its well-wishers on December 20, 2023 at the university campus. Around 60 Principals of different schools and colleges of Kolkata and Vice-Chancellors of universities attended the programme.

At the beginning, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Vice-Chancellor of SXUK presented a Christmas message to all participants. He said, "A thousand times in history, a baby has become a king. But only once in history did a king become a baby. As Christ visits us, he reposes in us the message and meaning of life and mission."

On the occasion of the birth of the Divine Babe, Father Raj recalled the truth of every religion, saying, "Religion is an endeavor to preserve the beauty of our conscience and intention in our actions. It can never be the source of fundamentalism and violence."

He further added, "We are the makers and markers of our destiny. On this holy moment, we should pledge to break the boundaries of superstitions and parochialism and be illumined by divine delight."

The gathering had an academic side to it where participants discussed current issues of the mobility of students from West Bengal to other cities, states and abroad.

The discussion was initiated by the inputs of Mrs. Jessica Gomes Surana, Principal, Loreto Day School, Elliot Road, followed by Dr. Deepali Singhee, Principal, J D Birla Institute and Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor, Adamas University.

Various issues related to the topic were discussed. Prof. Suranjan Das proposed to Father Raj to undertake a research project on the topic. Father Raj proudly responded, "Our university will take up this research project by a team of professors."

The team of students and faculty members of XUCAS presented heart-touching carols and dances depicting the Christmas message. Their performance was highly appreciated. All the participants led by Father Raj then joined together and cut the Christmas cake.

The entire programme took place on the open ground in the quadrangle of the academic block. The quadrangle was beautifully adorned. Thanks to Mr. Vatsal Chirimar and his team members for organising the programme.

Dr. Somak Sen

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SXUK celebrates Sishu Mela

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised Sishu Mela on December 19, 2023 at the Kulberia Primary School with pomp and ceremony.

The celebration was organised specially for the children, their parents and other stake holders from four adjacent villages namely Kanthalberia, Kulberia, Dharmatala-Panchuria and Jirangacha.

The event included various activities for children to participate in, like drawing, dancing, singing and a fancy dress competition, etc. Game stalls for critical thinking and logical reasoning were also there. Children found the event highly enriching.

Parents of the children and panchayat members of these villages also found the event highly interesting. SXUK, since its inception, has been maintaining a sense of belongingness and ownership among the community members with regard to the university’s initiatives to provide them with scopes for attaining a quality life.

Sweta Banerjee

LECTURE ON JESUIT EDUCATION

On December 16, 2023, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) delivered the third Annual Christmas Lecture at Parasmani, Santiniketan. Parasmani is the Centre for Research and Social Outreach of SXUK in Ratanpally, Bolpur.

Jesuit Fathers and members of the organising committee led by Fr. Jeyaraj Velluswamy, Rector of SXCK, inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp of knowledge. The event was attended by numerous Jesuit Fathers, Sisters, notable civil society members, dignitaries and approximately 130 professors from both Santiniketan and SXUK, along with research scholars from VBU and Ashramites.

Fr. Felix Raj began his lecture with the wise words, “Unless and until a seed falls to the ground and dies, it does not sprout and bear fruit” (John’s Gospel 12:24-26). He said that ‘unless we die to our selfishness, comfort, individualism and so on, we cannot rise and bear fruit. Every fall is an opportunity to rise’.

He highlighted the role and impact of education in general and then made a precise overview of the Jesuit Education, its methods and characteristics. He said that the Jesuit education flows from the Jesuit Order’s Spirit which is the reflection of the Ignatian charism.

And the Ignatian charism is found in the Spiritual exercises of Ignatius (a Manuel for spiritual growth), the Jesuit Constitution, the Jesuit motto, AMDG – (For the greater glory of God) and Magis (greater, greater and greater), the philosophy behind any Jesuit mission.

He said, “Educational involvement has been synonymous with the mission of the Society of Jesus which was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola and six of his fellow companions.”

He elaborated the uniqueness and the various characteristics of the Jesuit education and explained why Jesuit education is popular all over the world and widely sought after by people. Father Raj answered a large number of questions from the audience. The program ended with lunch.

Prof. Sovik Mukherjee
Dr. Somak Sen

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Student Achievement

The Department of Economics of Calcutta University organised a 2-day National Workshop on "Capacity Building for Aspiring and Budding Entrepreneurs". Students were assigned to make a Business Pitch focussing on Value Chain Analysis.

Our 2nd year MBA student, Rishabh Agarwal and his team were adjudged the winners of the competition. Congratulations to them.

SXUK signs MoU with CRY

On 6th December, 2023, an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) has been signed between 'St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK)' and 'Child Rights and You (CRY)' at the University Campus, New Town.

The MoU has been signed by the Registrar, Prof. Ashis Mitra and Ms. Trina Chakrabarti, Director East & Volunteer Management, CRY with the blessings of Fr. Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor, in the august presence of Dr. Indra Kanta Maitra, Controller of Examinations, Dr. Ranjeeta Mukherjee, Dr. Anuradha Roy Chowdhury, Dr. Prashna Samaddar, Mr. Saptarshi Hazra, Senior Manager, CRY Kolkata and Ms. Rubina Haque, Senior Executive, Volunteer Engagement, CRY, Kolkata.

The collaboration seeks to aim to enrich the experiential learning among students of the University by providing a practical dimension to it and to inculcate among them the spirit of public service and to make them a socially responsible citizen.

Dr. Prashna Samaddar
Assistant Professor, XLS

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Chidambaram Lectures and Releases book at SXUK

Mr. P. Chidambaram, former Union Minister and MP Rajya Sabha visited St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) on November 25, 2023. He delivered a special lecture on ‘The Future of Democracy’ and released a book, ‘Development, Decentralisation and Democracy’, authored by Father John Felix Raj S.J., Vice-Chancellor of SXUK and Prof. Prabhat Kr Datta, an adjunct faculty. His lecture was highly appreciated by the audience.

Chidambaram in his address said, “The fundamental message that I wish to convey is that democracy has been, over the years, hollowed out in this country” and he explained that in detail.

Mr. Chidambaram was taken around the university and he spent some time in the Moot court of the Xavier Law School and the Law Library. He met with all the Jesuit Fathers of the university and joined them for a picture.

Significantly, the book is dedicated to the fond memories of an illustrious Jesuit Father Albert Huart who devoted his entire life to the great cause of value based education in Bengal in particular, and India in general. The book was released in the hall named after him. The authors bowed their heads down to pay their deepest respect to Fr. Huart.

Three dominant intertwined paradigms of social sciences, namely, development, decentralization and democracy weave the texture of the standalone chapters captured in three sections of the book running over 330 pages and bind them together.

While the first one refers to goal, the other two are regarded as instruments of achieving the goal – development of the people through their active participation. These concepts and their practices have metamorphosed in their content and underpinnings with the passage of time.

The book seeks to capture the changing nature and context and emerging conceptual dimensions in this regard and to examine and re-examine their validity in the light of realities in our country.

While the first section has 4 chapters, the second one has 5 and the last one has 2 chapters. The book begins with a chapter on redefining development in the historical context, and analyses the core and underpinnings of the concept of development to present before the readers a comprehensive and contemporary perspectives. Social values of development constitute the central thrust of the second chapter.

The third chapter attempts a critical appraisal of the economic reforms in India in which disinvestment figures prominently. As growing corruption is regarded as a threat to development, the authors have included a chapter on ethical governance for combating corruption.

There are 5 chapters in the second section which seek to describe and evaluate the experiences of the different models of decentralized governance in rural, urban and hilly regions. This section begins with an analysis of the role of civil society in the neo-liberal context of governance in India as it is regarded as an important contributor to the process of decentralization.

Decentralised governance and delivery of public services in the turbulent times is the central core of another chapter which analyses how Kerala could deal with the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic more successfully than other states with the help of the vibrant decentralised democratic structures at the grassroots and effective state-society relationship.

The last chapter in this section attempts a critical review of another innovative experiment of decentralised governance in one of the hill districts in India, Darjeeling in pursuance of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

The third section of the book seeks to explore the dynamics of deliberative democracy in rural and urban India in the light of available empirical studies and highlights where the shoe pinches and what needs to be done to make deliberative democracy a more meaningful proposition in our country.

The book has been published by a reputed publisher in Kolkata. Mr. Aurobinda Das Gupta, Managing Director of the heritage publishing house of Kolkata readily agreed and did the needful.

Dr. Somak Sen
Assistant Professor
Dept of Mass Communication

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Dept of Mass Communication visits Radio New Town

Stepping into the vibrant hub of Radio New Town, the undergraduate and postgraduate students of Department of Mass Communication, St. Xaviers University, Kolkata (SXUK) found themselves amidst the pulsating rhythm of radio waves on November 20-21, 2023 with their mission to record two pieces capturing the essence of Newtown, an evolving ‘smart city’.

Nerves gave way to excitement as they entered the recording studio. Microphones donned, the students transformed into articulate storytellers, weaving narratives about Newtown’s inclusive spirit, its ever-growing infrastructure, and its promise as a liveable utopia. They spoke of its green spaces, its diverse communities, and its dynamic ecosystem, alluding to the city’s ‘work in progress’ charm. Interspersed with these insights were nuggets about their beloved SXUK, its rigorous academic environment, and the nurturing embrace of the Mass Communication department. They painted a picture of a student life teeming with intellectual pursuits and creative endeavours, perfectly complementing the dynamic spirit of New Town.

After the recording, the Station Manager who is also the senior Radio Jockey, Mrs. Ruthline Saha, gave our students a guided tour through the radio station that unveiled the magic behind the microphone. From the bustling newsroom to the serene editing suites, they witnessed the meticulous process of crafting compelling radio narratives.

Leaving Radio New Town, the students carried with them not just the thrill of their recorded voices, but also a deeper understanding of the power of radio and the transformative potential of storytelling. They had not only captured the essence of New Town, but also showcased the vibrancy of SXUK’s Mass Communication department, proving that even within the confines of a budding city, stories of inclusivity, progress, and academic excellence can find their voice.

Dr. Sithara Puli Venkatesh

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Dept of Computer Science hosts special lecture

In an effort to make the students aware on scope of further research, the Department of Computer Science, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a special lecture in online mode on November 18, 2023. The topic was ‘Generative AI: An Introduction to Generative AI Models’.

Dr. Shaja Arul Selvamani, Senior Director, AI/ML at CISCO, USA was the eminent speaker. He delved into the essence of generative AI, illustrating its practicality through examples of prominent generative models like ChatGPT, BERT, and LLAMA.

He discussed varied applications of generative AI, illuminating its impact across diverse industries and fields. A pivotal segment of the seminar revolved around a detailed elucidation of deep learning neural networks, linear regression, and logistic regression.

Faculty members and students of the Departments of Computer Science and Statistics found the programme highly enriching. Fr. Dr. Arockiasamy, SJ, Dean of Science expressed heartfelt gratitude to the speaker and all participants. Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Head, Department of Computer Science coordinated the entire programme.

Dr. Sayan Das

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XBS students bag BOB Achiever's award

Xavier Business School (XBS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated a momentous occasion in the Aruppe Hall on November 18, 2023 as its three students received the prestigious Bank of Baroda (BOB) Achiever's Award recently.

Rishabh Agarwal bagged the award for scoring the highest CGPA in first and second semesters, 9.45 out of 10. Debraj Nandi was awarded for his exemplary performance in sports and Franklin Sando received the award for his notable contributions in social work.

These three students are pursuing their MBA programme here and are in their third semester now. Each awardee received a cash prize of Rs. 31,000.

Mr. Divya Ranjan Ratha, Chief Manager and Head, and Mr. Pritam Dasgupta, Senior Manager and Credit Head, Education Loan Sanction Cell, BOB handed over the awards to the students.

The ceremony was marked by applause and cheers from fellow students, faculty members and staff.

Prionkur Bose

Ambassador of Vatican to India Visits SXUK

Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the ambassador of the Vatican in India, accompanied by His Grace the Archbishop of Calcutta, Most Rev. Thomas D’Douza and two Italian priests, paid a visit to the St. Xavier's University, Kolkata campus on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

The Vice-Chancellor, Fr. Felix Raj, SJ showed them around the campus and explained the gradual progress of the university. His Excellency Girelli was impressed by the clean and green campus and mighty buildings and assured the Vice-Chancellor of his prayerful support to the great educational service rendered by the University to the people of Bengal and India.

Archbishop Thomas D'Souza had blessed the foundation stone of SXUK in December 2013 and again blessed the buildings and the entire campus at the time of the inauguration of the university in July 2017. Within a short span of six years, there are 3500 students on the rolls.

The Vice-Chancellor, Fr. Felix Raj has introduced the next stage of development called 'SXUK Vision 2030'. Accordingly, SXUK will see both physical and academic expansions in the years to come.

SXUK hosts exhibition on environment safety

In a bid to foster awareness towards protecting environment among students and staff members, the Expert Committee for Environmental Education of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a poster competition and exhibition on November 10 and 11, 2023 at the university campus.

While inaugurating the exhibition, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “It is our responsibility to save Mother Earth and keep it worthy of living for future generations. We must think and work rationally to protect the earth and the environment.”

The exhibition was named ‘Xaverian Environmentalist’. On both days, students from different departments showed their creative skills by making posters.

Dr. Kaberi Datta, an academician from Sarojini Naidu College for Women was invited as the expert to judge the entries. Prof. Debatri Banerjee of SXUK also coordinated with her.

The theme of the competition was ‘Nurture: Nature.’ Posters made by the students exuded vibrant depictions of Mother Nature as they explained the ways to ensure a green, sustainable world. The audience was amazed by the variety of interpretations of the theme and applauded the efforts of students.

Students found the initiative highly enriching and realised their role in environmental conservation.

Dr. Rajrupa Sinha Roy
Convener - Expert Committee for Environmental Education
SXUK

Faculty of Commerce and Management organises special lecture

Faculty of Commerce and Management of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted a special lecture on organizational behaviour and leadership for its final-year students on November 7, 2023 in the university campus.

Mr. Vivek Nagpaul was the eminent speaker. He delivered an enlightening lecture on actionable insights, which he said “students should apply to enhance their leadership skills.”

He also discussed various topics related to organisational behaviour, from building consultancy to leadership qualities. He said, “Leadership plays an important role in our professional as well as personal lives.”

He asked students to identify good leaders and qualities they possess. “Qualities we admire in our role models are the ones we should try to emulate and inculcate in ourselves to become leaders of tomorrow,” he added.

An interactive session took place after his lecture. All faculty members were present.

Dr. Anupam Mitra

SXUK signs MoU to make New Town a smart city

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the New Town Kolkata Green Smart City Corporation Limited (NKGSCCL) recently aiming to make it an ideal smart city.

This MoU will help both SXUK and NKGSCCL to share expertise and resources in developing New Town as a smart city through collaborative efforts.

Father John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “Ours is a Jesuit university and it has been committed to the development of its neighbourhood areas since the beginning. Now we are looking forward to this collaboration as it gives a structured opportunity to work further.”

He also said, “This initiative will give exposure to our faculty members and students to work in industrial environment which has been emphasized in the New Education Policy.”

Areas where both SXUK and NKGSCCL will jointly work for preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) are establishment of Bee Corridor at Eco Park, Radio New Town, Smart Library, Day Care Centre, case studies on Fuljhuri under Project Impact base and strategy for development of Eco Park under macro impact case study.

The MoU is the reflection of the initiatives under the Smart City Mission, launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Govt. of India. It aims to carry out research and development works through collaboration between industry and academic institutions.

The university has selected a team of professors under the leadership of Prof. Soma Sur to work on this project in collaboration with NKGSCCL.

Dr. Somak Sen

XSLAJ hosts first edition of IGNITAC

Xavier Society of Law and Justice (XSLAJ), a society of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the first edition of Ignatius National Trial and Advocacy Competition-2023 (IGNITAC) in association with Fox & Mandal, Khaitan & Co. from November 1 to 3, 2023 in the university campus.

While inaugurating the national-level trial advocacy competition, Rev Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to see that XSLAJ is organising such a programme. I congratulate the participants from different parts of the country for appearing in this national level competition.”

The preliminary rounds were judged by esteemed Partners and Associates of Khaitan & Co., one of India’s oldest and leading law firms while the quarter and semi-finals were judged by distinguished guests from legal profession.

The final round was judged by Justice Ashim Kumar Banerjee, former Judge of the Calcutta High Court, WBCERC and Mr. Abhiroop Mukherjee, Associate General Counsel, ITC.

Students of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law emerged as the best team and were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 60,000, followed by Amity Law School, Kolkata as the Runner-Up along with a cash prize of Rs. 30,000.

The Best Memorial award was bagged by the students of Heritage Law School, Kolkata with a cash prize of Rs. 15,000. A student of Amity Law School bagged the Best Researcher award and received Rs. 15,000.

Two students of XLS got the Best Speaker and Best Witness awards and received Rs. 15,000 each. Participants enjoyed and learned a lot from this event.

Dr. Animesh Das

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SXUK organises Run for Unity

St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the Run for Unity on October 31, 2023. The event started from the University campus at 7:30 am and ended around 8:30 am at the same place after taking a round of the Biswa Bangla Gate, New Town.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to find that our students have actively participated in the Unity Run. It is necessary to instill the concept of unity in diversity in young minds.”

85 students of SXUK participated in the event. 25 student volunteers supervised the entire event along with Sandeep Mundra, Sports Officer, SXUK.

The event was organised according to the guidelines of the University Grants Commission to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Ballavbhai Patel, known as the Unity Day. Around 75,000 Unity Runs took place on this day across the country.

Sandeep Mundra

GREEN BENCHES AT ST. XAVIER'S UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA (SXUK)

SXUK inaugurated the Green Benches (Students Corner) on October 27, 2023. Located opposite to Mother Teresa Residence and next to the Food court, GB are a welcome gift to Xaverians as they return on October 30 from Puja vacation.

Students can use this section for study, meetings, group work, and chai par charcha.

At SXCK, ‘The green benches had become a part of the college heritage’. It's said that ‘Xaverians learn more about life on the green benches than classrooms’.

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Empowering Women at SXUK

In a bid to promote self-confidence, personal safety and empowerment of female students in and out of campus, St. Xavier’s University’s (Kolkata) Women and Gender Development Cell in collaboration with Kolkata Police, has introduced an invigorating Unarmed Combat Training Program for the female students at the university.

The initiative, aiming to equip women with essential self-defense techniques was inaugurated in the month of September by the Honorable Vice Chancellor, Rev. Father Dr. John Felix Raj in presence of the Women and Gender Development Cell and the training personals of Kolkata Police.

Rev Father inspired the participants with his words, “We believe that equipping women with self-defense skills is a vital step towards fostering a safe and empowering environment. This program empowers women to be proactive and assertive in challenging situations.” Dr. Antara Ghatak, Convenor of the Women and Gender Development Cell expressed her enthusiasm about the positive impact the program aims to achieve.

The training program designed by Kolkata Police and led by Inspector Prasant Heto, explained that the program not only focuses on physical techniques but also emphasizes mental preparedness and awareness of one’s surroundings.

Open to all female students at the university the training program encompasses a wide array of self-defense techniques, including martial arts, tactical maneuvers and situational awareness. Thirty-five female students are being educated on identifying potential risks and appropriate responses, promoting a proactive approach to personal safety.

Students and staff have welcomed the initiative with enthusiasm. Tithi Basu Ray, a student participant, shared her thoughts, stating, “I feel more confident and secure knowing that I possess the skills to protect myself if the need arises. It’s an empowering experience.”

The Unarmed Training Program is running on a regular schedule and is expected to witness increasing participation as awareness of its benefits spreads across the university community. St. Xavier’s University with its vision to create responsible citizens engages in such exercises cultivating a culture of empowerment and safety, ensuring a brighter and more secure future of women on campus and beyond.

Dr. Antara Ghatak

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Cultural Programme by XUCAS

St. 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲’s 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 (XUCAS) organised a cultural show on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, being the last class day before the Pujas. The vibrant and colourful show brought out the best of talents among students and set them in the mood of celebrations. Happy Puja.

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JHEASA Conference held at SXUK

The zonal conference of the North Zone Jesuit Higher Educational Association of South Asia (JHEASA) was held at the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) on October 7 and 8, 2023. Both, the university and St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata jointly organised the two-day zonal conference.

The theme of the conference was ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Higher Education, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its Challenges and Opportunities’. Around 35 participants, Jesuit Principals from different higher educational institutions and their collaborators attended the conference.

Dr. Partha Pratim Chakraborty, a noted academician of IIT, Kharagpur delivered the keynote address on AI and its relevance in Higher Education Institutions. Rev. Dr. Felix Raj, S.J., Vice-Chancellor of SXUK spoke on the NEP and its challenges and opportunities.

Father Raj said, “The change is necessary and crucial since it is keeping with emerging trends in global education. It encourages a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to learning.” He further said, “NEP 2020 emphasizes on practical learning outcomes and skill development of the learners which are in high need in a changing global scenario.”

There were sessions on the steps and techniques of hands-on training in AI. Fr. Joe Arun of LIBA, Chennai, and Secretary of JHEASA and Fr. Dominic Savio, principal of SXCK and the North Zone Coordinator were present. Fr. Arun shared about the global perspective of Jesuit education and the importance of India’s participation at the global level. Participants found the sessions highly impressive and fruitful.

Somak Sen

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Fellowship Tour to Thailand

SXUK Alumni Association organised an Academic and Fellowship tour to Bangkok from September 27 to October 1. A group of University Fathers and Alumni visited Assumption University in Bangkok.

Both institutions explored possibilities of exchange programs in the areas of Management, Law, Economics, Psychology and Language Studies.

Fr. Felix Raj and Mr. Glen Chatelier of AU welcomed this joint venture. They exchanged mementos in appreciation of the visit and efforts. We thank Vatsal Chirimar and his team (army without arms) for their meticulous planning of the whole trip and committed service.

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LCERI hosts symposium on incubation

Fr. Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a symposium on incubation on September 23, 2023 at the university campus.

The symposium began with an orientation seminar on ‘Innovation, Incubation and Start-ups’ for the students. Prof. Asish Mitra, Registrar of SXUK delivered the inaugural address.

Dr. Siddhartha Das, Professor In-charge, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Kharagpur, Dr. Prabal K Sen, former Professor and Founder Chairperson, Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC), XLRI, Jamshedpur and Mr. Gaurav Kapoor, Chief Business Officer, Innovation Park, IIM Calcutta were the invited speakers.

Dr. Siddhartha Das and Dr. Prabal K. Sen addressed the audience on factors influencing success of incubation and entrepreneurship. Mr. Gaurav Kapoor shared videos of real-life cases.

The seminar was followed by a round table discussion between the faculty members of SXUK and external experts on the initiation of the incubation centre.

Dr. Soma Sur from Xavier Business School (XBS); Dr. Monalika Dey, Faculty of Commerce and Management; Dr. Debalina Chakravarty, Department of Economics; Dr. Asif Iqubal Shah, Xavier Law School; Dr. Monojit Dutta, Faculty of Commerce & Management and Dr. Tutun Mukherjee from XBS participated in the discussion.

Dr. Soma Sur, Hony Director, LCERI delivered the vote of thanks.

Somak Sen

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Dept of Mass Communication produces reality show

Students of Department of Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) directed and produced a reality show at the Fr. Gaston Roberge Studio, located in the university campus on September 22, 2023.

The fifth semester students of undergraduate programme in Mass Communication solely made the two episodes of the ‘Acting Ka Punch Nama’. It is a reality show to find the best acting talent from the students of SXUK through auditions. Twenty contestants from different departments of SXUK participated in the audition. Judges finally selected ten contestants for the final round.

Students were assigned roles of production personnel and were asked to prepare script and content for the show. They exhibited professionalism following ethical guidelines. They also received hands-on training on shooting a reality show by performing roles of director, anchor, marketing and PR professionals and technicians.

Promo videos were shot and exhibited earlier in the university for registration of contestants. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Sithara Puli Venkatesh

LCERI organises Faculty Development Programme

In its continuous practice of upgrading the research skills of faculty members, Fr. Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a two-day Faculty Development Programme on September 22 and 23, 2023 at the university campus.

The topic was ‘Advanced Trends in Research Techniques-Series-I: Qualitative Analysis using NVivo’. Dr. Arup Kumar Baksi, Professor, Aliah University was the resource person. He discussed various techniques of qualitative research and mixed methods. Participants learnt how to use NVivo and Orange software, which are now in demand in different subjects of social sciences for statistical analysis.

Research scholars pursuing their doctoral studies in SXUK also attended the programme.

Dr. Soma Sur

Father Felix Raj gets award from ISTD

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) was honoured with the prestigious ‘Excellence in Learning and Development’ award at the sixth Eastern Regional Conference and Exhibition at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata on September 15, 2023 by the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) in recognition of Father Raj’s remarkable contributions in the field of education and development.

Dr. Sitangshu Khatua, Dean of Xavier Business School (XBS) received the award on behalf of Father Raj. “Father Raj’s visionary leadership always inspires us and helps to elevate the educational landscape,” Dr. Khatua said while receiving the award.

Somak Sen

Dept of Mass Communication hosts special lecture in Sports Journalism

In an effort to make its students aware of nature and challenges in sports journalism, the Department of Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted a special lecture for its postgraduate students by an eminent journalist on September 15, 2023 in the university campus.

Mr. Amitabha Das Sharma, presently serving as the Senior Assistant Editor with The Hindu, Bureau Office, Kolkata was the guest speaker. The topic was ‘Nature and Challenges in Sports Journalism’.

Mr. Sharma in his delightful lecture shared a lot of information on how sports department in print media and audiovisual media organisations functions; how the reporters build up contact with sports personalities, coaches, sponsors; how do they manage to get information in advance about the preparation of the team, game-plans, etc.

He said, “You have to build up your contact deliberately. You must have unending energy to move around to get more relevant information.” He also asked students to remain careful of maintaining objectivity while reporting.

“You may be fan of a particular football or cricket team. But you cannot show your fandom through your reporting. It must be unbiased and informative,” he added.

Mr. Sharma also advised students to learn uses of camera professionally as media houses presently prefer to recruit those who possess multitasking qualities. “Engage yourself in learning all new technological innovations so that you can apply them in your professional career,” he added.

He also praised SXUK for starting sports journalism as a specialization course in its postgraduate programme in Mass Communication. “Very few universities offer sports journalism in India though it is one of the important areas in journalism. I believe SXUK will be able to train its students professionally,” he added.

The special lecture session witnessed the presence of postgraduate students of Department of Mass Communication, a few students from the postgraduate section of Department of English and from final semester undergraduate section of Department of Mass Communication.

The programme concluded with an interactive session. All the faculty members of the department were present.

Somak Sen

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Dept of Computer Science celebrates success of Chandrayaan-3

In a bid to celebrate the success of Chandrayaan-3 and the National Engineer’s Day, the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, a pioneer in civil engineering in India, Department of Computer Science of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised an online lecture session by an eminent scientist on September 15, 2023.

The topic was ‘Remote Sensing Techniques and Its Applications’. Dr. Raj Kumar, Professor Satish Dhawan Scientist, ISRO and the former Director of National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, Hyderabad was the guest speaker.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “As an Indian, I am proud of success of the Chandrayaan-3's landing on the Moon. It was a stroke of genius in Indian engineering.”

Dr. Raj Kumar conducted an informative session on ‘Remote Sensing Techniques and Applications’ as part of the virtual celebration of Chandrayaan-3's recent success. He also narrated missions of ISRO and expansion of India's space programme that once started with INSAT and NaVIC.

Prof. Kumar also presented a few case studies showcasing the successful application of remote sensing technology in various engineering projects including Chandrayaan-3.

The event was conducted to enlighten students about the importance of remote sensing technology in the field of engineering. The programme concluded with an interactive session.

Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul

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SXUK celebrates Teachers’ Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata celebrated the Teachers’ Day on September 5, 2023 in the university campus to commemorate the birth anniversary of Shri Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President of India.

On this auspicious day, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK delivered an insightful speech on ‘Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP)’ to instill the noble values of Jesuit education and teaching among the young and promising faculty members of the university. He said, “IPP is based on spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It promotes Jesuit education.”

Quoting St. Ignatius, who himself was a teacher, Father Raj said, “As we practice physical exercises daily to keep our health fit and fine, we should practice spiritual exercise daily to keep our lives blessed by the God.”

After narrating the life sketch of St. Ignatius and his efforts to promote the Jesuit education across the world, Father Raj said, “Goodness begets goodness. As we know well, it gets contagious. The relationship between teachers and students must be based on love, belief and mutual understanding.”

“Education can change the whole world. Jesuits across the world has been promoting education through their relentless service since time immemorial,” he said. While narrating the pillars of Ignatian spirituality, Father Raj stressed on six values – spiritual exercises, prayers, meditation, contemplation, examen and discernment.

Signifying the importance of Jesuit education across the globe, he said, “It forms men and women for others through ingraining competence, conscience and compassion among them. It fosters personal and cooperative study, discovery and reflections.”

He further said, “If students will be able to imbibe these qualities, then they will turn to agents of bringing social change.” To make this happen, proper cooperation and collaboration are needed among teachers and students, he added.

As a part of Ignatian pedagogy, Father Raj mentioned about Praxis, which is a continuous process. It requires reflection of work, followed by action which again ends in reflection.

“It is necessary for a teacher to understand the student’s life and culture. Socio-political and cultural analysis of the surroundings helps a teacher in delivering quality education. It is equally necessary for the students to know their teacher well,” he said.

He directed the teachers to encourage questioning by students in every class as it is required to meet the queries of students. He mentioned about students’ involvement in group work, conducting sessions of problem solving and cooperative learning to be incorporated in classroom teaching. “Every class should end with a summary note,” he added.

He advised teachers to mentor their students regularly and engage them in writing for journals, magazines, participation in seminars and conferences, etc. “A teacher must make portfolio of every student through regular tests and assessments,” he said.

He referred to a few books authored by Paolo Freire, the Brazilian philosopher and Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian theologian where Ignatian world view is mentioned in various contexts. He advised the teachers to read these books as they would add more to their trove of knowledge.

A small cultural programme took place after his lecture where students and a few teachers participated, followed by cake cutting and a high tea. Dr. Manali Bhattacharya was the convener of the programme. Ahona Ayushmati Guha Majumder and Swarnava Hati, two students of Xavier Law School (XLS) were the emcees.

Somak Sen

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SXUKAA celebrates Philanthropy Day

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) celebrated the Philanthropy Day through conducting a blood donation camp and eye check-up camp respectively on August 25 - 26, 2023 in the university campus.

SXUKAA organises the Philanthropy Day Celebrations every year coinciding with the birthday of their beloved President, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J. on August 26.

On that day, all the Jesuit Fathers, Sisters, Officers, faculty members, support staff members, students and alumni members celebrated the birthday of their beloved Father Raj.

Around 200 people including faculty members, support staff, students and alumni members of SXUK donated blood in the blood donation camp. The medical teams from the Blood Bank of Bidhannagar Sub Divisional Hospital and the Kothari Medical Centre Blood Bank cooperated with SXUKAA in collecting and preserving blood.

A free eye check-up camp was organised on August 26 for the benefit of poor villagers of Kanthalberia and Kulberia, the neighbouring villages of SXUK. Around 200 villagers got their eye sights tested free of cost by medical professionals.

SXUKAA will provide spectacles to 120 people and sponsor the cataract surgery of 30 patients, identified in the camp.

In the evening of August 26, SXUKAA celebrated Father Raj’s birthday through a cultural programme. A short video on the life of Father Raj was shown, followed by a cultural performance by the students.

“Rev. Dr. Felix Raj has dedicated his life for the service of society. Recommitting ourselves to the cause of the society as ‘men and women for others’ is perhaps the best gift that we can give Father”, said Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, Hony. Secretary of SXUKAA.

Father Raj spoke about how he was deeply inspired by the simplicity and humility of St. Teresa of Calcutta, with whom he shares his birthday. He thanked the alumni for their generosity and their attachment with their alma mater.

On the Philanthropy Day, the members of SXUKAA recommit themselves to the cause of the society apart from carrying out several philanthropic activities.

Vatsal Chirimar

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SXUK and Webel jointly organise refresher course

As a part of MoU signed between St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) and Webel, the two organisations jointly conducted a one-week Refresher course on ‘Data Analytics and Machine Learning’ from August 21-26, 2023 at the university campus.

Participants from various colleges, universities, industry and government organisations enrolled for the refresher course. The workshop was conducted in blended mode.

Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Head, Department of Computer Science; Dr. Tanushree Biswas, a faculty member of Xavier Business School and Mr. Kaushik Halder, Commercial and Education Manager, Webel were the conveners and inaugurated the programme on August 21, 2023 in online mode. They explained the scope of the course to the participants.

Experts discussed different topics related to data analytics in the week-long refresher course along with practical sessions. Dr. Tanushree Biswas took a session on ‘Introduction to Data Sciences’. Dr. Dreamlee Sharma, University of Delhi conducted a session on ‘Hypotheses Testing and Regression.’

Dr. Manisha Pal, Head, Department of Statistics, SXUK delivered a lecture on ‘Cluster Analysis and Factor Analysis’. Dr. Sayan Das of Dept. of Computer Science discussed ‘Machine Learning & Data Analytics’.

Experts from Webel-Fujisoft-Vara Centre of Excellence took the practical sessions. Mr. Sourabh Mukherjee, Associate Managing Director, Accenture delivered a speech on ‘Industrial Application of Data Science and AI’ on the concluding day.

At the valedictory session, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj. S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “There is a high need of such collaborative programmes which are helpful for participants to learn from industry perspective”. He also highlighted the importance of data analytics and then distributed the certificates to participants.

Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata congratulates Naman Chandak (Student of B.M.S. Hons., Roll No.- 0147, Semester- III) for his achievement.

Report published in The Telegraph on August 27, 2023

Dept of Mass Communication organises special lecture

Department of Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a guest lecture session by an eminent professional to groom its postgraduate students on August 25, 2023. Students from the Department of English also attended the session.

Mr. Siddhartha Roy, Chief Executive Officer, Response India was the speaker. He discussed how to shape the future of an organisation through creating a meaningful brand and developing strong faith among consumers for its eternal existence.

Mr. Ray said that brands are not developed in one day and it requires a long perseveration of a company to build up belief among its consumers. He further explained why students of communication studies should understand vision, mission, and goal of a brand and its purpose.

He advised students to work hard in their professional life to meet the objectives of the organisation. He shared examples of famous brands like Gillette, Dove, etc. and history of their growth. An interactive session took place at the end. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

SXUK hosts Anti Ragging awareness debate

In a move to generate awareness against the practice of ragging, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted an Anti Ragging awareness debate on August 23, 2023 in the university campus.

The Anti Ragging Committee of SXUK in collaboration with Xavier’s University Debating Society (XUDS) conducted the event. The theme of the debate was to address the issues of ragging and its prevention with a special focus on the role of contemporary media.

While delivering the inaugural address, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “It is a moral obligation of every individual to denounce all forms of oppression and violence, including incidents of ragging or bullying in our society.” He further said, “Ragging is a social evil. We should prevent the practice of ragging. We should educate our children right from the beginning so that they won’t participate or indulge in practice of ragging.”

“SXUK as a family is committed to foster a society built upon the principles of love, freedom, and fraternity,” he added. Ten teams, comprised of two speakers in each team participated in the debate. All of them were the students from different departments and schools. While five teams supported the move, rest five teams argued against the move.

The event witnessed an impressive exchange of arguments and ideas, reflecting the critical importance of media in preventing ragging.

Dr. Tanmoy K Pal

SXUK Placement Office organises guest lecture

In a bid to prepare its postgraduate students for placement and interview, the Placement Office of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with Department of Commerce organised a special lecture by an eminent professional on ‘Placement talk and work culture’ on August 16, 2023.

The guest speaker was Mr. Anirup Sen, Chief Operating Officer of Jardine Henderson Limited, Kolkata.

In his delightful speech, Mr. Sen stressed on the importance of knowledge and its application in professional areas. He stated that students must have strong will to learn beyond syllabus and step out of the comfort zone. He also shed light on the art of toggling short-term conflicts that may arise in workplace and using it to meet long term objectives.

He further added that coordination and team work alongside individual competency are the keys to survive in the corporate world. Sharing his professional experiences, he narrated how challenges moulded his leadership skills.

The session ended with an interactive session followed by vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Mario Martin Louis, the Placement Officer of the university.

Dr. Mitra Goswami

SXUK celebrates Independence Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the 77th Independence Day in the university campus on August 15, 2023 with great pomp and participation.

Amid the presence of Jesuit Fathers, Sisters, Officers of the university, faculty members, support staff members, students and other dignitaries, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK hoisted the National Flag infront of the Britto House.

The present audience collectively chanted the National Anthem, “Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka Jaya Hey….” The security personnel officially honoured the National Flag after the Vice-Chancellor had hoisted the same.

In his Independence Day speech, Father Raj first wished everyone a happy Independence Day. He then addressed the audience with a note on the sacrifices made by the patriots to make our motherland free from the clutches of the foreign rule.

He said, “We are following their footsteps to dedicate our lives for the progress and development of our country”.

Recalling the Jesuit philosophy of forming men and women for others, Father Raj said, “SXUK has carried out a series of activities in last one year to commemorate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, announced by the Government of India.”

He said, “We have observed the Constitution Day, celebrated the Earth Day and the International Yoga Day where faculty members, support staff and students of this university actively participated.”

Keeping in view the changing pattern of education, he said, “We have commenced the 4-year UG programme from this year. The new curriculum empowers the students to enhance their skills, values, creativity and independent thinking.”

Father Raj said, “SXUK has been continuously working for the development of the higher education. This year, we have awarded UG and PG programme completion degrees to 770 students.”

“Beginning its journey in 2017 with only 400 students, SXUK is now the home to around 4000 students enrolled in 17 different undergraduate and postgraduate programmes,” he further added.

In a historic move on part of the university, Father Raj said, “We have conferred the D.Litt (Honois Causa) on Mamata Banerjee, Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal this year in the fourth Convocation ceremony for her generous contribution in the field of higher education.” “She generously instituted the St. Mother Teresa Chair Professor for peace in the university,” he added.

Praising the research outcomes of the university, Father Raj said, “We are happy to announce that one of our professors, Dr. Manonita Kundu Das has recently coordinated a capacity building project with ICSSR funds.” He further added, “We have started 3 more Ph.D programmes in Law, Social Work and Psychology from this year.”

While talking on the social work carried out by SXUK, Father Raj said, “We have recently conducted a 10-day tailoring workshop for the poor women from the neighbouring villages. This project was in collaboration with Seva Kendra, Kolkata and WBSEDCL.”

Regarding the industry-academia collaboration, Father Raj said, “Our Law School has signed an MoU with the NUJS. Initiated by the Department of Computer Science, we have signed MoU with Webel. We are about to sign an MoU with NKDA for development of New Town.”

Expressing his deep love and care to the alumni members of the university, Father Raj said, “St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association has been regularly carrying out series of philanthropic and fellowship activities in and around the city and in different parts of the state. The 3000-member strong association is highly supporting and promoting different academic activities of the university.”

Father Raj equally expressed his deep grief over the recent happenings in Manipur, caused by fundamentalist and divisive forces. He said, “The Independent India is for everyone. Everyone must experience the spirit of freedom. We must be peace-makers spreading harmony, fellowship and brotherhood everywhere.”

While concluding, he quoted the words of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore and advised everyone to stand with a righteous attitude courageously infront of all odds and carry out the work with dedication. He said, “As Xaverians, we must have the courage, freedom and boldness to stand for peace and justice. We must have minds without fear, and hold our heads high to let our country awake.”

Somak Sen.

Akashvani felicitates SXUK students

Students of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) were felicitated by Akashvani Kolkata on August 5, 2023 at the G D Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata for their participation in a contest, organised by Akashvani as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.’

Esha Chakrabarty, a postgraduate student of Department of English, SXUK bagged the first prize among the contestants of four universities of West Bengal.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK congratulated the students on their success. He said, “Our students have made us proud through their creative performance. I wish our students to participate in more such cultural activities.”

In a bid to spread the cultural ethos of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ among the students of higher studies as directed by the Government of India, the Akashvani Kolkata visited the SXUK campus on July 24, 2023. They organised a quiz contest on Indian history, literature, Indian culture and global politics in the university campus. An extempore was also held on topics like ‘Khelo India’, ‘Putul Nach’, ‘Bangla Rock’, etc.

The entire event was coordinated by Dr. Manali Bhattacharya and Mrs. Krishna Roy, Deputy Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson of Students’ Board respectively. Both of them equally expressed happiness on the success of the students. A large number of students from the University of Calcutta, Jadavpur University and Rabindra Bharati University also participated in the contest.

Aparajita Roy

Dept of Mass Communication, MA Semester 3

Caption: SXUK students were felicitated by Akashvani Kolkata

SXUK celebrates Feast Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus at the Britto House in the university campus on July 31, 2023.

Most Rev. Thomas D’Souza, the Archbishop of Calcutta celebrated the Eucharist for the university community. He also visited the entire campus and had a lunch with the Jesuit Fathers as a part of the celebration.

He was very appreciative of the infrastructure of the university which has been developed within a short span of time. While delivering the sermon, he applauded the work of the Jesuits and the contribution of the SXUK towards the development of higher education in the state of Bengal as well as in the country.

Archbishop also appreciated the social works carried out by SXUK as a whole in the neighbourhood villages. He further said that he was happy to see the mission of the SXUK is keeping in line with the Jesuit motto of Magis and Nihil Ultra (Nothing Beyond).

Father Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK thanked the Archbishop for his visit and his wholehearted support to the Jesuit work at SXUK.

Somak Sen

XLS celebrates Fifth Foundation Day

Xavier Law School (XLS) celebrated its fifth Foundation Day on August 3, 2023 in the university campus.

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) said, “Starting in 2019, XLS has stepped into fifth year today. We are hopeful to see energetic law graduates soon who will dedicate themselves for the sake of the nation through their legal insights and expertise.”

Shri Moloy Ghatak, Minister of Law and Public Works, Government of West Bengal was the Chief Guest. In his speech, he mentioned notable achievements of the state government in framing various legal schemes for the marginalised section of the society.

The Guest of Honour was Shri Sukumar Mondal, Registrar and Deputy Secretary of the West Bengal State Legal Services Authority (SLSA). He highlighted different activities carried out by the SLSA to protect women and children in West Bengal.

Shri Abhijit Kumar, Assistant Director of the Acid Survivors & Women’s Welfare Foundation, an NGO was the special guest. He discussed social works carried out by his NGO for victims of acid-attack. An interactive session also took place with two acid-attack survivors, Smt. Moyna Pramanik and Smt. Sunita Dutta. Both of them were felicitated by the university.

In the second session, Md. Saifullah Khalid spoke on the theme ‘Violence against women’. A poster competition was held by the students of XLS. All the faculty members and students attended the both sessions.

Dr. Ranjeeta Mukherjee
Dr. Rajrupa Sinha Roy

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Dept of Economics organises the orientation programme

Department of Economics organised the orientation programme of its both undergraduate and postgraduate sections on August 1 and 2, 2023 respectively.

Dr. Achyut Chetan, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Studies and Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury, Head of the Department of Economics greeted the new students to the university. Dr. Achyut Chetan delivered the welcome address. All the faculty members of the department introduced themselves.

Dr. Swapan Chakraborty, a faculty member of the department narrated the history of the university. He also explained the significance of the motto and crest of the university. To make the students familiar with the administrative structure of the university, he made a presentation. He also explained the vision and mission of the university to the freshers.

Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury explained the four-year undergraduate (UG) curriculum and the syllabus to the UG students. He equally explained the course curriculum to postgraduate students also. He also gave a light on mentorship, guest lectures by eminent academicians and professionals, Annual Economic Summit, workshops, field surveys, seminars and conferences conducted by the department.

Dr. Sayantan Bandhu Majumdar discussed the ‘Code of Conduct’ for the students, rules and regulations to be followed, different scholarships, examination patterns, etc. He also acknowledged students on various societies of the university like Xavecos, Xposure, Xinephile, etc. He also discussed various facilities like library, hostels, sports, infirmary, canteen facilities, etc.

Dr. Poulami Chatterjee and Dr. Debalina Chakravarty explained the importance of service learning and outreach programmes.

Dr. Chayanika Mitra, PG Coordinator and Placement Coordinator of the department explained the details about the functions of the Placement Cell of the department and the University. She also advised what the students are expected to do to facilitate better placement. A brief summary of earlier placements was also presented.

Dr. Chetan addressed the students on the Jesuit Legacy in Higher Education and explained the significance of ‘Cura Personalis’, ‘Magis’, ‘AMDG’ and ‘Nihil Ultra’. He also explained different financial assistance offered by SXUK to the poor students.

As a part of the orientation programme, the department organised a special lecture for the freshers on August 4, 2023. Dr. Achin Chakraborty, Professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) was the resource person. It was an enriching session and students interacted with Dr. Chakraborty at the end. All the faculty members were present.

Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury

Dept of Social Work organises orientation programme

Department of Social Work of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the orientation programme for its seventh (7th) batch of Master of Social Work programme for the new academic session (2023-2025) on August 2, 2023.

Dr. Rupa Biswas, Head of the Department greeted the freshers and introduced the faculty members of the department. She also shared the history of the University, its motto, mission, vision and value framework to the students. She said, “SXUK is committed to deliver quality education to its students always.” She also narrated the administrative structure of the university to help the students understand its functioning system.

Dr. Srenwantee Bhattacharjee, another faculty member of the department enlightened the students on Jesuit legacy and education in the second session. She discussed the contributions of the Jesuits in the field of education throughout the country.

The third session was conducted by Dr. Jacob Islary on the facilities and services provided by the university. He discussed the administrative structure and working procedure of different administrative offices in the university. He also narrated various amenities available in the academic building, utility building and hostels, etc.

The fourth session was taken by Dr. Sucheta Paul. She explained the rules and regulations to be followed by the students. She discussed the policy making bodies of the University, ongoing academic programmes, semester system of education, admission and registration procedure, different committees and their functions, feedback and attendance system, etc. Dr. Paul also explained the examination pattern in detail. She put forth the importance of specialisations, field work and its relevance.

The fifth session was held by Mr. Sukhendu Bank, Social Work Coordinator of the department. He defined the importance of field visits and its relevance in Social Work course. He gave a proper analysis on summer internship, block field work and rural camp. He also emphasised on regularity and punctuality as essential qualities to be a professional social worker.

The orientation programme came to its conclusion through a motivational speech delivered by Dr. Achyut Chetan, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Studies.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

SXUK organises Faculty Orientation Programme

SXUK conducted a faculty orientation programme on induction ceremony for the new batches of undergraduate and postgraduate sections of Faculty of Commerce and Management and Faculty of Arts and Social Studies on July 22, 2023. The resource person was Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK.

The programme took place in two sessions. The first session was held for the Faculty of Commerce and Management and the second session was for the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies.

In his delightful lecture on how to make the freshers oriented towards the culture of SXUK, Father Raj said, “We should always bring the students to the Xaverian line.” While addressing the teachers on how to make the students familiar with the university, he said, “We should give our students a personal and warm welcome right at the beginning so that they will be able to settle down in the new atmosphere and feel home here. We should continuously motivate them so that they will be able to study properly.”

While focusing on the importance of induction programme, he said, “We are conducting induction programme every year to generate concerns for university among our students. Concerns only bring commitment.”

Repeating the vision of the SXUK ‘to form men and women for others’, he said, “The motto of the SXUK is ‘Nihil Ultra’ which means ‘nothing beyond’. Therefore, we all should make sure that the students will understand the mission and vision of the university rightly.”

Giving a light on the values of Jesuit education, he asked the teachers, “Help the students to build up their leadership. Assist them to be committed towards their responsibility so that the nation will grow as a whole.”

A set of guidelines on induction programme and related documents were also shared with the faculty members. The entire programme took place at the Board Room of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. The programme concluded with a brief interactive session.

Sovik Mukherjee & Somak Sen.

LCERI starts new Ph.D batch

Father Lafont Centre of Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), the research wing of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) commenced its fifth batch of Ph.D programmes for the new academic session on July 19, 2023.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I wholeheartedly welcome the young research scholars to the university. I wish them to give their best in doing quality research on different areas.” Father Raj also briefed the new scholars on the Xaverian ethos.

Prof. Ashoke Ranjan Thakur, former Vice-Chancellor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology and West Bengal State University was the Chief Guest. He also delivered a motivational speech on research and ethical values and inspired the new scholars.

Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar, SXUK briefed on the rules and regulations of the university. Dr. Soma Sur, Hony Director, LCERI delivered the vote of thanks. All the supervisors were present.

LCERI presently runs Ph.D programme in eight subjects. It started three new Ph.D programmes in Law, Psychology and Social Work this year.

Somak Sen

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SXUK organises Orientation programme

St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized an Orientation programme on Inter-religious Studies for Global Citizenship course for its faculty members on July 14, 2023. Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK was the resource person.

In his delightful address, Father Raj touched upon various issues pertaining to the academic study of religion, understanding of spirituality in the context of the global religious landscape, essence of religious pluralism and inter-religious dialogue. He also said that the goal of the faculty orientation was to achieve a deeper and broader understanding of the value systems in different religions and the basic philosophy required for global citizenship. “This is expected from the faculty members to pass on the same to our students”, he added.

Prof. Sovik Mukherjee, the Course Coordinator shared the details of the modular syllabus, course plan, CO-PO mapping and evaluation plan. The programme ended with an interactive session.

Sovik Mukherjee

SXUK celebrates International Yoga Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) observed and celebrated the International Yoga Day on June 21, 2023 in the university campus. The theme of the Yoga Day was ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ i.e. Yoga for the welfare of all in the form of ‘One World - One Family’.

While inaugurating the grand event, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK complimented the students, faculty and staff members for participating in Yoga practice. He said, “Everyone should practice Yoga regularly. It helps in unifying body and mind.” He further said that regular practice of Yoga not only strengthens immunity power, but also fosters mental strength.

Mr. Ajay Gupta, Pranayama Instructor spoke on the relevance and benefits of practising Yoga in a stressful world. He also engaged the participants in various ‘asanas’. Students, faculty and staff members found the session highly enriching.

Mr. Sandeep Mundra

SXUK organises workshop on business fundamentals

In a bid to give a professional exposure to its students, Faculty of Commerce & Management, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUAA) conducted a two-day workshop on ‘Mastering Business Fundamentals: Strategies for Success in a Competitive Landscape’ on June 15-16, 2023 in the campus.

The first day of the workshop trained participants on developing business plans, exploring funding options, implication of law in business, block chain and cryptocurrency, etc. Hands-on training on data crunching to real-time decision making was also imparted. The day-long training also included practical exercises on public relations.

The second day of the workshop included sessions to enhance students’ understanding of the role and relevance of academia in industry. A session on six sigma and business process re-engineering enlightened students on reinventing a whole business end to end model and focused on application of theoretical knowledge to real life situations.

Eminent industry professionals were invited as resource persons. Participants found the workshop highly enriching. All the faculty members of the department were also present.

Dr. Mitra Goswami

SXUK conducts workshop on Capacity Building

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) is organising a 2-week Capacity Building Programme (CBP), sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi for young faculty members of social science from June 12 to 24, 2023 in the university campus.

Dr. Shashi Panja, State Cabinet Minister for Industries, Commerce and Enterprises inaugurated the programme in the presence of Father John Felix Raj, S.J., Vice-Chancellor, SXUK.

Dr. Panja applauded the efforts and invited SXUK to get associated with her Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare in future for carrying out development projects at various level.

Father Raj said, “An educational institute as a centre of knowledge must collaborate with other institutes for the growth of knowledge.”

He also announced that SXUK has already signed an MoU with Webel and is working on some innovative projects with the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), Judicial Academy and West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS).

The first day of the workshop witnessed participation of young academicians from different parts of the country. Eminent professionals have been invited to give hands on training. Dr. Mononita Kundu Das of Xavier Law School is the Director of the programme.

- Mario Martin Louis

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SXUK conducts workshop for rural women

In a humble effort to empower rural women, Centre for Social Outreach (CSE), a unit of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in association with Seva Kendra, Kolkata started a 10-day workshop on tailoring from June 12, 2023 in the university campus.

This workshop aims to promote the economic condition of rural women from the neighbouring villages through imparting hands on training on tailoring. It would continue upto June 23, 2023.

While inaugurating the programme, Father John Felix Raj, S.J., Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “This is one of the many programmes we plan to conduct. A university as a temple of knowledge must always be in touch with neighbouring villages. 15 sewing machines will be handed over to the participating women after they complete the training programme.” He further added, “Such workshop will continue for the women of the nearby villages.

Experienced trainers from Seva Kendra would conduct the workshop. All the participants will receive a training completion certificate. SXUK has a plan to set up a vocational training centre for the rural women in the second phase.

The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) sponsored the project as a part of their CSR initiative. Fr. Anthony Rodrigues, Director, Seva Kendra and Mr. Subhasish De, Regional Manager, WBSEDCL were present in the inaugural programme.

Thanks to Mr. Sukhendu Bank, Coordinator, CSE, SXUK and student volunteers for their active and efficient organisation of the programme.

Dr. Somak Sen

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SXUK and Webel sign MoU

In a historic move, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) and WEBEL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of Industry-Academia collaboration on May 31, 2023 at the university campus.

The MoU was signed by Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK and Randhir Kumar, Secretary, IT & E Department, Government of West Bengal and Managing Director, WEBEL.

Expressing appreciation for such an effective step, Father Raj said, “It will pave a new way forward for the generations to come.” He further said that this new journey would make the students of SXUK more professional.

Randhir Kumar deliberated on the need of such industry-academia collaboration to bridge the gap in skill development of students and make them industry ready.

The MoU shall pave the way for using the Centre of Excellence, Industry 4.0 and Webel Animation Academy for the students, researchers, and faculty members of the university. The major thrust areas of the Centre of Excellence are Data Sciences and Cyber Security, 3D printing and Animation and VFX.

Students of SXUK may use the laboratories and other facilities at Webel for existing courses. New undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in collaboration with Webel are in pipeline. Short Term certificate courses, diploma courses, Faculty Development Programmes and student workshops may be offered by SXUK in collaboration with Webel.

Students would also get opportunity to work on live project during their internship. There will be placement opportunities for them in future also.

Faculty members and research scholars may use the facilities at the Centre of Excellence. The MoU will directly benefit the departments of Computer Science, Statistics, Mass Communication, Commerce, Economics and MBA having specialisation on Data Analytics.

Dignitaries like Puspal Ghosh, Senior Vice President (Education), WEBEL; Kausik Halder Manager (Education & Commercial) WEBEL, Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar, SXUK and Dr. Indra Kanta Maitra, Controller of examinations were also present. Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Head, Department of Computer Science explained the MoU in detail.
Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul

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Campus Placement for MSW 4th Semester Students

Action Aid Kolkata conducted an On-Campus interview of Social Work students to hire interns for their West Bengal office. The Department readily arranged for the session on 24.5.23 in the University campus. Mr. Surajit Neogi, State Head for West Bengal and Ms. Reshmi Ganguly, Programme Manager conducted a written test and interview of the students. Reported by Dr. Rupa Biswas

Dept of Mass Communication organises documentary screening

As a tribute to Mrinal Sen, an eminent film director and screen writer, the Department of Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a documentary screening on May 18, 2023 in the university campus.

Premendra Majumdar, Vice-President of Federation of Film Societies of India and General Secretary of the International Film Critiques was the Guest of Honour.

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “Mrinal Sen was very close to Father Gaston Roberge, a pioneer in film appreciation movement in India. Sen often visited Chitrabani, the media research centre of St. Xavier’s College which was set up by Father Roberge.”

He further added that Mrinal Sen used to have long discussion with Father Roberge on socio-political issues and its reflections in Indian cinemas.

Mr. Majumdar, a recipient of several national and international awards said about huge contribution of Mrinal Sen in Indian films. He addressed Sen as a ‘social reformer’ too. He further expressed his hopes to get collaboration of the students of SXUK in activities of film federation.

Starting with a small documentary on life sketch of Mrinal Sen, the department showed six short films on different socio-cultural topics. All these films were made by the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the department right from scripting, direction and shooting. The subjects range from hand pulled rickshaws of Kolkata and its future, life of sex workers and challenges faced by them to come back to mainstream of life, life of textile workers to many other socio-cultural issues.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar was the convener of the programme. Deans of all schools, faculty members and students attended the show.

Somak Sen

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Moot Court Society hosts XavJudice’23

The Moot Court Society of Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the Annual Intra Moot Court Competition ‘XavJudice 2023’ from April 26 to 28, 2023 at the university campus.

During his inaugural address, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK said, “When a coin is tossed in the High Court, either it falls upon a Xaverian Judge or a Xaverian Advocate.” He then unveiled the trophies infront of the dignitaries’ present.

The proceedings of XavJudice’23 were held in five courtrooms aiming to inculcate the feeling of mooting among the students. 114 students across all semesters of XLS participated in the preliminary rounds. Faculty members of XLS performed the role of judges.

The second day witnessed a gamut of strong, convincing arguments and reasoning adopted by the teams. Judges were satisfied with the performance and shared their valuable feedback.

On the third day, Advocate Sanjukta Roy from the Calcutta High Court, Ms. Anjali Karmakar from Techno India University, Ms. Shrinkhala Jaiswal from LawSikho and Mr. Victor Nayak from Department of Law, UEM joined the event as judges for the semifinals.

Sharmistha Ghosh, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Hooghly and Ayan Majumdar, Deputy Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal were judges in the final round. A stellar show of advocacy was witnessed which had a resemblance to the finest courtroom proceedings. Students found this programme highly enriching.

Dr. Rajrupa Sinha Roy

Faculty of Science celebrates National Technology Day

To keep its students aware on latest technological advancement, Faculty of Science of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the National Technology Day by organizing a 3-day workshop from May 11 to 13, 2023 at the university campus. The topic was ‘Data Analytics and Machine Learning.’

Dr. A. Arockiasamy S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science inaugurated the workshop. Dr. Bhaswati Ganguli, an eminent academician from Department of Statistics, University of Calcutta was the keynote speaker. She highlighted the different aspects of machine learning for data analysis.

Mr. Sourabh Mukherjee, Associate Managing Director, Accenture explained relevance and uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in data management and cloud computing in industries.

On the first day of the workshop, Dr. Manisha Pal and Dr. Tanushree Biswas took sessions on ‘Exploratory Data Analytics’ and ‘Descriptive Statistics’ respectively. Dr. Shuvendu Chakraborty took a lab session on different testing techniques using R software.

The next two days were packed with theoretical and practical sessions. Dr. Dreamlee Sharma delivered an insightful lecture on ‘Statistical Inference’ and ‘Regression Analysis’, two important technological areas in research.

Dr. Sayan Das discussed uses and importance of AI, machine learning and data analytics, followed by a practical session by Dr. Shuvendu Chakraborty. Dr. Manisha Pal conducted a special session on the relevance of categorical data analysis.

During the valedictory session, Rev. Father John Felix Raj. S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK highlighted the importance and need of AI and robotics in modern civilisation. He also distributed the certificates to the participants.

Students from various colleges and universities pursuing graduation and postgraduation programmes in Computer Science and Statistics participated in the workshop. Deans of other schools were also present. Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul was the convener of the workshop.

Dr. Sayan Das

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Dept of Commerce organises special lecture

In a bid to prepare the students for recruitment drives and interviews, Department of Commerce (Morning), St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a special lecture for its M.Com students on May 18, 2023.

The topic was ‘Job Interview: Myth & Reality.’ Mr. Sandip Chatterjee, Vice President, Gamut Infosystems Ltd. was the eminent speaker.

Mr. Chatterjee discussed insightful examples from interview scenarios to debunk common misconceptions. He briefed on certain etiquettes that are required to be followed by job aspirants at the time of interview.

He advised students to have clarity on subject, practical application, current affairs and to sharpen their technological proficiency. An assertive approach is always preferred, he added.

He asked students to focus on areas of improvement to become more competent. An interactive session took place at the end.

Dr. Mitra Goswami

SXUK organises FDP on teaching style

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a Faculty Development Programme for its own faculty members on May 4, 2023. Prof. Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi, eminent academician and former Principal Advisor to Director General, UNIDO was the resource person. The theme was ‘Teaching Teachers: Styles and Professionalism’.

While inaugurating the programme, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said that it is the Xaverian practice to invite erudite personalities to share their valuable advice. “We all are teachers as well as leaners. Teaching and learning is a continuous process,” he added.

While addressing the young faculty members of SXUK, Prof. Vinanchiarachi said, “Our education makes students eligible to make entry to employment; but not for employment.” Focusing on present education scenario, he said that a good teacher is realised for the purpose of education.

Advising teachers to remain committed to their goals, the veteran academician said, “A teacher should be intellectually trained, morally upright, spiritually inspired and socially committed to lead the nation.”

To be successful as a teacher, he advised the faculty members to remain as “a learning teacher and not to act as a learned teacher.” He directed the faculty members to act as “a logical thinker, an aggressive achiever and a gentle helper” throughout and maintain right proportional balance in all three aspects. “Good sense of humour helps a teacher to come closer to students and assists in imparting better teaching-learning process,” he said.

He also guided the faculty members to remain active in research works and how to write quality research articles and publish the same in internationally acclaimed journals.

In his concluding words, Prof. Vinanchiarachi said, “Don’t teach students to read; make them think critically.” He further advised teachers to give real life examples while teaching to sharpen students’ analytical frame of mind.

The FDP was concluded with an interactive session. All faculty members of SXUK attended the programme and found it highly enriching. Dr. Tanushree Biswas, Assistant Director of IQAC, SXUK coordinated the programme.

Somak Sen

SXUK hosts National Conference

In a bid to excel more in research work, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a national level conference on ‘Contemporary issues in Accounting, Finance and Management’ on April 29, 2023 in the university campus.

It was a collaborative effort by the Faculty of Commerce and Management, Father Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), SXUK and the Indian Accounting Association (IAA), Kolkata.

Prof. Jasraj Bohra, President, IAA delivered the inaugural address. There were two sessions in the conference. A total of 56 research papers were presented by academicians and research scholars on different topics related to the theme. Renowned professors from different universities of India moderated parallel plenary sessions.

Among the dignitaries present were Dr. Ananda Mohan Pal, President, IAA, Kolkata branch; Dr. Satyajit Dhar, Secretary, IAA, Kolkata branch; Dr. Amitava Roy, Dean, Commerce, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata; Dr. Amalendu Bhunia, Dean of Arts and Commerce, University of Kalyani, etc.

Faculty members and students of SXUK, academicians and research scholars from different colleges and universities attended the conference.

Dr. Soma Sur

Dept of MSW celebrates Earth Day

In an attempt to keep its students aware of sustainable development, the Department of Social Work of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the Earth Day on April 25, 2023.

Faculty members of the department directed the students to explore avenues to contribute to the well-being of Mother Earth. Students came up with innovative ideas and discussed. They also participated in poster preparation and made slogans related to sustainable development.

At the end of the session, students took pledge to reduce the wastage of energy, food and water; refrain from using electronic gadgets like smart phones, tabs, television, etc. for an hour every day, recycle electronic waste and clothes, use water and other natural resources judiciously, etc.

They were also taught to use dustbins, segregate wet and dry waste, reduce the use of plastic and were advised to acknowledge others on the same in their surroundings.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

XLS hosts first edition of Xavier mediation competition

Xavier Society for Law and Justice (XSLAJ), a unit of Xavier Law School (XLS) organized the first edition of Xavier Mediation Competition - 2023 (XMC) in association with the Khaitan & Company, Advocates & Solicitors and Parnasree Jeewandeep Seva Sansthan, Kolkata from April 19 to 21, 2023 at the university campus.

Justice Ashim Kumar Banerjee, former Judge at the Calcutta High Court was the Chief Guest. More than 100 students of XLS and other colleges and universities spontaneously participated in the event.

The competition was spread across three days with a series of sessions, judged by eminent partners & associates of Khaitan & Co., one of India's oldest and leading law firms. The final round of the same was judged by Hon'ble Justice Dr. Sambuddha Chakrabarti, former Judge at the Calcutta High Court and Chairperson of the Tax Tribunal, and by Mr. Shounak Mitra and Mr. Subhro Chatterjee, Partners at Khaitan & Co.

The award for the Best Negotiating Pair and Best Mediator was bagged by Jindal Global Law School, Haryana along with a cash prize of ₹25,000 and ₹12,500, respectively. Students from South Calcutta Law College won the runners up prize and a cash prize of ₹15,000.

The award for the second runners up - negotiating pair and the cash prize of ₹10,000 went to the Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Nagpur.

Partners from Khaitan & Co. declared that the winners of the first prize would be given an internship at their organisation. The event was organized in partnership with 91.9 Friends FM, Rasu's - The Spice Station, Yogayog Courier Pvt. Ltd. & Orient Graphics.

Dr. Animesh Das

SXUK organises Xavrang 2023

Students’ Board of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the much-coveted Xavrang 2023, the annual fest of the university on April 12 and 13, 2023 in the campus.

After a two-year gap due to COVID-19 pandemic, this year Xavrang witnessed a huge gathering of students of SXUK and many other colleges and universities, who spontaneously participated in a series of events in these two days.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, S.J, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK congratulated the Students’ Board for organising the fest. Amid the presence of visitors and participants of other colleges and universities, he said, “We offer a vibrant academic atmosphere which includes cultural ethos and pathos. Come, see and enjoy what SXUK is.” His words were greeted with thunderous applause of the audience.

The ceremony kicked off with the cutting of cake in the presence of Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, all students, teachers, staff members of the university and external participants. Students from 43 colleges and universities participated in 63 events belonging to literary, cultural, management, debate, street plays (nukkad-natak), sports, legal issues, economic events and photography sections, etc.

Professor-in-charges of different cultural societies run by SXUK gave their valuable inputs in arranging different events. Each event was judged by experts invited from academic and industrial sectors.

The two days were filled with fun and joy. The campus wore a different look as students bedecked themselves with colourful dress. Proper security arrangements were there to avoid any untoward incident.

The fest concluded with a prize distribution ceremony and a coruscating DJ performance by Sush and Yohan Music, Mumbai which witnessed a maddening presence of students at the last day.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

SXUK organises guest lecture by Kiran Bedi

Research Development Cell of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a virtual session with eminent administrator Dr. Kiran Bedi, the former Lt. Governor of Puducherry and an IPS officer on April 3, 2023. She was invited to give a guest lecture on ‘Fearless Governance’.

While delivering the inaugural address, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK stressed on the need of good governance in institutions, particularly in educational institutions. “There is a need to develop robust leadership quality”, he added.

Dr. Kiran Bedi discussed the moribund administrative system as she found it while serving as the Lt. Governor of Puducherry. She advised everyone not to bow down but to face the situation in order to be a successful leader.

She also made a virtual tour of her latest book namely ‘Fearless Governance’. The book is translated in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Malayalam, based on the ground realities as she witnessed in Puducherry. At the end, a brief interaction was held between Dr. Bedi and faculty members in online mode.

The entire programme took place in a video conferencing mode at the Albert Huart Hall, Arrupe Building. All faculty members and students of SXUK attended the programme.

Dept of Social Work organises special lecture session

In a bid to make the students aware of women empowerment, Department of Social Work, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a special lecture session on April 3, 2023. The topic was ‘Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005’. Dr. Utpal Raha, a faculty member of Xavier Law School was the resource person.

Dr. Utpal Raha said that domestic violence is a social malady which leads to fatal consequences. The Government has empowered women sect by implementing the Act. Victims should address their issues to the judiciary without hiding, he added.

Dr. Raha discussed salient features of the Act and said that the implementation of the law is a first step to address the problems arisen. He urged every victim and their well-wishers to bring the incidents of domestic violence to the notice of the judiciary.

He further said that students and professionals of social work should play significant role in making people aware of the Act and take steps to eradicate the social evil. The lecture was followed by an interactive session. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

Dept of Social Work organizes special lecture

In a bid to make its students aware of sustainable development, the Department of Social Work, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a special lecture on March 22, 2023. The topic was ‘Forest, Livelihoods and Development: Bengal Experience’.

The resource person was Michael Islary, a Senior Programme Officer, Centre for People’s Forestry, Hyderabad. He discussed the lifestyle of tribal population living in forests and their rights to the natural resources for their sustenance.

While highlighting their ways of livelihood in Bankura, Sundarbans and Sandeshkhali, Mr. Islary spoke about the issues and challenges faced by the tribal inhabitants regularly. He cited their dependency on non-timber forest products in sustaining their livelihoods.

Mr. Islary stressed on forming capacity development, advocacy and policies by both the government and non-government organisations for providing quality life to the tribal people in these areas. He also encouraged students to work as social workers in ecological domain.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

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Students’ Board of SXUK organises health camp

Students’ Board of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a health awareness camp on April 3 and 5, 2023 in the university premises as a part of social activity. The camp was open to all students and staff members of SXUK.

On the first day, eye check-up for students and staff members took place in collaboration with Sunetra Eye Care, Kolkata. Dr. Amitava Biswas, Director of Sunetra Eye Care and Mrs. Neena Biswas, Head, Department of Optometric were present. Around 200 students and staff members underwent eye check-up.

A health talk on balanced diet in association with Fortis Hospital, Kolkata took place on April 5. Dr. Mita Shukla was the eminent speaker. Dr. Sanjay Garg discussed mental health and stress management and Dr. Sanjukta Dutta gave a detailed insight on basic life support training.

Doctors and Registered Medical Officers (RMOs) measured blood pressure, random blood sugar and ECG of the students and staff members. Those who needed also consulted with a cardiologist. The camp witnessed huge participation of students and staff members.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

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Dept. of Economics hosts national level conference

Department of Economics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with the Jesuit Economic Association of India (JEAI) organized a two-day national conference on March 24-25, 2023 at the University campus. The theme was ‘Contemporary Issues in Economic Theory and Policy’.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Father John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said that India is passing through a crucial economic challenge which needs to be controlled with effective policy making and implementation. While appreciating the initiative of the department to organise a conference on such a relevant topic, Father Raj expressed that the issue would be properly debated and discussed in this conference.

Prof. Prabhat Patnaik, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) delivered the keynote address on the poverty of mainstream economics. He said, “Economy, as envisaged in the mainstream tradition, is incompatible with a production economy.” He further said that in a money-driven world, where money acts as a store of value, the logic of mainstream economics does not hold. He also gave insights into a few policy issues of mainstream economics.

Among the other dignitaries present were Prof. Pinaki Chakraborty, Former Director National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; Dr. Himanshu, Associate Professor, JNU; Dr. Tanika Chakraborty, Associate Professor, IIM-Calcutta; Prof. Anup Kumar Sinha, President, Bandhan Bank; etc. They also delivered separate lectures on related issues.

A bunch of research scholars and academicians from Jesuit institutions like Loyola Academy Secunderabad; St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad; XIM University, Bhubaneshwar, Xavier Institute of Social Sciences, Ranchi; St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata; and other colleges and universities presented their research papers in the conference. A total of 40 research papers were presented in ten different technical sessions. All the faculty members of the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies also attended the conference.

Dr. Subhanil Chowdhury

Dept. of Economics hosts Third Annual Economic Summit

Department of Economics of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) in association with Xavier’s University Economic Society (XAVECOS) organised the third Annual Economic Summit on March 23, 2023. The theme was on ‘Emerging Challenges and Policy Framework for Developing Countries.’

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Father Dr. John Felix Raj S.J; Vice-Chancellor of SXUK stressed on formulating effective policies to meet the socio-economic challenges in developing and underdeveloped nations. He said that plans must be drawn to make holistic progress. He further congratulated the students from different parts of the country for joining this summit along with their research works.

Dr. Rohit Azad, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) delivered a lecture on ‘Triple Indian Crisis’, created by the COVID-19 pandemic, post-pandemic recovery challenges and climate change.

A panel discussion took place where Prof. Achin Chakraborty, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata; Prof. Manabi Majumdar, Centre for Studies in Social Science Calcutta and Dr. Anirban Mukherjee, University of Calcutta participated.

More than 250 research scholars and students across the country participated in the summit and presented their research works on sustainable development goals, social sector, trade and development, banking and finance, etc.

Shashibardhan Sharma, a research scholar of JNU bagged the best paper award. He submitted a research paper entitled ‘Cheating in second price auctions and emotional responses’.

Muhammad Abdul Majid Bhat of Madras School of Economics won the best paper award at postgraduate students’ category. His research work was on energy intensity and productivity in the Indian manufacturing firms. Dipanjan Paul and Shouyja Basu of SXUK bagged second and third prizes respectively.

In the undergraduate section, Nandini Sen and Sayoni Sen of Heritage College, Kolkata won the first prize. While the second prize was bagged by Shreyaj Ghosh, Shoumi Chatterjee and Chandrima Roy of SXUK, the third prize went to Aniket Ghosh and Vyom Pandey of Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda.

Dr. Devleena Majumdar

Prof. Felix Wilfred lectures on social exclusion at SXUK

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised an extension lecture on ‘Principles and ways to overcome social exclusion in Asia’ on March 11, 2023 at the university campus. The speaker was Prof. Father Felix Wilfred, an eminent academician and theologian from Chennai.

Formerly associated with the University of Madras as the Chairperson of the School of Philosophy and Religious Thought, Prof. Wilfred is the Founder-Director of Asian Culture for Cross-Cultural Studies (ACCS), Chennai.

Father John Felix Raj, S.J, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK felicitated Father Wilfred on behalf of the Lafont Centre of Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), the research wing of SXUK. In his welcome address, Father Raj reminisced his memories of student life at Vidyajoti College of Theology, New Delhi where he had first met Father Wilfred.

While referring to the practices of social exclusion across the world, Prof. Wilfred narrated his experience of visiting cities in Asia where he witnessed the culture of ‘ghettoization’ that isolates one from others. He said, “Social exclusion is a multi-layered phenomenon. It happens through social, political, cultural and economic aspects”.

He referred to untouchability as the most widely practised process that indulges in social exclusion. “This is a social evil which has been in practice since the mediaeval period throughout the world”, he added.

Referring to Nelson Mandela’s movement to rise against apartheid in South Africa, Father Wilfred said that depriving one from getting opportunity is a perpetrated attack on one’s self-respect and dignity. He said that more equity is needed than seeking equality in society to overcome exclusion. He mentioned Mahatma Gandhi who once said, “Natural resources are for the use of entire human family”.

Father Wilfred strongly criticised the present education system that ingrains the concept of competition among children. He said that it results into rat-race that empowers one student to disparage others and brings disaster to their future. He also added that parents are equally responsible for this as they pamper their children to practise social exclusion in this way. Citing the inequality in getting opportunity to pursue higher education, he said, “It still remains locked in the coterie of rich and powerful class of society”, he added.

In his concluding words, Prof. Wilfred recognised Father Raj’s ‘monumental’ and ‘significant’ contributions to the development of higher education in the state. Besides praising SXUK’s efforts to make holistic development through inclusive education policies, he urged all stakeholders of the University to come forward and join this noble mission to make a better tomorrow.

All faculty members, staff and postgraduate students of the university attended the programme.

Somak Sen

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Dept of Computer Science organises session on interdisciplinary research

In an attempt to make the students aware on scope of further research, the Department of Computer Science, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised an open house session by Mr. Saurav Mukherjee, Vice President, Corporate Treasury of Goldman Sachs on March 4, 2023. The topic was ‘Scope of Interdisciplinary Study & Research in India & Abroad’.

It was an interactive session with the faculty members and students of the Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistics. Mr. Mukherjee explained several concepts of data analytics, machine learning and their wide applications in industry regarding real-life applicability. He further mentioned different aspects of algorithmic trading, Robo advisory, Data Engineering and Data Visualization, Causal Inference, Decision under uncertainty during the interactive session.

Citing his decade long professional experience, he advised the students to keep open an alternative way in career. The session enriched the students to explore emerging domains of data science and machine learning for suitable application in the industry.

Dr. Sayan Das

LCERI conducts workshop on advanced research techniques

In a bid to keep the research scholars updated on recent developments, Fr. Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI) conducted a two-day workshop cum training session on February 17 and 18, 2023.

The topic was ‘Advanced Research Techniques: Structured Equation Modelling (SEM).’ The workshop was for the enrolled Ph.D. scholars and faculty members of SXUK. The resource person was Dr. Gautam Bandyopadhyay, an eminent Professor, NIT, Durgapur.

Scholars were introduced to the fundamentals of statistical techniques in this workshop. They were taught to measure and analyse relationship between observed and latent variables. All the participants found the workshop highly enriching.

Dr. Soma Sur

Student Board of SXUK organises blood donation camp

Responding to the needs of society, Student Board of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a Blood Donation Camp in collaboration with the Association of Voluntary Blood Donors, West Bengal on February 17, 2023 in the university premises.

A total of 400 students, volunteers of the Student Board, faculty members and non-teaching staff members of the university donated their blood enthusiastically. Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of the University congratulated the donors for participating in such a life-saving programme.

The donors were given food packets after they had donated blood. The camp ran smoothly as adequate medical facilities were available.

While inaugurating the programme, Debasish Sen, the Chairman of Housing and Industrial Development Corporation (HIDCO), West Bengal said that the organisation has been planning to conduct many such programmes. The HIDCO expects assistance of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata in carrying out their social development programmes in near future also, he added.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

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SXUKAA organises XAV-MILAN

The Xaverian spirit of remaining in unison forever was witnessed when St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) hosted the first-ever Alumni Reunion (Xav-Milan) on February 11, 2023. The campus was abuzz with a festive atmosphere; it witnessed an overwhelming response from its proud alumni who came together to reminisce about their time spent at this prestigious institution.

The event began with Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK and President, SXUKAA, welcoming the alumni and alumnae with a nostalgic note of homecoming. Rev. Fr. Jeyaraj Veluswamy, SJ, the first Chancellor and Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, the Founder Vice-Chancellor of SXUK were felicitated by SXUKAA on the occasion.

Father Veluswamy spoke about how this institution grew within a few years. “I still remember when Father Raj had expressed his vision of building St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata and today to see this institution achieve success in academics and research couldn't have been possible without the blessings of the God and the untiring support of teachers, students and alumni association which brings the concrete structure of brick and sand to life.”

Fr. Dominic Savio, Principal of St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta was also present at the meet. The Governing Body members of SXUKAA led by the Hony. Secretary, Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, were also felicitated on the occasion. Emotions ran high as old friends bonded and faculty members reunited with their mentees.

Proceedings took a musical turn with The Loko Express, a popular band in Kolkata, setting the mood performing a variety of hits from different genres, getting the crowd grooving and singing along to the tunes. Following the band performance, a DJ night was organized. Another highlight of the evening was the sumptuous dinner. The menu consisted of a variety of cuisines, including Indian, Chinese, and continental. The night ended with revisiting old memories and a promise to rekindle it every year.

Sayantika Dutta
Editor, SXUKAA

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SXUK celebrates Seventh Foundation Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated its seventh Foundation Day on February 8, 2023 with pomp and ceremony.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor, SXUK enlightened everyone with the message of a Jesuit society that is being followed by everyone in the University.

While describing the journey of the University from ideation to foundation, he emphasized on establishing the value system here according to the Jesuit values.

Rev. Fr. Jeyaraj Veluswamy, S.J. was the Chief Guest who shared the reflection of Jesuit values and the Ignatian pedagogy in teaching-learning process here. He congratulated the faculty and staff members of the University for their dedication to meet the objectives.

The holy foundation prayer was read out by Father Mourlin K, S.J. All the faculty and staff members, class representatives of every class and volunteers were present.

Dr. Somnath Banerjee

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SXUK confers D.Litt on Mamata Banerjee

In a historic move, Father John Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conferred the D.Litt (Honoris Causa) on Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal in the fourth Convocation ceremony on February 6, 2023 in the presence of Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose, Governor of West Bengal.

The university felicitated Dr. Mamata Banerjee with this great honour in academics for her contribution in the development of higher education in the state. Fr. Raj handed over the citation to her and the Governor called it an occasion “where a deserving woman leader has been honoured with a degree”.

Dr. Banerjee dedicated this honour to the common people, especially to the weaker sections of the state.

The programme began with the inauguration of Loyola Tirtha by the Chief Minister, the newly constructed administrative block that houses the Office of Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor and other officers.

The university’s executive council recommended Mamata’s name for the honour in recognition of her “exemplary contribution to social development and education in the state”, Father Felix Raj said in his inaugural address. He also read out the annual report and narrated the activities of the University in different academic and administrative sectors. After that, the Chief Minister was conferred on the prestigious degree.

While delivering the Convocation address, Dr. Mamata Banerjee praised the University for imparting quality education and compared it with renowned universities of the western nations. She acknowledged the numerous social development programmes that the university undertook since its inception in various sectors and extolled the activities.

Besides congratulating the degree recipients and wishing them for a robust career ahead, she further advised the students of SXUK to carry on the rich legacy of the institution through generation. Students and faculty members cheered at her message amid loud applause.

She also announced to introduce a government-sponsored Saint Mother Teresa Chair Professor at the university. “Today, I propose from the Government of West Bengal a respected chair for the sainthood of Mother Teresa at the St Xavier’s University so that it can work for education, and a message can go to the world; Yes, Bengal gives full respect to mothers”, she said.

“St. Xavier’s University and College have been producing gems through decades who have been contributing their best to develop the country”, she added. She directed the students and its alumni members to keep reminiscing and follow the ideals that they learnt from this ‘temple of academics.’ “She became an honorary alumna of the university’s alumni association on Monday,” said Father Felix Raj. She was also accorded with an honorary alumni membership card and a memento by Vatsal Chirimar, Hony Secretary of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association.

Governor was equally effusive in praising the University for its decision to confer the prestigious D.Litt (Honoris Causa) on Mamata Banerjee as he equalled her with Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, Winston Churchill and many other renowned personalities while addressing the august gathering.

Strongly criticising the nexus between politics and education that have been crippling the academic scenario in many universities, the Governor admired the politics-free education and campus of SXUK and expressed his happiness to find “a happy marriage of knowledge and statecraft”. Expressing his desire to find the University to emerge as one of the best academic hubs of the world in future, the Governor venerated the quality of missionary education across the world including the Xaverian family.

A total of 770 students received their degree completion certificates in this convocation day. Out of them, there were 113 rank holders who secured first, second and third positions respectively in different programmes.

Out of these rank holders, 60 students belonged to postgraduate programmes and 53 students belonged to undergraduate programmes. There were 33 medal recipients who were awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. Two faculty members of the University were also felicitated for completion of their Ph.D. programmes during their service.

The first issue of the university’s research journal namely ‘St. Xaviers University Kolkata Journal of Interdisciplinary Research’ and the magazine ‘Xaverianum 2022’ were also inaugurated.

The programme concluded with a hope to meet new heights in future.

Somak Sen.

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IQAC organises awareness programme on Intellectual Property Rights

In a bid to make the faculty members aware about rising threat of fake information, plagiarism and other issues related to research works, the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised an awareness programme on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on January 20, 2023. The resource person was Abhishek Sen, representative of the Patent Office, Kolkata, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India.

This guest lecture session was held under the ‘Kalam Programme for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness Campaign’ (KAPILA) and ‘National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission’ (NIPAM), as per the UGC guidelines. Mr. Sen discussed various types of IPR – patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets, etc. He mentioned and guided teachers how to make copyright of their individual research works, how to get patents and prevent copying or misusing their valuable works and data by others.

He further discussed several IPR related acts like Trademarks Act, 1999; Patents Act, 2005; Copyright Act, 1957; and Designs Act, 2000 and analysed the loopholes. The session witnessed huge participation of all faculty members, followed by an interaction. All participants were given online certificates by the Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India.

Dr. Somak Sen.

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Department of Statistics organises lecture on resampling method

In a bid to nourish students more on statistical knowledge, the Department of Statistics, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata organized an invited talk on February 1, 2023 for the postgraduate students of Statistics, Computer Science and Economics.

The speaker was Dr. Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty, an eminent Professor of Statistics from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong. The title of his talk was ‘Statistical Insights through Resampling Methods’.

Prof Chakrabarty spoke at length on how the appropriateness of measure of central tendency for a given data set can be examined through resampling, and how one can get an indication of the distribution of a statistic through it. He discussed the Bootstrap method for resampling, using examples for a clear understanding, and indicated the Jackknife method.

The lecture motivated students to explore areas where such resampling techniques would be helpful. The programme concluded with an interactive session.

Dr. Manisha Pal

SXUK celebrates Annual Sports Day

Like every year, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted its Annual Sports on January 28, 2023 to display sporting skills of its students. A plethora of sport-events were arranged for both men and women.

Arun Lal, former Indian Cricketer was the Chief Guest. During his deliberation, Mr. Lal urged students to actively participate in sports as it helps to widen the horizon of mind. He also shared his experience of promoting exuberant youngsters to build up their sporting career.

The presence of Ajit Tete, Deputy Inspector General, Border Security Force (BSF) graced the occasion.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK expressed his immense happiness to find students on the track. He appreciated the efforts of the University Sports Society members.

The BSF contingent mesmerized the gathering through a brilliant musical performance. Faculty members and students cheered at the participants while they were performing at different events. The programme concluded with prize and medal distribution to the winners, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony.

Sandeep Mundra
Convener, Sports Society

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SXUK conducts virtual training programme to promote research quality

To maintain the quality of research, Fr. Arrupe Central Library of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with the university’s Research Development Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, Legal and Ethical Matters, Research conducted a virtual training programme on Turnitin Feedback Studio on January 20, 2023.

Mr. Akshay Prasanna, a senior consultant of Turnitin, PES- South Asia conducted the training session. He narrated the functions of Turnitin feedback studio and differentiated between plagiarism and similarity index.

He further discussed process of plagiarism test, creating virtual classroom through the software, and various other assessment procedures. The programme ended with an interactive session with the students.

Dr. Stephen G and Dr. Gitu Singh

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SXUK celebrates Republic Day 2023

Academic development is highly necessary for holistic growth of the country, these words were reaffirmed by Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj S.J, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) while celebrating the 74th Republic Day of India in the University premises on January 26, 2023.

Amid the presence of faculty members, non-teaching staff members and students, Father Raj hoisted the National Flag and delivered the Republic Day speech. Citing the rich cultural ethos of the nation, he stressed on strengthening the bonhomie and cooperation more among the citizens of the country.

Giving reference to the economic development of the country, Father Raj said that the country’s present GDP stands at US$ 3.8 trillion and the government hopes to make it US$ 5 trillion by 2030.

Focusing his concerns on the inclusion of more students in higher education, Father Raj stated that only 24% students have enrolled in higher education institutions till now in India, which is lower than many western nations. He appreciated the plans of national government to increase it upto 50% by 2035.

He further said that both public and private universities of this country should play a constructive role in fulfilling the objectives. Out of 1070 universities, there are right now 430 private universities in the country who have been contributing for the educational development of the nation, he added.

He also stressed on building a positive attitude in everyone to make the nation ‘strong to stronger’.

Dr. Somak Sen.

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SXUK celebrates Annual Christmas Gathering

As the entire world is all set to celebrate the Holy Christmas vacation soon, St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) equally organised a Christmas get-together for the faculty and staff members of the University on December 20, 2022 in the campus.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata and President, SXUKAA greeted everyone and delivered his Christmas message. “Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; an occasion of hope, joy, love and peace. I wish all of you get your dreams fulfilled in this auspicious period,” he said.

Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University and Dr. N.K. Chakrabarti, Vice Chancellor of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences were invited as guests and they equally shared their Christmas message to the present audience.

Father Raj was felicitated by Vatsal Chirimar, Hony Secretary, SXUKAA. Audience entertained carols, sung by a few faculty members and staff of SXUK. The spirit of Christmas was celebrated and shared among the Xaverian family members.

Vatsal Chirimar

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Annual Christmas Lecture at Parasmani, Santiniketan

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-chancellor of St Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) delivered the second Annual Christmas Lecture at Parasmani, Santiniketan on December 17, 2022.

Fr. Raj spoke on ‘Brahmabandhav Upadhyay: A Prophet for all seasons. Teachers, noted civil society members and other dignitaries from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan and SXUK attended the programme. Parasmani is the Centre for Research and Social Outreach of SXUK in Ratanpally, Bolpur.

In his delightful address, Fr. Raj narrated Upadhyay as a paradoxical figure who played a key role in the struggle for independence, along with Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose and others. Father referred to Upadhyay as a forgotten prophet of India’s search for nationhood and modernity.

While narrating life sketch of Upadhyay, Fr. Raj mentioned about Animananda who along with the former founded a school following Vedic tradition in Calcutta in 1900. Fr. Raj hailed their ideas of reviving the notion of teacher-student relationship in terms of knowledge sharing and building a stronger nation.

It was on Tagore’s request that Brahmabandhav Upadhyay shifted their school from Calcutta to Santiniketan with Animananda as a teacher there, he added. This incident was the onset of establishing today’s Visva-Bharati. Fr. Raj also shared Upadhyay’s contribution to Indian Christian theology.

While concluding, Fr. Raj invited the faculty members from both SXUK and Visva-Bharati to work jointly for research and innovation in related sectors. He also urged the students from both institutions to co-assist their teachers in research works.

Somak Sen

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Dept of Commerce (Morning) organizes guest lecture on Behavioural Finance

In a bid to introduce a topic by eminent academician, the Department of Commerce (Morning), St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized a special lecture on ‘Behavioural Finance’ to its undergraduate students on November 25, 2022.

Mr. Saurav Das, Professor-in-charge, Department of Commerce of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata was the resource person. Using various scenarios with similar and contrasting situations, Prof. Das demonstrated how human and market behaviour changes in different situations influenced by several factors like individual perception, knowledge, time, resources, etc.

Students were asked to respond to cases and situations and select from available options. Their responses and behaviour patterns were analysed. Mr. Das explained the concept of behavioural finance with respect to investment pattern and stock price changes. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Mitra Goswami

LCERI conducts FDP on R software

To upgrade the quality of research and enable its faculty members remain updated with new technologies, Father Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on November 25, 2022. The topic was ‘Scope of R in Data Analysis’.

Dr. Saurabh Agarwal, a professional trainer of R, Python Softwares, Predictive Analytics Solutions Private Limited was the resource person. The FDP was organized to train the faculty members on data collection and analysis using R software. It will enable them to analyse data in a scientific way. R is an open-source software with immense scope of application with its large collection of libraries.

Dr. Soma Sur

Department of Mass Communication organizes guest lecture on Media Management

Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata organized a guest lecture on Media Management and Entrepreneurship on November 16, 2022 by eminent industry professional. Mr. Satyaky Chowdhury, Vice President, Aaj Tak group.

Mr. Chowdhury discussed the technical uses of various equipment in industry and unlimited career opportunities in media industry in India and abroad. He narrated stories of Radio Jockeys who started from a low profile at the beginning and later rose to top positions through hard work and perseverance. He further analysed multiple angles of a news story and different presentation styles as per varied editorial policies practiced by national and international media organisations.

While interacting with students, Mr. Chowdhury responded several career oriented queries of the students and assured them of a bright future ahead if they would meet the standards of the industry. He also stressed on doing post-graduation in Mass Communication citing huge competition in industry.

Mr. Chowdhury was brought to the studio of Department of Mass Communication where he found the technical equipment of industry standard and praised a lot. He advised students to practice maximum with equipment so that they would meet the industry requirements in near future.

Dr. Somak Sen.

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Department of Mass Communication conducts study tour to newspaper office

In a bid to acknowledge its students with the functions and procedures of media industry, the Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a one day visit to the office of The Times of India (TOI), a reputed English daily on November 12, 2022.

A total of fifteen students along with two teachers of the department namely Dr. Reshmi Naskar and Dr. Nitesh Tripathi visited the daily’s Kolkata office to learn how the media industry runs its programmes and manage other tasks.

Mr. Sunanda Sarkar, Resident Editor, TOI guided the students regarding the news processing on daily basis to printing and circulation of newspapers. He also delighted the students on media ethics and analysed why and how it becomes necessary to suppress certain facts to avert unrest in the society. He further discussed on career prospects in print journalism.

Dr. Nitesh Tripathi

SXUK organises international seminar on Sustainable Development

To keep pace with the global concern of saving the Mother Earth for generations, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a one-day international level virtual seminar on sustainable development on November 11, 2022. The theme was ‘Sustainable Development, Public & Private Finance and Leadership’.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK called everyone to come forward and join the noble aim of saving the Mother Earth through quality research works, plans and programmes.

The Research and Development Cell of SXUK focused on the need for promoting global collaborations towards multidisciplinary research culture through this seminar. 307 participants attended the seminar from various parts of the country. It was a delightful discourse to the attendees as eminent academicians and professionals across the country joined as resource persons.

Dr. Sisir Basu, Professor, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Banaras Hindu University; Dr. Deepak Kumar Behera, Vice-Chancellor, Kaling Institute of Social Sciences; Fr. A. Arockiasamy S.J., Dean, Faculty of Science, SXUK; Dr. Ronald Malicdem, Professor, Operations and IT, Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Philippines; Mr. Pier Luigi Migliorati, Deputy Head, Equities and Corporate Risk Division, Bank of Italy, Italy were distinguished resource persons.

Dr. Mononita Kundu Das

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Student Board conducts workshop on artificial intelligence

Student Board of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted a workshop on the application of futuristic technologies involving artificial intelligence, robotics, drones and 3D printing for its members on November 7, 2022 at Aruppe Hall inside the campus.

A team from International Steam Research (ISR) guided the students and provided hands-on training. The welcome address was delivered by Mario Martin Louis, Placement and Training Officer, SXUK.

Dr. George Panicker, Founder and CEO, ISR explained the purpose of the workshop and introduced the students to interesting futuristic situation. With the available materials, participants were assigned individual tasks. The ISR team members assisted participants in carrying out their tasks while facing any difficulty.

The workshop aimed to promote spirit of teamwork and smart thinking among the students. A practical demonstration was also given by the ISR team. The workshop enlightened the participants to learn the importance of solving problems, experiment based learning, developing open mindset and enhanced critical thinking.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

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Department of Mass Communication hosts session on Science Journalism

In a bid to acknowledge students on growth and nature of Science Journalism in Indian media scenario, the Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized a special session on November 9, 2022 for its postgraduate students.

Named as ‘Science Journalism and its dynamics’, it was conducted by Dr. Manas Pratim Das, a Programme Producer of All India Radio, Kolkata office. Dr. Das spoke on various avenues of Science Journalism and gave references to several reputed science journals like ‘Scientific American’, ‘Dream47’ and publications by Vigyan Prasar.

He discussed the scientific heritage of the country narrating how Jamsethji Tata had established the Indian Institute of Science as advised by Swami Vivekananda. He also narrated about interesting tangent of science in movies namely ‘Erin Brokovich’ (2000) and ‘Interstellar’ (2014), especially on its portrayal of black holes.

Dr. Das had also mentioned the popularity of science journalism in the cyber space with sites like popsci.com and vigyanprasargov.in. Students found the session highly informative and engaging.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar

SXUK forms new Student Board

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted the investiture ceremony of the Student Board to welcome the new members on October 17, 2022. 69 members have been inducted in the board this year.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK shared his views on the necessity of forming students’ board, grooming of leadership qualities, duties and responsibilities to be carried out as students, etc. He wished the newly formed board members a fruitful journey. Fr. Raj also handed over badges to the members. The ceremony was held at Fr. Albert Huart Hall in the University campus.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

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Dept of Mass Communication hosts special lecture on Environmental Journalism

To make the students aware on sustainable development and efforts made by international bodies to save the Mother Earth, the Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a guest lecture for its postgraduate students on November 3, 2022. The topic was ‘Environmental Journalism: The need of the hour’.

Jayanta Basu, renowned environmental journalist and columnist was the resource person. He narrated how climate change across the world has become a global threat and resulted into burning of Amazon, carbon sink, etc.

He also referred to the deterioration of East Kolkata wetlands as a local threat. Citing examples from his own drafted reports published in different dailies, he discussed various issues held responsible for global climate change and recommendations of COP26 and COP27 to avert the same. Students found the session highly enriching.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar

Department of Mass Communication conducts workshop on fake news prevention

To keep students aware on fake news and its prevention, Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized a fact-checking workshop on November 2, 2022 for its postgraduate students.

Mr. Joydeep Das Gupta, Editor, News Sense and a certified trainer from Google News Initiative, India Training Network was the resource person. Citing the need of Internet and its varied uses in modern world, Mr. Das Gupta helped students learn to distinguish between misinformation and disinformation.

He referred to a few examples of clickbait news and narrated about various web based tools of fact-checking which can be accessed easily and help us to check the validity of information. He discussed how an individual can do a reverse image search of a photo and get to know the authenticity of clickbait news.

He suggested to use apps like Google Image Search, TinEye, and Baidu for this. Similarly, a reverse video search can be done to check the authenticity of video like InVid and Frame by Frame. He further emphasised the importance of these apps to combat menace of fake news as a responsible citizen. Students found the hour-long session highly informative.

Dr. Reshmi Naskar

XBS introduces finance lab for its students

Xavier Business School (XBS) inaugurated its much sought-after finance lab for its MBA students having specialisation in finance on November 1, 2022. With this introduction, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) strengthens its MBA curriculum more professionally.

Mr. Abhishek Dube, NSE Mumbai was invited as a resource person to address the students on financial market related topics. The guest lecture session continued for two days. He briefed the students on stock market working, releasing of IPOs and analysed the same. He also guided students on how to log into and operate NSE SMART, the finance lab portal. Students also learnt how to buy and sell stocks, how to invest in different stocks, etc.

Dr. Sitangshu Khatua

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Dept of Mass Communication hosts documentary workshop

As a part of its academic curriculum, the Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a documentary film-making workshop on October 31, 2022 for its postgraduate students. The resource person was Supriyo Sen, an eminent filmmaker.

The programme consisted of two sessions. The first session started with the screening of ‘Wagah’, a documentary directed by Mr. Sen. He also narrated his experiences while shooting documentaries. He guided the students about finding a solid plot and characters suited with the main theme. He also shared fun and emotional anecdotes like how he got closer to a kid while shooting 'Wagah.' In the second session, an interaction took place between Mr. Sen and students.

Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

Gleeful presence of SXUK students in Run for Unity

In a bid to celebrate the Unity Day, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the Unity Run on October 31, 2022. One hundred students of the University spontaneously participated in the event that started from the University campus at 7 o’clock in the morning and ended at 8 am.

The spirit was so high that 35 student volunteers reported at the University campus at the wee hours of the day to carry out the programme successfully. Ashis Mitra, Registrar, SXUK addressed the participants. The entire programme was coordinated by the Sports Society of SXUK.

‘Run for unity’ is a special initiative by the University Grants Commission, which aimed to organise approximately 75,000 such runs across the country on that day and at that aforementioned specific time to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, popularly known as the Iron Man of India.

Sandeep Mundra

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SXUK alumni association celebrates Diwali Milan

The festival is over, still the festive spirit is on! The festival of light was celebrated with great pomp and ceremony as St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) celebrated the ‘Diwali Milan 2022’ in the University campus on October 29, 2022 with a bunch of young Xaverian graduates.

All the Jesuit Fathers of the SXUK Jesuit community attended the celebration. The programme began with Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor and President, SXUKAA leading everyone in prayer and lighting the ceremonial lamp. Fr. Raj also conveyed the Deepawali greetings to all alumni members. He wished that every Xaverian should spread the light of knowledge across their surroundings for a better tomorrow.

It was an occasion for the members to meet and greet each other and spend some time together during the festive season at their alma mater. A musical program was also put up by some alumni/ae on the occasion.

Vatsal Chirimar

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SXUK organises insurance awareness programme for XBS students

In a bid to upgrade the awareness on insurance plans and policies and its management, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised Insurance Awareness Programme for its MBA students at the University campus on October 20, 2022 in collaboration with the Indian Insurance Institute (III), Kolkata. The topic was ‘Beemagyan’. It was a special initiative by the Centre for Incubation, Consultancy & Entrepreneurship (CICE), SXUK along with Fr. Lafont Centre of Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI) and Xavier Business School (XBS).

The Chief Guest was Mr. Amar Kumar Goswami, Working President, III, Kolkata. Dr. Soma Sur, Hony. Director, LCERI, felicitated him. In his keynote address, Mr. Goswami mentioned how life insurance protects life values and takes vital roles in decision making.

Mr. Suprakash Banerjee, Research Convener of that institute presented detailed topic covering different types of insurance, reinsurance, promotional offers, life & non-life insurance. The interactive session with XBS students was conducted by Mr. Manish Nahata, Joint Secretary, III, Kolkata. He also spoke on term insurance, pure endowment, role of IRDAI and more. Students found the session highly insightful.

Ms. Bidisha Roy

Department of Mass Communication hosts quiz contest

In order to inculcate the habit of news reading and analysis of current affairs among the students, the Department of Mass Communication organised a quiz competition tilted ‘Media Quest 1.0’ on October 20, 2022 in the Fr. Albert Huart Hall, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK).

Participants in the quiz contest were selected through a primary test held earlier by the concerned department. The final quiz consisted of ten rounds and had two teams competing against each other. Topics like brand, television, film, advertisement, literature, newspaper and magazine, awards and honours, personalities, music, folk and culture were included in the contest.

Erika Roy and Sanica Chakrabarty, two postgraduate students of the aforesaid department were declared winners.

Dr. Nitesh Tripathi

Department of Mass Communication hosts Xavmeet

To boost the spirit of rational discourse among its students, the Department of Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted Xavmeet, an interdepartmental panel discussion on October 12, 2022 in offline mode. The topic was 'Is Technology Saving the World or Killing it?’

There were nine panellists in the discussion namely Farheen Halder and Sania Haider from the Department of Mass Communication, Ali Aftab (Commerce), Muskan Bagani (Commerce - Morning), Jishan Islam (Economics), Aishiki Banerjee (English), Adrija Sen (B.M.S.), Zainal Abdin (M.Com), and Aqsa Mallick (B.A., LL.B). The programme was moderated by Maliha Siddiqui, a third semester student of Department of Mass Communication.

Five of the participants hailed technology as the saviour while four others regarded it as harmful if not used within control. They cited irrational behaviour of a few in treating and using artificial intelligence excessively for personal and selfish purposes.

The speakers collectively came to a concluding decision on positive uses of technology to combat existing issues and threats like pollution, resource depletion, terrorism and communication barriers, etc.

Dr. Somak Sen.

SXUK organises Faculty Development Programme with Press Club and UNICEF

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in association with Press Club, Kolkata and UNICEF, conducted an eight-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Development Journalism from September 17 - 24, 2022 in hybrid mode. The inauguration ceremony took place in physical mode at SXUK campus on September 17.

Emphasizing the significance of the FDP theme, Mr. Snehasis Sur, President, Press Club, Kolkata in his beginning address welcomed Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK; Mr. Mohammed Mohiuddin, Chief of UNICEF, Kolkata; Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar, SXUK and all FDP participants from different colleges and universities in India.

Fr. Raj in his inaugural speech, addressed the august audience on the concept of ‘development’ and development practices. He also reflected his views on how the so-called idea of ‘development’, specified by western scholars has failed to meet the needs of Indian citizens as a whole. He praised the organisers to select the topic as a relevant part of media education.

Mr. Mohiuddin delivered a speech on how crisis communication was facilitated in online mode during the COVID-19 pandemic period. He also talked on the shift from Millennium Development Goals (MDS) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and recognized them as the need of the hour.

In the inaugural session, a model syllabus of Development Journalism curriculum, apt to be introduced at undergraduate and postgraduate levels was inaugurated. A research work on ‘Changing media habits during COVID-19 lockdown: A study’, carried out by faculty members of Department of Mass Communication, SXUK under the guidance of Prof. Sur was also released.

The eight-day FDP witnessed registration of over 60 faculty members from different colleges and universities of West Bengal. Senior academicians and media practitioners specializing in Development Journalism like Dr. Saumendranath Bera, Prof. Ananda Mitra, Dr. Uma Shankar Pandey, Dr. Amit Shovon Ray, Mr. Dilip Ghosh, Mr. Joydeep Dasgupta, Mr. Ujjwal K. Chowdhury, Mrs. Joya Chakraborty, Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee, Dr. Santwan Chattopadhyay, Dr. Saswati Gangopadhyayay, Ms. Bharti Ali, Prof. K G Suresh and Dr. Debojyoti Chanda were the resource persons.

The FDP came to an end with a field visit to Kathalberia, a village adopted by SXUK. The entire team was divided into three groups. Each group visited a state government run primary school, a state government run health centre and the Panchayat office respectively to interact with beneficiaries and have an in-depth understanding of rural governance.

The field visit was followed by an analytical discussion by Mr. Amitava Das, Media Officer, UNICEF Kolkata; Mr. Joydeep Dasgupta, Cyber law and practices expert, Suvojit Bagchi, UNICEF. The session was chaired by Ms. Sucharita Bardhan, UNICEF Communication Expert, Kolkata office. The valedictory session concluded with the distribution of certificates to the participants.

Dr. Soma Sur

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SXUK organises poster competition for students to observe the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’ 2022

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) observed the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’ 2022 (the Cleanliness Fortnight) during the period of 1st – 15th Sept 2022 by organising a poster making competition for the students of the university. This year, the objective of observing Swachhata Pakhwada was to bring an intense focus on the issues and practices of hygiene and cleanliness.

The poster making competition was organized to offer the students a platform to showcase their artistic skills and creative potential within the broad theme of ‘Swachhata for a Green India, Swachhata for a Green Earth’ and to promote conversation on challenges related to hygiene and cleanliness among all.

The wave of enthusiasm of the students could be felt by us as we sorted an array of posters they submitted. The university appreciates the efforts and ideas of all the students who took part in this competition, even though we were bound to select only a handful of posters for the purpose of display in noticeboards and the university website.

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Department of Computer Science organizes invited lecture by eminent professional

Department of Computer Science of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized an invited lecture by eminent computer professional Mr. Saurav Mukherjee on September 24, 2022 in online mode. The topic was ‘Analytics Life Cycle & its Application in Industry’.

Mr. Saurav Mukherjee, Vice President of Corporate Treasury at Goldman Sachs, explained several concepts of data analytics and their wide applications in industry with regard to real-life applicability. He further mentioned different ways to represent data using several charts and machine learning models related to real-time datasets for suitable application domains in the industry.

Mr. Mukherjee further encouraged postgraduate students of the Departments of Computer Science, Statistics and Xavier Business School (XBS) to explore the emerging domain of data science and illustrated its relevance to different aspects. The programme was concluded with an interactive session. Deans, faculty members and students of departments of Computer Science, Statistics, Economics and XBS attended the programme.

Dr. Isha Ganguli

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Department of Commerce (Morning) organises special lecture by corporate professional

Department of Commerce (Morning), St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a special lecture for the freshers on September 27, 2022. Mr. Sandip Chatterjee, Vice President, Gamut Infosystems Ltd. was the esteemed resource person.

Mr. Chatterjee briefed students on basic concepts and principles of accounting and demonstrated practical examples in corporate world. He stressed on the importance of quality control, budgeting, audit and statutory requirement and compliances. He also explained how companies interpret and analyse financial statements and use relevant information for decision making. The discussion concluded with an interactive session with the students.

Dr. Mitra Goswami

XBS hosts business summit on challenges faced by industries

Aiming to keep its students aware on modern industrial scenario, the Xavier Business School (XBS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted a business summit on September 23, 2022 in the University campus. The theme was ‘Challenges of Industry 4.0.’ Eminent industrialist Mr. Sanjoy Banerjee, Managing Director and Head of the Global Delivery Centre, PwC, India was the chief guest.

The session began with introductory speeches by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar; followed by Dr. Soma Sur, Director, LCERI; and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri, Dean, XBS. Mr. Sanjoy Banerjee shared his experience on growing importance of strategic management and marketing in modern business world. He further elaborated on the significance of strategies used by organizations to deal with business volatility and iterated various characteristics to pursue them.

The summit also had two panel discussions on ‘Organizational metamorphosis in the post-pandemic era' and ‘Digitalization of people management'. Among the guest speakers were Mr. Nirmalya Gupta, Practice Director and Global Head Delivery Lead, Retail Industry Product and Digital Solutions on Merchandising Stores and Restaurants; Mr. Subhadip Ghosh, Director, Cognizant; Mr. Pratyay Lahiri, Zonal Head, Ashok Leyland; Ms. Bristhi Mondal, AVP – HR, NRI FinTech, Mr. Shrutorsi Mukherjee, Assistant Vice President – HR, HDFC Bank Ltd. and Mr. Rahul Kashyap, Regional Head HRBP and L&D, Arvind Lifestyle Brand Ltd. The programme reached its conclusion with a business quiz, conducted by Mr. Atri Bhattacharya, a senior bureaucrat. All the faculty members and students participated in this event.

Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri

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Department of Mass Communication organizes book reading session on Teachers Day

To celebrate the Teachers Day, Department of Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a first of its kind book reading session ‘Bookrew’ involving the joint participation of students and faculty members on September 5, 2022. The anchoring of the show was innovatively performed through a role play format where three undergraduate students led the audience into the show by playing the role of teacher and students.

The event began with the reading of newly authored book ‘Tides- Story Bank’ of Rev Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK narrated by Prof. Harish Kumar in an innovative radio drama format with background music. Other books that were collectively read by students and faculty members were Roberto Bolano’s ‘Amulet’, Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Gitanjali’, Simon de bouvoir’s ‘Second Sex’, Arundathi Roy’s ‘Azadi’, Manu Joseph's ‘Serious Men’, Brandon Sanderson’s ‘Mistborn trilogy’ and Rakesh Maria’s ‘Let Me Say It Now’. The participants explored innovative methods of storytelling, poetry and musical performances to narrate the stories.

The session ended with a meaningful segment where the final year students together gifted a book to show their solidarity to the first year student Ms. Prateeti Bhattacharjee who has been bravely fighting leukemia.

Dr. Sithara Puli Venkatesh

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Department of Social Work observes International Literacy Day

To commemorate the International Literacy Day, Department of Social Work, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) arranged a special lecture on ‘75 Years of Independence: Advancements and Bottlenecks in Education for Disadvantaged Communities’ on September 7, 2022.

The speaker was Mr. Sabir Ahamed, National Research Coordinator, Pratichi Institute who spoke on the positive impact of education. Terming education as a basic human right and no longer a privilege for some groups, he said that education raises human capital, productivity, income, employability and economic growth. Education improves critical thinking and develops agency among people, creates job opportunities, helps to spread awareness against social evils like child marriage and teen pregnancies, he said. Class, caste, language, gender, and birthplace should not hinder the spread of education, he added.

While analyzing impact of digitalization of education during the COVID-19 pandemic, he focused on children in West Bengal. The key areas of concern were accessibility to internet, affordability of technological device or data and computing abilities. All the faculty members and students of the department attended the session.

Dr. Rupa Biswas

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XUCAS hosts XAVKALA 2.0

After meeting a huge success in Xavkala 1.0 last year, Xavier’s University Cultural and Arts Society (XUCAS), the cultural society of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized the Xavkala 2.0 on September 17, 2022 with a plethora of cultural events.

The programme began with the words of Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK who addressed the enthusiastic student-crowd to unveil their creative sides with full vigour. It then moved forward with a series of cultural events that included enchanting musical events, retro vs latest, minute to fame, face-painting and glorious rap battle.

The programme also hosted events like steps of eastern dance, funny memes, nail-painting and competitive dance ‘face-off.’ Students continued to have all eyes on them as the programme furthered on into t-shirt painting and beat-boxing.

Emerging stand-up comedians, volatile band performances, canvas-painting and digital art subtly left their marks in the audience-mind too. The programme concluded with a fashion-show and western dance that left the entire crowd mesmerized. The winners were felicitated too.

Paramita Barman Sen

SXUKAA forms new Governing Body

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) formed its new Governing Body (GB) in the third Annual General Meeting on September 17, 2022.

The new GB, headed by Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ as the President and Mr. Vatsal Chirimar as Hony. Secretary was formed on that day for the next two-year term (2022-24) and has taken charge of affairs of the association.

Rohit Raj Ghosh and Moumita Pachal were elected as Assistant Secretaries. Mr. Siddharth Kumar Tripathi and Mr. Venkatesh Mishra were elected as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer respectively.

Ajitesh Prasad, Deepankar Mukherjee, Risabh Agarwal and Mridul Saha were elected as GB members in the new term. The members also deliberated on the future course of activities to be undertaken by the association.

Vatsal Chirimar

Department of Statistics organizes special lecture by eminent academician

Department of Statistics of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized an invited lecture on ‘Group Testing Designs: A Combinatorial Marvel’ by Prof. Bikas Kumar Sinha, an eminent academician on September 8, 2022.

Prof. Sinha, a former faculty of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata explained the concept of ‘Group Testing Designs’ in planning a testing procedure so that there exists no ambiguity and reduction in the number of such tests. He also mentioned that testing involves a collection of units in several groups rather than in isolation so as to ascertain the ‘status’ of each individual unit in the collection by taking into consideration of any well-defined ‘feature’.

His insightful lecture motivated the postgraduate students of all three departments i.e. Statistics, Economics and Computer Science to explore this emerging domain and illustrated the relevance of the topic to different aspects of their subjects. The discussion concluded with an interactive session with the present dignitaries, faculty members and students.

Dr. Manisha Pal & Dr. Priyanka Talukdar

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SXUK celebrates Shikshak Parv-2022

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the Shikshak Parv-2022 on September 5, the day which is celebrated as Teachers Day across the country to commemorate the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President of India.

Rev Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK delivered the inaugural address. He discussed the role of teachers in building the base of the society. The Chief Guest of the programme was Dr. Kanika Chatterjee, former IQAC Director, University of Calcutta, who delivered a lecture on the ‘Role of Teachers as envisaged in NEP 2020’. The programme concluded with an interactive session.

Dr. Tanushree Biswas

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SXUKAA participates in NJAAI Milan at Darjeeling

The delegation team of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA), led by its President, Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. attended the North Zone Congress of the Federation of Jesuit Alumni Associations of India (JAAI) at St. Joseph's School North Point, Darjeeling on September 2-3, 2022.

Delegates from various Jesuit alumni associations from five Jesuit provinces namely Kolkata, Darjeeling, Patna, Kohima, and Delhi also attended the grand occasion. Shri P. S. Goley, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Sikkim was the Chief Guest.

Along with Fr. Raj, the Province Coordinator of Alumni, Kolkata province; the delegation team also had Mr. Prionkur Bose, Vice President; Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, Hony. Secretary; Mr. Siddharth Kumar Tripathi, Treasurer and Mr. Rohit Raj Ghosh, GB Member.

The North Zone Council of JAAI was reconstituted in the Congress. Mr. Vatsal Chirimar of SXUKAA was appointed the Treasurer of the North Zone Council of JAAI.

Prionkur Bose

SXUKAA celebrates Philanthropy Day; releases new book of Fr. Raj

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) celebrated the birthday of its President Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata as ‘Philanthropy Day’ in the University Campus on August 26, 2022. Fr. Raj’s newly authored book ‘Tides-Story Bank’ was also released on this day.

‘Philanthropy Day’ is a day on which the SXUKAA recommits itself to the cause of philanthropy and social welfare every year. Xaverian Shri Jawhar Sircar, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha was the Chief Guest to this grand gathering.

‘Tides-Story Bank’, a collection of seventy five (75) short stories, is Fr. Raj’s second book after the first one namely ‘Waves-Story Bank’ which was released on December 3, 2020. ‘Tides-Story bank’ contains stories of moral values aiming to pacify minds. The book has been published by SXUKAA. The foreword has been written by Shri Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha).

Shri Jawhar Sircar addressed the august gathering of faculty members after which the alumni association organized the Philanthropy Day celebrations and the book launch programme. Fr. Raj also handed over the hearing aids to beneficiaries belonging to the economically weaker section of society. A video presentation showing some prized moments of Fr. Raj’s life was also shown.

Vatsal Chirimar

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Xavier Law School begins Legal Aid Clinic

In a bid to provide a platform to inculcate the spirit of public service among the buddy lawyers, Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata inaugurated the Legal Aid Clinic on August 25, 2022. The clinic has been named as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Legal Aid Clinic as an honour to the great Indian personality, who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK greeted Nabanita Ray, Ld. District and Sessions Judge and Chairman, District Legal Services Authorities, North 24 Parganas who inaugurated the legal clinic. Mr. Soumen Sarkar, Additional District and Sessions Judge and Secretary-in-charge, District Legal Services Authorities, North 24 Parganas was also present in this grand occasion.

In his inaugural address to the audience, Fr. Raj shared the objectives to set up this centre to enable the students to learn law in action through the empowerment of the community at large. He also said that the centre aims at providing legal help, education to the needy and looks forward to instil the essentials of law among the deprived.

Ld. Judge Nabanita Ray gave her valuable advice on how to ensure proper functioning of the clinic. She suggested that the clinic would be manned by the paralegal volunteers of the District Legal Services Authorities every alternative Saturday. The paralegal volunteer or lawyer deputed to the clinic would attempt to amicably resolve the pre-litigation disputes brought to the clinic. It would help people of the nearby villages to solve their legal problems free of cost. Villagers of the nearby villages namely Kulberia, Kathalberia and Dharmatalla Pachuria attended this programme.

Dr. Ranjeeta Mukherjee

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Xavier Society of Law and Justice conducts Trial Advocacy competition

Xavier Society of Law and Justice (XSLAJ), a society linked with the Xavier Law School (XLS) organized a three-day Xavier Intra-XLS Trial Advocacy Competition (XITAC) in association with Fox & Mandal and Parnasree Jeewandeep Seva Sansthan from August 11 to 13, 2022. Fox & Mandal is one of India’s oldest and largest full-service law firms.

On the first day, the event started with the Prelims in which thirty six (36) teams paired against each other, with one taking up the position of the prosecution and other the defense across five different trial rooms.

On the second day, the teams prepared cases representing the opposite side. The analysis of trial problem, relevant facts pertaining to the case and understanding of law was thoroughly assessed by the respective Judges of each of the trial room. Interaction took place on jurisdictional implication, nature of the injury, stance on dowry death and incidents of suicide cases.

On the final day, the winner’s name was declared. Advocate Sakya Sen, Calcutta High Court and Ms. Mahima Cholera, Associate at Fox & Mandal were the esteemed judges in the final round. All the faculty members and students of XLS were present in this programme.

Dr. Animesh Das

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XBS starts its fifth MBA batch

To promote the managerial education and inspire young aspirants, Xavier Business School (XBS) of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata commenced its fifth consecutive MBA batch on August 2, 2022.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor emphasised on the spirit of entrepreneurship vis-à-vis managerial traits. He encouraged the students to uphold the illustrious Jesuit legacy and commitment towards creativity, leadership and ethical standards.

Mr. Umesh Chowdhary, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Titagarh Wagons Limited was the Chief Guest. A Xaverian, Mr. Chowdhury motivated the students sharing his life experiences. He further said that focus, commitment, hard work, patience and passion are the success mantra for the present generation. Registrar Prof. Ashis Mitra narrated the rules and regulations of the University to the freshers.

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SXUK celebrates the Independence Day

To observe the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the 76th Independence Day with great pomp and ceremony in the University campus on August 15, 2022. Amid the presence of all faculty members, staff and other officials, Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK hoisted the National Flag infront of the Britto House of the University.

“Make your mind as broad as the sky and turn your thoughts as generous as the ocean, only then you will realise the essence of Independence” - were the words uttered by Rev. Fr. Raj infront of the august presence of audience during the celebration of 76th Independence Day. In his vibrant Independence Day speech addressed to the audience, Fr. Raj reiterated the contribution of the University in the higher education sector as a holistic part of development. He also urged everyone to work collectively for the growth and development of the nation irrespective of religion, caste and creed.

A spectacular procession also took place in which the students, staff and other officers holding the National Flags participated to celebrate the completion of 75th years of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

- Mario Martin Louis

SXUK commences Faculty of Science

In another attempt to contribute in the field of science and technology, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) inaugurated the Faculty of Science on August 2, 2022. The Office of the Dean was inaugurated by Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK.

Rev. Dr. A. Arockiasamy, S.J. has been appointed as the first Dean of the Faculty of Science. A short programme took place followed by a reading from the Holy Bible. In his first vibrant address to the freshers admitted to M.Sc. in Statistics and M.Sc. in Computer Science programmes, Fr. Vice-Chancellor advised them to delve in the studies right from the beginning and remain innovative in their approaches.

The guidelines, rules and regulations of the University were narrated by Registrar Prof. Ashis Mitra. The programme was attended by all Deans, Heads, Officers and other staff members. A two-day orientation programme was also taken place. Students found the sessions highly enriching.

Reported by Dr. Dreamlee Sharma

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Dept of Social Work hosts awareness programme on Human Trafficking

Department of Social Work of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted an interactive session with eminent speakers for its students to make them aware about the human trafficking on July 29, 2022. As proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/68/192, this day is observed on July 30 every year.

Ms. Anwesha Banerjee, Assistant Editor, Ei Samay, a noted Bengali daily delivered a lecture on ‘Trafficking in Person: Post Pandemic Scenario in West Bengal’ and informed the students on the increasing number of human trafficking cases after the pandemic. She also deliberated on the concept of trafficking, demand and supply factors in human trafficking, nature and modus operandi of traffickers, and existing legal provisions to curb this menace.

While speaking on the theme of this year, ‘The Use and Abuse of Technology in Human Trafficking’, Mr. Robin Paul, Senior Lead, International Justice Mission Kolkata shared case studies from his experience to explain how traffickers used technology to track victims and how investigating agencies also used technology to track and arrest traffickers and rescue victims. He cautioned the students that they should be very careful with their dealings in the virtual world.

- Dr. Rupa Biswas

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Department of Mass Communication organises Orientation Programme

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a three-day orientation programme for the newly admitted students to B.A. in Mass Communication from August 8 to August 10, 2022.

In the inaugural speech, Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK advised the students to be careful and attentive in their studies right from the very first day. As the students have just completed their school education and joined the university as the first step to the higher studies, Fr. Raj advised them to be innovative and dedicated towards the education and involve themselves in every activity of the University. Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK narrated the rules and regulations of the University to the students.

The second day of the orientation programme began with a very insightful session on live news reporting by Mr. Sukhendu Sarkar, Reporter, Republic Bangla. He vividly narrated the role and responsibilities of reporters in media organisations.

It was followed by another delightful session by Dr. Harish Kumar about radiography. He discussed on career prospects of a radio jockey. The department also invited Ms. Sukanya Das, a reputed public relations manager who interacted with the students regarding various PR issues. Her vast experience in the field gave the students an insight in PR activities.

On the final day of the orientation programme, a session on photography was held by Mr. Shubham Paul, a noted photographer. He discussed on various types of camera shots and lenses. Another session on advertising was organised in which Ms. Waindrilla Saha, a reputed advertising manager was invited who shared her working experiences with the students.

The orientation programme was concluded with a profound lecture by renowned filmmaker, Mr. Mrityunjoy Saha on filmmaking, OTT platforms and transmedia platforms of a particular franchise.

- Biswadeep Bhattacharyya

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SXUK organises grand concluding celebration on Cannonball moment of St. Ignatius

A year-long celebration of commemoration of the 500th year of St. Ignatius ‘Cannonball moment’ finally concluded with the celebration of the Ignatian conclave on July 30-31, 2022 by the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK). As a part of the conclave, multiple events were organised in the last week of July 2022.

The rolling Ignatius Cup for football and volleyball for both men and women was introduced on July 22, 2022. The celebration began with a creative art exhibition by all departments on the themes ‘Life of St. Ignatian of Loyola’ and ‘Universal Apostolic Preference-1, 2, 3 and 4’ on July 25, 2022. Fr. J. Felix Raj, S.J. inaugurated the exhibition.

A euphoric week filled with multiple creative events reached its culminating point with the football match in which students, alumni members, teachers and non-teaching staff members of the University participated enthusiastically. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Vice-Chancellor of SXUK and Dr. Sonajharia Minz, Vice-Chancellor of Sido Kanu Murmu University inaugurated the sports events by unveiling the Ignatius football cup.

While St. Xavier’s University Alumni Association (SXUKAA) emerged victorious in the football men’s tournament, Xavier Law School (XLS) bagged the cup in the football women’s tournament. XLS also made its mark as the winner of the both Volleyball men’s and women’s tournament. Participation of the female faculty members in the ‘pass the ball’ game was equally significant. The famous quote of St. Ignatius, “Go forth and set the world on fire” was truly reflected throughout the events.

On July 30, 2022, Prof. Minz addressed the faculty members on New Education Policy 2020. The interesting deliberations was concluded with an interactive session with faculty members. After that, Dr. Minz also inaugurated the ‘Mother Teresa Niwas for Girls’, the girls’ hostel of the University. Mr. Firhad Hakim, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs Dept. and the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation inaugurated the ‘Tagore Niwas for Boys’, the boys hostel at the august presence of Father Vice-Chancellor and other dignitaries, faculty members and hostel students.

In the afternoon, the Xaverians in Action (XIA), the social outreach wing of the University organized a colourful edition of ‘Sishu Mela’. The event was filled with a plethora of attractions ranging from food, games, song and dance, short-film and cultural creativity for the children. A total of 220 children along with their parents and teachers from the five adopted villages namely, Kulberia, Kathalberia, Beonta, Dharmtala-Panchuria and Hatisala joined the celebration. The event showcased how the Xaverian Family extended much beyond the geographical boundaries of the University to the underprivileged surrounding areas as well.

On the concluding day, Fr. Raj delivered the conclave address in the significance of being Xaverian and Ignatian. Prizes were distributed to the winners of various categories. The book ‘Ignatian Sparks’, a collection of selected papers presented in the international conference was released by Rev. Fr Raj. A skit on significant events in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola was staged too.

- Krishna Roy

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SXUK starts fourth batch of Ph.D programme

To continue its contribution in research and development activities, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) commenced its fourth batch of Ph.D. programme in various subjects on August 6, 2022. A total of 18 new scholars enrolled in the Management and Commerce disciplines.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK addressed the scholars about the Xaverian ethos. He also guided on the research journey of a Ph.D. scholar in SXUK. To make quality contribution in research, one needs to be innovative in his thoughts too, he reiterated. He urged the scholars to devote maximum time in University library. Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar briefed the scholars about the rules and regulations of the University.

- Dr. Soma Sur

XLS starts fourth batch in B.A. and B.Com. LL.B. programmes

Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a two-day orientation programme for its newly admitted students to B.A.-LL.B. (Hons.) and B. Com-LL.B. (Hons.) on July 25 and 26, 2022.

In his inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK addressed the freshers with Xaverian ethos. He advised the students to be very punctual to their studies right from the beginning. Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar narrated the rules and regulations of the University to the students.

All the faculty members of the department also guided the students regarding various norms and regulations of the course. Students found the orientation programme highly enriching.

- Dr. Pratyusha Das

Industry stalwarts grace the Mass Communication Orientation programme

The new academic session of Department of Mass Communication of the University started with a grand orientation programme through a lecture series by eminent media professionals and academicians. Started on July 18, 2022, the department organised a lecture series by Jimmy Tangree, a noted Radio Jockey of 91.9 Friends FM; followed by Mahesh Motwani, Executive Vice President, Initiative Media; Atanu Ghosh, an eminent film director and Suchorita Bardhan, UNICEF official, Kolkata who delivered valuable speeches to enthuse the students in the next two days.

Jimmy Tangree filled the air with enthusiasm and energy as he narrated his story of setting his foot in the industry to become an RJ. He also shared various career opportunities in radio industry. Mahesh Motwani, an alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata discussed the career oriented programmes and prospects in integrated marketing communication. He introduced the role of media in advertisements and brand promotions with his presentation.

National Award winning director Atanu Ghosh interacted with the students who from being movie buffs and binge watchers were exposed to ‘behind the scenes’ procedure of film making. Fans of his movies from other departments also joined to listen to him. Ms. Suchorita Bardhan described the role of development journalism as a whole. Students found each session highly enriching.

- Dr. Manali Bhattacharya

Dept. of Social Work organises lecture series

Discourse on health awareness, family planning and sustainable development centred around the orientation programme, organised by the Department of Social Work of the University through a series of invited lectures for its postgraduate students of new academic session on July 22, 2022.

Distinguished academicians from international universities and institutions of repute delivered speeches on several topics related to the social work. Prof. Tulshi Kumar Das from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh delivered a lecture on the essential field work practices of social work in various spheres like hospital, mental health, family setting, children and youth, community setting, ethnic minorities, correctional centres, etc.

Riya Agarwal, Senior Officer, Public Engagement, Sense International India enlightened the students on the role of a social worker, methods of fund raising, etc. Baishali Ghosh, Assistant Manager, Bandhan Bank discussed the role of a social worker as a HR officer and significance of corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Srijoyee Sen, CSR Officer, Park Hospitals, Kolkata also shared her experiences of carrying out various CSR activities.

Priyanka Jaiswal, Programme Officer, CLTS Foundation explained the problems of open defecation and its consequences. Students found the programme highly enriching on the very first day of their new academic session.

- Dr. Sucheta Paul

XBS, LCERI jointly conduct SPSS training

Xaviers Business School (XBS) and LCERI jointly conducted a two-day workshop on ‘Data Analytics using SPSS’ on July 8 – 9, 2022 for the Ph.D. scholars of Management and Economics. The resource person was Dr. Saugat Ghosh of XBS.

The ten hours workshop introduced the fundamentals of using ‘SPSS’ for statistical analysis to the participants. They were also imparted hands-on training on the same.

- Dr. Soma Sur

SXUK organises fourth Doctoral Colloquium

In a bid to promote the quality of research, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the fourth Doctoral Colloquium on July 1, 2022.In the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellorof the University briefed the audience about the research programme of SXUK and the future scope of research in higher education.

In this colloquium, 33 research papers were presented by research scholars pursuing Ph.D in different disciplines in this University. There were total seven sessions, chaired by fourteen eminent resource persons from various universities and colleges. The scholars benefited immensely from the academic discourse and guidance.

- Dr. Soma Sur

SXUK organizes one week FDP

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a one-week self-paced online Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Institutional Values and Best Practices as a part of the Ignatian year celebration to mark the 500th anniversary of Ignatius’ cannonball moment from June 20 - 27, 2022. The inaugural speech on Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm was delivered by Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK.

A total of 28 faculty members attended the FDP. In each session, video lectures and study materials were shared with the participants. They also visited the St. Xavier’s College (SXC), Raghabpur Campus as a case study of this FDP. Rev. Fr. Johnson Padiyara, Superior and Vice Principal of SXC, Raghabpur campus delivered a lecture on ‘Jesuit Higher Education in the Raghabpur Campus’.

Dr. Sadhana Karali, Headmistress of St. Paul’s High School, Raghabpur shared the history of Raghabpur and their working experiences. Amrito Rong, a senior teacher of the school talked on ‘Jesuit Education-A tool for personal and social transformation in Raghabpur Mission’ and ‘The History of Jesuit presence in Raghabpur’ respectively.

The post lunch session was taken by Ms. Cheryl Francis, Director of Social Work and NSS, St. Xavier’s College. She discussed about the creation of Self-Help Groups (SHG) in the presence of women from the villages she worked with.

On the concluding day, 28 certificates were handed over to the participants and 6 certificates were given to the organising team members.

- Ms. Krishna Roy

SXUK organizes orientation programme for support staff

In a bid to refresh the working spirit of its staff members in the post pandemic period, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized a day-long Orientation Programme on June 25, 2022. A total of 32 support staff members from different departments attended this programme enthusiastically.

The programme started with an inaugural speech by Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of the University. He elaborated on Jesuit principles and values that need to be inculcated among the members to build team spirit and collaboration. He briefed on the importance of teamwork and serving the society.

The second session was conducted by Mr. Sandip Chatterjee, President, Gamut Infosystem. He elucidated the house on the technical requirements and enhancement of soft skills among the employees and staff. He further emphasised on problem solving skills and decision-making abilities among the staff for better interaction among the peer group. He also elaborated on the right professional attitude at workplace.

The post lunch session was taken by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of the University. He discussed on professional code of conduct, leave rules and work ethics. He further elaborated on the rules, regulations, and policies of the University.

The programme ended with an interactive session with Fr. Vice-Chancellor and Registrar. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Dr. Tuhin Utsab Paul, Assistant Registrar.

- Mr. Aritra Saha

SXUK imparts statistical training to its research scholars

In a bid to sharpen the statistical skills of the research scholars pursuing Ph.D. in St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK), a two-day workshop on ‘Data Analytics using R’ was jointly conducted by LCERI and Xavier Business School (XBS) on June 24 and 25, 2022 for its Ph.D. scholars.

The resource person for the workshop was Dr. Shuvendu Chakraborty, Associate Professor, XBS. The workshop introduced the fundamentals of using ‘R’ for statistical analysis. Each day, the session started at 11 am and continued upto 4 pm. Participants found the training programme highly beneficial as the same would help them a lot in quantitative analysis of data in their research work.

- Dr. Soma Sur

SXUK celebrates International Yoga Day

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) celebrated the International Yoga Day in the university campus in collaboration with South Kolkata Yogasana Association on June 21, 2022 with great fervour and gaiety. The celebration witnessed the presence of a large number of students and their spontaneous participation in Yoga performance.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “Yoga is a gift to humanity and it is a holistic methodology towards bringing unison of body and mind.” He directed the students to embrace and engage in this exercise religiously.

The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Yoga for Humanity’. Approximately 25 crore people across the world celebrated the day practising yoga for maintaining better health and wellness.

The young members of the South Kolkata Yogasana Association performed various asanas in front of the students and trained them. The programme concluded with the National Anthem.

Sandeep Mundhra, Sports Officer, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata

Raghabpur Teachers visit SXUK

Forty teachers of Raghabpur St. Paul's Higher Secondary School, under the leadership of Headmistress, Ms. Sadhana Kharali, visited St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) on Saturday, June 18, 2022. The tour was part of their Ignatian Year celebrations. Raghabpur is a village in South 24 Parganas, 25 kms from Kolkata. SXCK has opened a rural campus at Raghabpur since 2014.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK welcomed the teachers and briefed them about the history of the University. He narrated how the University started its academic journey with a small number of students in 2017 and is gradually emerging as one of the leading academic hubs of the state.

Besides a campus tour of the university, they had attended two sessions on ‘Role of Teachers in Jesuit School and Cannonball Moment’, taken by Prof. Ashis Mitra and Fr. Mourlin K, S.J. respectively. The group enjoyed the tour and returned with memories of SXUK.

- Dr. Somak Sen

SXUK conducts examinations offline

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) has successfully conducted the End Semester Examinations of all the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in offline mode according to the pre-approved Academic Calendar 2021-2022. All examinations of different streams were held in four separate phases - two for final semester students and two for intermediate semester students.

The first phase started on March 28, 2022 with the final semester students of MBA. The results were published on May 14, 2022. It was within ten (10) working days of the last examination held.

The second phase of examinations took place from April 25 to May 14, 2022 for the final semester students of all UG and PG courses. The results were published on May 25, 2022. A total number of 787 final semester students including MBA appeared in this phase.

The last two phases included the intermediate semester examinations of all UG and PG courses which started on May 17, 2022 and would continue up to June 28, 2022. A total number of 1934 students have appeared in this phase. The Office of the Controller and all other stakeholders concerned have worked collectively to make the entire process successful.

Ananda Shiksha Ratna Award to SXUK

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata was honoured with the prestigious Ananda Shiksha Ratna Award 2022 by ABP Ananda, India’s leading News Channel on June 10, 2022. On behalf of the University, Fr. Felix Raj, S.J., Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor received the award at Swabhumi Rangmanch, Kolkata.

- Mr. Subhashis Majumdar

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SXUK pledges to go “Plastic-Free”

By Vatsal Chirimar

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association celebrated the World Environment Day in the University campus on Friday, 3rd June, 2022. On this occasion, 500 saplings were distributed to faculty members and the 6 neighbouring villages adopted by the University.

On the occasion, Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor, the University & President of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association declared the University’s commitment to become a plastic free campus. He handed over saplings to representatives of the six neighbouring villages adopted by the University and all the staff members. All the stakeholders of the University took an Environment Protection Pledge led by the Hony. Secretary of the Alumni Association, Mr. Vatsal Chirimar.

The Jesuits have framed the Universal Apostolic Preferences for 2019-2029, one of which is “To Collaborate in the Care for our Common Home.” A Sit & Draw Competition was also organised on the occasion with children from Kalthelberia, Kulberia, Boenta, Hathishaka, Jeerangancha and Dharamtalla-Panchuria villages on theme “Caring for our Common Home.” The program enede with a high tea.

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SPORTS DAY 2022 at SXUK

St. Xavier's University, Kolkata hosted its Annual Sports on Saturday, April 2, 2022 to display sporting skills of young minds, who were compelled to stay indoor on account of COVID-19 pandemic for nearly one and a half year. A plethora of events were arranged for both men and women.

The West Bengal Police Band contingent comprising of State Armed Police of 2nd and 8th.battalions mesmerized the gathering by their brilliant musical performance.

Mr. V. Solomon Nesakumar, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Special Task Force graced the occasion as Chief Guest. During his deliberation, he called upon the student's community to take active part in sports activities. He also shared his sporting experience during his college days.

Rev. Dr.John Felix Raj, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor expressed great joy and happiness to witness young boys and girls on the track. He appreciated the effort undertaken by SXUSS led by Sandeep Mundra.

The programme concluded with a cake cutting ceremony.

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IQAC of SXUK organizes awareness programme on IPR
Date: 2nd April 2022
Mode: Online

The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organized an awareness programme on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) under National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) on April 2, 2022 in virtual mode. Mr. Arnab Bhattacharya, Examiner of Patents and Designer of the Kolkata-based patent office was the resource person in this programme.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK delivered the welcome address. Fr. Vice-Chancellor said that IPR is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. He further stressed on the importance of IPR and its various perspectives in academic works. IPRs are legal rights that protect creations and/or inventions resulting from intellectual activity, he opined.

Mr. Arnab Bhattacharya discussed on the uses of IPRs in the industrial, scientific, literaryand artistic fields. He vividly described different types of common IPRs like patents, copyrights, marks, industrial design rights, geographical indications and trade secrets.Encouraging the creation of the wide variety of intellectual goods is the motto of IPR. In the academic world, there is a huge importance of maintaining IPR properly, he added. IPR gives economic incentivesto academicians for their noble creations; thus it allows creators to benefit from the information and intellectual goods and also helps them to protect their ideas and prevent copying, he further said.

All the faculty members and research scholars of the University attended this virtual awareness session. The programme concluded with a brief interactive session with the participants. Dr. Soma Sur,Ph.D Coordinator, delivered the vote of thanks. Dr. TuhinUtsab Paul, Assistant Registrar was the emcee.

All the participants were issued certificate of participation by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

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Xavier Law School organizes seminar onsustainable development

Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a seminar on ‘People’s participation in environmental safeguards’ on April 1, 2022. The key speakers were Hon’bleJustice B.Amit Sthalekar, Judicial Member, National Green Tribunal (NGT), Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata;Saibal Dasgupta, Expert Member, NGT Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata and Subhayu Banerjee, Ld. Registrar, NGT, Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata.

The inaugural address was delivered by Prof. Ashis Mitra,Registrar, SXUK. While introducing the theme of the seminar, Dr. Utpal Kumar Raha emphasized on the theme of World Environment Day 2022 ‘Only one Earth’ and role of the common people in addressing environmental degradation.

Hon’bleJustice Sthalekar spoke on many important aspects related sustainable development practised and discussed over the years. He mentioned about the UN Conference on the Human Environment (1972), First World Climate Conference (1979) and the principle of ‘Polluter pays’. He also stressed on the precautionary measures to save the Mother Earth.

Saibal Dasgupta extensively focused on the role of NGT with respect to forestry & environmental issues like climate change mitigation, importance of mangrove trees, bio mining, solid waste management system, etc.

Subhayu Banerjee deliberated on the Plachimada Coca-Cola struggle in Palakkad district, Kerala. He successfully established the idea of ‘One environment for all’ as every species are responsible for striking an ecological balance.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Pratyusha Das, Dean, XLS.

XIA organises leadership camp for students at Parasmani, Santiniketan

Xaverians in Action (XIA), the social outreach wing of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted its first two-day leadership camp for its students at Parasmani, Centre for Research & Social Outreach at Santiniketan on March 26 and 27, 2022. The theme of the camp was ‘Leaders for Social Change’.

The camp began in a blended mode with an inaugural address by Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J. He advised students on how to be better persons, explore and see the better version of themselves and ultimately contribute towards social development.

The first session was presided over by Sister Lucy Besra, a lawyer who inspired the participants to focus on the optimism and strengths that the Almighty has bestowed upon us rather than dwelling on the darkness and limitations of life.

The second session was taken up by Dr.Sujit Kumar Paul, Professor of Rural Development and Management at Visva-Bharati. He delivered a lecture on Tagore’s philosophy on rural reconstruction.

Twenty eight (28) XIA volunteers from various departments of the University joined this camp. The participants visited the Elmhirst Institute of Community Services, an NGO which carries out various social work activities to improve the plight of the abandoned women and children and the local community. They also visited SonajhuriHaat, a famous shopping place for visitors to experience the rural life and culture of West Bengal with tribal dances and folk songs.

Rev. Dr.Mourlin Fernando, S.J., Professor at Xavier’s Business School conducted a session on leadership training and emotional intelligence on the last day. Paritosh Majumdar, the Social Work Programme Coordinator shared the vision of the University to support and empower the neighbourhood village community which the University has already adopted.

SXUK’s Commerce morning section organises seminar on Eye-Care

The morning section of Commerce department of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata(SXUK) organised a one day seminar on ‘Eye Care in Digital Era’ on March 23,2022.Dr. Amitava Biswas, Director of Ophthalmology, Sunetra Eye Care Centre Kolkata was the chief guest in the seminar.

Dr. Biswas shared experiences from the past,how families used to spend time together when digital devices were not in use. Nowfamily members are segregated from each other due to the advent of digital devices, he opined. He briefly explained the statistics of active internet users and how every year they are increasing by 4%.He also narrated how human eyes get affected with dry eye syndrome due to excessive use of digital devices. Dr. Biswas presented ample case studies in this regard. He further stressed on taking precautions like giving rest to eyes, using of anti-glare glasses, avoidingexcessive use of smart phonesduring night, consuming nutritious foods to keep eyes healthy, etc.

The seminar concluded with an interactive session with the students. Rev. Dr. Soosai Nayagam, S.J.,Associate Dean of the Department of Commerce, Morning Sectiondelivered the vote of thanks.

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SXUK conducts workshop at Santiniketan

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a two-day vibrant workshop on ‘Transformative Leadership Styles’ for the Deans, Heads of all departments and other senior officers of the University on March 13 and 14, 2022 at Parasmani, Santiniketan. The first ever outdoor workshop was eventful with talks, activities, group-works and presentations.

Fr. Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SXUK delivered the inaugural address on the first day. Father asked all the participants to ‘give their total self into the workshop to be transformed as leaders to shoulder the responsibility of administering the University.’ The resource person for the workshop was Prof. S. Peppin from XIM University, Bhubaneswar. The workshop emphasised on five broad segregations as five ‘Ds’ in the light of transformative leadership styles and approaches which include ‘Define, Discover, Dream, Design and Destiny’.

Adaptation to change is necessary to groom, hone and sharpen transformative leadership style within oneself. As individuals vary from each other in their personalities and perceptions; change, therefore, needs to be responsive, receptive and reactive. The workshop helped the participants to discover key strengths and opportunities of the University and appreciate the same. They also exchanged their views of what they thought of their peers and colleagues in terms of their personalities, skills and abilities.

Participants also unveiled their dreams and expectations for the University, as Vision 2032.The workshop included active participation of every attendee in the form of pictorial presentation, discussion, decision making, logical reasoning, etc. They also discussed about future programmes to be held at Parasmani for the faculty members, officers and staff of the University. Short and long term goals for the development of the University were also discussed. Each session was followed by feedback and brainstorming sessions.

The participants found the workshop enriching, elevating and inspiring. Under the banner of ‘transformative leadership’, the key takeaways were knowledge and acquaintance on how the best leaders can be great teachers and how leaders can personalize instructions to help their employees soar high in profession.

Parasmani, a unit of SXUK, is the Centre for Research and Social Outreach and is located atRatan Pally, Santiniketan, West Bengal.

- Somak Sen

Jesuit Father Dr.John Felix Raj, S.J., Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata was conferred the prestigious ‘Vivek Jyoti Samman’ award on Thursday, March 3, 2022, by the Swami Vivekananda University, Barrackpore,West Bengal.

The award was conferred upon him for his lifelong contribution to the development of education andphilanthropic service to society at large.Dr. SubrataDey, Vice-Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Universitybequeathed this honour to Fr. Felix Raj, S.J. at the University campus.

SXUK’s Third Convocation; D.Litt to Sanjiv Goenka

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) successfully organized the third Convocation programme on March 5, 2022 (Saturday) in the University premisesadhering to all protocols of COVID-19 pandemic. A total number of 627 students received their degree completion certificates both in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in this Convocation programme. 34 students were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals according to their ranks.

On this grand occasion, eminent industrialist and Xaverian, Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group was conferred upon the prestigious first Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK.

Fr. Vice-Chancellor in his inaugural address said, “The SXUK is mandated to the principle of forming its students as men and women for others, who should be responsible and concerned citizens.” While congratulating the students on their successful completion of academic journey despite several challenges, Fr. Raj advised them to move forward in life with all the zeal and courage that they have inherited through the Xaverian culture during their course of study here. Three faculty members were also awarded for the completion of Ph.D. degrees while in service here.

Fr. Raj also presented the annual report where he mentioned about the introduction of DigiLocker facility for maintaining the academic records. Using the unique DigiLocker facility, academic records can be downloaded from anywhere with authentication. He also announced that three new courses, namely M.Sc. in Computer Science and Statistics and a postgraduate course in Philosophy would be commencing from July 2022. Fr. Raj also announced that the University would have new academic building, auditorium and another Girls’ Hostel very soon as all these infrastructural facilities are almost near to completion.

Sanjiv Goenka in his address to the students advised them to give their best efforts in all spheres of life till they meet their goals. Acknowledging the unparalleled contribution of St. Xavier’s school, college and University in building and developing the society since time immemorial, Mr. Goenka owed his success to being a Xaverian. The degrees were then given out to the passing out students by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor.

- Somak Sen

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Xaverians in Action (XIA), the Social Outreach unit of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata in collaboration with XAVECOS, the Economics Society of the University celebrated the Bhasha Diwas (International Mother Language Day) on February 21, 2022 in the University campus. The XIA also organized an event to celebrate the World Day of Social Justice on the same day.

The programme began with one minute of silence to pay respect to the departed soul of late Mr. Sadhan Pandey, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Government of West Bengal.

To commemorate the contribution of the martyrs to save the honour of the mother language in East Pakistan on this fateful day, a cultural programme was organized by XIA. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. and other dignitaries of the University lit the lamp to begin the programme. Fr. Raj shared his thoughts through an inspiring speech showering the values and sentiments associated with everyone’s mother language. He also put a light on the importance of social justice. He advised the student community to respect and work for maintaining the national integration amid linguistic and cultural diversity.

The cultural programme included group songs and group dance performed by the students. A dance-drama on national unity was performed by the student volunteers of XIA. A debate competition on the Union Budget – 2022 and a quiz competition on current affairs were organised at Fr. Albert Huart Hall, Arrupe Building. A huge number of students along with faculty members were present in the celebration.

Paritosh Majumdar

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK)celebrated the sixth Foundation Day on February 8, 2022. At the beginning, Rev. Fr. Sebasti L Raj, S.J., Pro Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar appraised the audience about the academic journey of the University under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J.

Both of them also called upon the faculty members to strive for quality education and create a pool of ethically aware and sensitive citizens in the field of higher education.

Prof. Basab Chaudhuri, former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal State University graced the occasion as Chief Guest and delivered the Foundation Day lecture. During his deliberation on the topic entitled ‘Future of Higher Education and The Role of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata,’ Prof. Chaudhuri urged the teaching fraternity to keep pace with the transformation occurring in the field of academics and dream of creating SXUK as a Centre of Excellence.

All the Jesuit Fathers, Sisters, faculty members and staff members adhering to COVID-19 pandemic protocols attended the programme.

SXUK was born when Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. along with the members of St. Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association envisaged SXC VISION-2020, which encompassed the establishment of St. Xavier’s University. In December 2016 the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Act, 2016 was unanimously passed in the West Bengal State Assembly. The West Bengal Government notified February 8, 2017 as the effective date of the Act to come into force.

Mario Martin Louis

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata celebrated the 73rd Republic Day with traditional fervour and gaiety. The national flag was unfurled at the university by Father Felix Raj, the Honourable Vice Chancellor followed by National Anthem.

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Fathers, Sisters, Deans, Faculty Members, Staffs and Students attended the programme adhering to COVID-19 protocols. The security officers, draped in colourful attire, coordinated the unfurling of the tri-colour.

Fr. Felix Raj, SJ, explained the significance of the Republic Day and the Indian Constitution to the young minds. He also touched upon the country of the dream of GurudevRabindraNath Tagore, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…………….into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.” The programme culminated with a vote of thanks and refreshments.

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organised the Annual Christmas Gathering at St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK), on 22nd December, 2021. Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, the Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata and President of St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association gave the ‘Christmas Message’ in the presence of the Jesuit Fathers, Staff, Faculty Members and Alumni of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj spoke about the commitment of the Jesuit community towards education. Father also spoke about the influence of Jesus on Tagore’s life and how Tagore had mentioned about Jesus in two of his poems. Rev. Fr. Felix Raj also recited some lines from the poems. He blessed the gathering and wished everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The official Alumni Memorabilia of SXUK was also launched on the occasion by Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ. The souvenir items launched includes Coffee Mugs, Lapel Pins, Digital Table Clocks, Sipper Bottles, Key Chains, Fridge Magnets, Mobile Pop Sockets, Caps and T-Shirts. The first set of Memorabilia items were handed over to Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, by the Honorary Secretary of SXUKAA, Mr. Vatsal Chirimar.

A set of the Memorabilia was also gifted to each of the Jesuit Fathers of the SXUK Jesuit Community. The souvenir items will be available for sale from the Alumni Office as well as the website of SXUKAA. The sale proceeds will be used for various social and charitable activities carried out by SXUKAA throughout the year.

SXUKAA shared the joy of the festive season with some children of the neighbouring villages who had been invited for the Christmas Gathering. The children enjoyed playing games organised by the Lady Members of SXUKAA on the winter evening. Stationery Kits and Winter garments were also gifted to all the children by SXUKAA.

-Vatsal Chirimar

Somak Sen

Father John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-chancellor of St Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK)delivered the first Annual Christmas Lecture at Parasmani,Santiniketan on December 16, 2021. Parasmani, theCentre for Research and Social Outreachruns as a unit of SXUK in Ratanpally, Bolpur. Fatherspoke on ‘Christ in the eyes of Tagore’ before the august gathering.Teachers, noted civil society members and other dignitaries from both Santiniketan and Kolkata attended this lecture.

“Jesus and Tagore have many things in common. They were great spiritual leaders and teachers ... they had similar vision, ideas and teachings”,he said. While referring to Gurudev Tagore and his activities for the social development, he also referred to the patron saint of the University, St. Francis Xavier, whose philosophies highly match with the works of Tagore.

Fr. Felix Raj, in his delightful lecture referred to the 10-month stint of Tagore as a student at the St Xavier’s School, Calcutta. “He studied there until April 1876. He was uncomfortable with formal schooling and left….. The person who had the greatest impact on young Tagore was Father Alfonso de Penaranda, a Spanish Jesuit,” he added.

Thirty–six years later, at the age of fifty, Tagore acknowledged Fr. Penaranda’s influence in his autobiography. “His countenance had for me a strange attraction. Whenever I looked on him, his spirit seemed to be in prayer, a deep peace seemed to pervade him within and without,” Fr. Felix Raj quoted.

Fr. Felix Raj also threw light on the beginnings of Visva Bharati and how on the request of Tagore, Brahmabandhab Upadhyay and BrahmachariRewachandAnimandanda shifted their ‘Srasvata-Ayatana’ school from Swami Vivekananda’s birthplace in SimlaStreetin Kolkata to Santiniketan.

While focusing on Tagore’s writings on Jesus, Fr. Raj referred to his two poems namely ‘The Child’ and ‘The Death of the King’. ‘The Child’ is the only poem Tagore wrote in English in 1930. The poem is in ten sections and blends the cultural contexts of the East and the West with profound prophecies. Tagore later translated it into Bengali as ‘Sisutirtho’. Tagore wrote ‘The Death of the King’ in 1939 at the age of 78.

While concluding, Fr. Vice-Chancellor said that the universal vision and the spiritual depth of Jesus Christ, the first century Teacher and Master are seen echoing in the verses of Tagore, the greatest poet of the twentieth century. ‘Tagore’s writings deeply reflect Jesus’ teaching,’ he added.

This annual lecture at Parasmani aimed to promote the research and social outreach programmes of SXUK at Santiniketan. Amid the lush greeneries, there are ample opportunities left for the development of downtrodden society.

Faculty members from both SXUK and Visva Bharati have been invited to workcollaboratively for innovation and research in the related sectors. Active participation of students from both institutions to co-assist their teachers have also been sought. The core team led by Fr. Mourlin Fernando, SJ is planning for collaborative programmes between these two esteemed institutions of repute.

St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organized a COVID Vaccination Camp in collaboration with Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation at St. Xavier’s School, Gurap on Saturday, December 4, 2021, for the benefit of the rural and tribal population of the area.

A total of 183 people received their 2nd dose of Covishield Vaccine on the day. This camp was organised primarily to administer the 2nd dose of the vaccine to the 248 beneficiaries who had taken their first jab on August 29, 2021.

The camp was blessed and inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, and President, SXUKAA.

Rev. Fr. Vinay Kerketta, SJ, Headmaster - St. Xavier’s School, Gurap, Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, Rev. Fr. Mourlin Franklin, SJ, Assistant Professor - Xavier Business School, Mr. Rajesh Chirimar, Secretary - Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation and Member, Board of Administrators, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, Hony. Secretary - SXUKAA were also present on the occasion.

Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj commended the lofty efforts of SXUKAA. He particularly appreciated the fact that an effort was made to reach out to the rural areas. Fr. Felix Raj also expressed his gratitude to Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation for sponsoring the camp.

Mr. Rajesh Chirimar expressed his gratitude to Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, and the Jesuit Community of Gurap for getting the noble opportunity. He also assured his full support towards more outreach programs.

The medical team for this vaccination drive was from the Renaissance Hospital, Kolkata.

In the last few months, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, and St. Xavier’s University Kolkata Alumni Association have undertaken a number of initiatives in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 including setting up of a Safe-Home inside the University campus and vaccination drives at various places.

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata organised the third Doctoral Colloquium on October 30 & 31, 2021. Rev. Dr.John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkataand Doctoral Colloquium Chair delivered the inaugural address and highlighted the need to undertake research journey with Xaverian ethos.

Keynote addresses were delivered by Padma Shri Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkataand Dr.Joyashree Roy, Bangabandhu Chair Professor, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.Dr. Niraj Kumar, Ph.D. Programme Coordinator and Doctoral Colloquium Co-Chairbriefed on different colloquium tracks to be held, its need and relevance for academic and research knowledge community.

The Doctoral Colloquium consisted of eight (8)different tracks on Sustainable Development, Management of Innovation and Technology and many such other related topics. This colloquium also had a plenary session on ‘Sustainable Excellence in Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ which included keynote speakers Dr. Roselina Ahmed Saufi, Professor, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, University Malaysia Kelantan and Dr. P Venugopal, Professor, XLRI, Jharkhand, India.

The valedictory session address were delivered by Dr. K Seal, Professor and Department Chair, Director of Comparative Management Systems, Loyola Marymount University, LA,USA and Dr. Jatin Srivastava, Director, Institute for International Journalism, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University, Ohio, USA.

The track based Doctoral Colloquium,held on Microsoft Teams, was designed to provide supportive and constructive platform to the Ph.D. scholars of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata and the Ph.D. scholars of other institutions of repute in India and abroad. More than fifty (50) Ph.D. scholars presented papers in the colloquium and interfaced with peer knowledge community across different sectors and disciplines under mentorship of faculty and technical chairpersons. The inaugural and valedictory sessions were streamed live on Facebook and YouTube.The University presently offers Ph.D. programmes in disciplines of Commerce, English, Mass Communication, Economics and Management.

- Dr. Niraj Kumar

St. Xavier's University is live on Digilocker, National Academic Depository (NAD), Government of India. Our students, who graduated in 2019 and 2020, can now search and download their degree certificates from NAD. Also any employer or prospective employer may verify information about their recruits from NAD. Thanks to Dr. Indra Kanta Maitra, our COE for this digital initiative.

Sandeep Mundra, Sports Officer of SXUK won Gold Medallion in 50 Miles (80.5 Km) in the East Endurance 3.0 organized by the Cycle Network Grow and presented by GC Calcutta Cycle. The event was held at Kolkata on 5th September, 2021. The total time taken to complete was 2 Hours 50 Mins. SXUK congratulates him and takes pride in his achievement.

By Vatsal Chirimar

St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) organised a COVID Vaccination Camp in collaboration with Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation at St. Xavier's School, Gurap on Sunday, 29th August, 2021 for the benefit of the rural and tribal population of the area. A total of 248 people received their dose of Covishield Vaccine on the day.

The camp was blessed by Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata and President, SXUKAA.

Fr. Vinay Kerketta, SJ, Headmaster, St. Xavier's School, Gurap, Fr. Mourlin Franklin, SJ, Assistant Professor, Xavier Business School, Mr. Rajesh Chirimar, Secretary, Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation and Member, Board of Administrators, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and Mr. Vatsal Chirimar, Hony. Secretary, SXUKAA were also present on the occasion.

Fr. John Felix Raj commended the efforts of SXUKAA. He particularly appreciated the fact that an effort was made to reach out to the rural areas. Fr. Felix Raj also expressed his gratitude to Siddhartha Shankar Ray Foundation for sponsoring the camp and to AMRI Hospital for the medical arrangements. Mr. Rajesh Chirimar expressed his gratitude to Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ and the Jesuit Community of Gurap for the opportunity. He also assured his full support towards more such endeavours.

It is noteworthy to mention that in the last few months, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata and St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association have undertaken a number of initiatives in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 including setting up of a Safe-Home inside the University campus and various vaccination drives.

Department of Commerce (Morning Section) under the Faculty of Commerce and Management of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) in association with St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) recently concluded its Two-day National Conference, held virtually on 28th and 29th of August 2021. The Keynote Address was delivered by Mr. Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group, Kolkata.

The Conference was a platform for industrialists, researchers, students and academicians for discussing issues and concerns of the corporate sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural session was followed by a plenary session titled "Peaks and valleys during the Pandemic from the lens of the Corporate".

There were 23 papers presented across three tracks by faculty members, researchers and academicians pan-India. The first track was chaired by Dr. Amitava Roy, Associate Professor and Dean, Department of Commerce (Morning Section), St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata; the second track was chaired by Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri, Associate Professor and Dean, Xavier Business School, SXUK; and the third and last track of the conference had eight paper presenters, chaired by Prof. S. Peppin, Professor, School of Rural Management, Dean, School of Governance and Public Affairs, Director, Directorate of Open Learning, XIM University.

A special lecture session on 'Challenges faced by Corporates to survive through the Pandemic Audit' was conducted by CA Abhijit Bandyopadhyay, Partner, Deloitte Haskins and Sells, chaired by Dr. Niraj Kumar, Associate Professor and PhD Coordinator, SXUK.

Ms. Ushoshi Ganguly of SXUKAA hosted the Valedictory Session and Mr. Rajive Kaul, Chairman NICCO Corporation Limited, Kolkata delivered the Valedictory Address. It was followed by an open house discussion with the participants, attendees and other eminent guests of the day with feedbacks collected from the participants adding value to the deliberations.

By G. P. Gupta

St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association (SXUKAA) celebrated the birthday of its President Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, SJ on Thursday, 26thAugust, 2021 as "Philanthropy Day".

Rev. Fr. President was felicitated by members of SXUKAA and SXCKAA. On this occasion, alumni recommitted themselves for the cause of social welfare.

On this auspicious day, Fr. President handed over a cheque for the eye operation of Mrs. Laxmi Bag, a 78 year old lady who is in the urgent need of the same. Mrs. Bag is a roadside tea-seller, who was dispossed of her own house by her sons who do not look after her.

Rev. Fr. President also handed over supplies of nourishment food supplements for 50 pregnant and lactating women belonging to the economically weaker section of society.

A professional sewing machine was also handed over to Ms. Mamata Das, a young widow, who presently supports her two children by doing minor tailoring/stitching jobs.

A COVID Vaccination drive was organised on Sunday, 29th August, 2021 at Gurap (Hooghly District) primarily for the rural and tribal population of the area.

A video showing the various philanthropic activities undertaken by St. Xavier's University Kolkata Alumni Association during the year was shown. The Alumni Identity Card was also unveiled on this day by Rev. Fr. President. The Hony. Secretary of SXUKAA, Mr. Vatsal Chirimar handed over the first ID card to Fr. Felix Raj.

Rev. Fr. President gave an emotional speech on the occasion. The program was followed by High-tea.

In Park Street, Mr. Pratap's Oasis Restaurant distributed food to the poor and needy people.

The Department of Commerce (Morning Section), SXUK, organized a Webinar on 'Strategies for Managing Personal Finance' on the 20th of August 2021, in collaboration with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). The webinar was graced by Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., the Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of the University, who delivered the Inaugural Address, and Rev. Fr. Dr. Soosai Nayagam, S.J., the Associate Dean, Department of Commerce (Morning Section) of the University, who delivered the Welcome Address.

The two-hour-long session was a successful attempt at acclimatizing the participants with the various approaches through which personal financial goals could be set, and the multitude of investment avenues through which such goals could be achieved. The Keynote Speaker, Mr. Suryakant Sharma (Sr. Consultant, AMFI and Former DGM, SEBI) left the participants spell-bound with his engaging talk on financial goal setting and investment avenues such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The Guest Speaker, Mr. Deb Bhattacharya (AGM, SEBI) followed it through with his insightful perspectives on the technical and regulatory aspects of investments in the Indian context. This was followed by a Question & Answer session, moderated by the Convener of the webinar.

The programme was attended by all students, faculty members, and support staff of the Department. It was also streamed live on the official YouTube Channel and Facebook page of the University, ensuring greater reach and participation.

Tanmayananda Chattaraj
(Convener, Webinar on 'Strategies for Managing Personal Finance').

Kolkata, August 15, 2021: The 75th Independence Day of our motherland was celebrated with great fervour and gaiety at the University campus adhering to COVID-19 protocols. The national flag was hoisted by Padmashree Awardee, Prof. (Dr.) Mammen Chandy, Director, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata and Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata.

Prof. (Dr.) Mammen Chandy shared the immortal quote of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with the students during his deliberation, "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."

Father Vice-Chancellor reminded the congregation about the relentless efforts showcased by the medical fraternity during COVID-19 pandemic. He also reiterated that the country lost some eminent doctors and medical staff, who risked their lives to save our near and dear ones. The gracious presence of Dr. Mammen Chandy on this auspicious day is our humble tribute to all the medical professionals.

The students, faculty and staff members renewed their commitment in upholding the unity and integrity of the nation.

Prepared by: Mario Martin Louis, Placement & Training Officer