Following International Women’s Day (March 8), St. Xavier’s College Calcutta Alumni Association’s(SXCCAA) Women’s Forum celebrated the day with their event Women and Beyond, in association with The Telegraph, on March 18 at Fr. Depelchin Auditorium in the Park Street campus of the college. Attended by celebrity guests, alumni members and faculty, the evening was all about celebrating women from different walks of life by listening to stories of their journey and recognising their talent, contribution to society and success in their respective fields. The day was marked with felicitation, sharing of stories and cultural performances throughout the evening, followed by a dinner gathering at The Bengal Club. Snapshots:
Acid-attack survivor Monisha Pailan shared her story with the audience members at the event. “None of us are safe. Whenever I open the newspaper and see news of another acid attack happening, I feel my head spin. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I remember the moment when the acid was thrown at my face and how I was not able to see for three or four months. I scratched at the burnt flesh on my face and felt that if I can dig into the flesh, maybe the new skin will grow faster and I will be able to go back to my regular work life. So, I can’t ever tell that I have conquered fear like that because we don’t know when we will reach that position…we cannot say that now because we have still not reached that place where women are safe and it is probably getting worse which is why West Bengal is currently number one in acid attacks in the country,” said Monisha.
Members of the St. Xavier’s College Calcutta Alumni Association Women’s Forum with Jaya Seal Ghosh, Raya Bhattacharya, Monisha Pailan and Gargee Roy Chowdhury.
Veteran singer Usha Uthup took to the stage thanking and praising her fellow speakers and performers. She began by speaking about her experience of performing at the very same venue from 43 years ago and in front of Mother Teresa, who had been present at that time. Recalling a later encounter, she said, “I once met her at the airport later…when I told her, let’s do another show and collect lots of money, she said, ‘Usha, I don’t want your money. We are getting lots and lots of money from outside. Will you give me your time?’ And that was it. When you give somebody your time, you give them everything.”
The event began with a series of mesmerising dance performances by actress and dancer Jaya Seal Ghosh with her troupe. The performances embodied feminine power and energy, especially where Jaya Seal Ghosh as Maa Durga was seen defeating the evil Mahisasur.
(L-R) Fr. Jeyaraj Veluswamy, Firdausal Hasan, Fr. Dominic Savio SJ and Imran Zaki. “This year we decided to make the Women’s Day event bigger than before and likewise named it, “Women and Beyond.” The focus was on listening to some inspiring stories in the interactions with the three special guests we felicitated, the legendary singer Usha Uthup, the awardwinning actor Gargee Roy Chowdhury and the acid attack survivor Monisha Pailan. The ‘talk’ was inspiring and fun at the same time, especially as Usha Uthup began belting out some of her popular numbers. The Women’s Forum is an integral part of the Alumni Association. The Women’s Forum, which has both exstudents as well as spouse members, has tremendous potential. They organise a number of philanthropic and fellowship activities throughout the year. We are proud of the Women’s Forum!” said Firdausal Hasan, honorary secretary, St. Xavier’s College Calcutta Alumni Association.
Jaya Seal Ghosh and Bickram Ghosh.
“There is a reason why the Women’s Forum of SXCCAA decided to celebrate International Women’s Day not on March 8 but today (March 18). We must stop confining thoughts about the well-being of women to only one day of the year and make it a process for true progress,” said Hasnu Mukherjee, who gave the opening speech at the event.
“As said by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a famous American author, ‘Women really do build a society.’ Women not only build themselves but a whole society. Yet, history has failed many times to represent what a woman can be. There cannot be just a day to celebrate women. Every day should be a day where we respect the dignity of women and their strength,” said Fr. Dominic Savio SJ, principal, St. Xavier’s College Calcutta and president of St. Xavier’s College Calcutta Alumni Association.
Actress Gargee Roy Chowdhury recalled her journey and on being asked whether there is a particular man who helped her in her journey, she said, “There has been no one man who has built me. It is true for everyone. Like there is no ideal man, there is no ideal movie, it is only with the goodness of many people that a person is built.As I have walked the path of life, I have met many people, and I have learnt from them. I am selfish in the way that when I talk to someone, I try to take their goodness, so that I can move ahead.”