St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Kolkata and St. Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association awarded celebrated alumnus Sourav Ganguly with the Global Xaverian Award 2023 on August 24. Sourav, who studied in both St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and St. Xavier’s College, had many stories to share while accepting the award last Thursday at Fr. Depelchin Auditorium in St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta. Walking inside the college campus after a long time was nostalgic for the former Indian cricket skipper and took him on a trip down memory lane. And, he took an auditorium filled with students past and present, teachers and fathers on that trip unbridled as he indulged in a heart-to-heart chat with all.
Sourav after receiving the award Pabitra Das
After receiving the award and his graduation certificate on stage, which he had not collected so far, he said: “This is touching and very special to me, and I thank the alumni members, fathers or whoever has decided to give my name for the award from the core of my heart. I am extremely honoured and fortunate that my name will be added to the list of awardees. I saw the alumni of Singapore congratulating me on video, and they were expecting me in Singapore at Beyond Boundaries to receive the award, but I must say, from the core of my heart, that this is a better place. When I first came to this institution in 1978, my mother had three choices as backup options for my schooling, and I got admission into all those schools, but the best thing she did was to put me in Xavier’s. I still remember the first day I came to the Wood Street building. I remember father acknowledging us on the first day. I was in Class One section ‘A’, and Mrs D’Souza was my class teacher. The ground used to be different from what it is now, and I had asked my mother to stand there so that I could see her from my class.” (Laughs)
Talking about his school days, Sourav shared, “I have been in this auditorium so many times during the 15 years that I studied here, from class one till I passed out of college. Every year, when we used to get promoted from one class to the next, the award ceremony used to happen… and I can see some of my friends sitting here today. Sixteen years of life in this school was absolutely magic. Back in school, life was about cricket, football and studies. There were no mobile phones, and the only way to get away from mom and dad was to come and play sports in school.”
Sourav with the fathers of the college Pabitra Das
Revisiting the memories, Ganguly reminisced about his love for sports right from his school days, but what surprised the audience was his revelation about his love for football. “I was very athletic in school… I used to win the 100-metre relay every year. We played St. Xavier’s campus Liluah for their game at St. Lawrence High School and it was one of the best moments of my school days. Cricket was not that important in school, it used to be football… our classes used to begin at 9.30, and we used to play at 8.30 before classes began, finish classes and get back to the game by 5.30. I still remember the inter-school football tournaments. Father Maliyekal used to take me around the field at six in the morning if I was late. We had to be on time. I found the canteen a better place than the Economics class, but Fr. Maliyekal put me out of the canteen into the class to study. I played the sport because this institution allowed me to play the sport. Fr. Maliyekal had seen my pictures in the newspaper, a talented 13-14 year boy playing under-15 and under-16, but he would make one thing clear — I had to take my exams properly in school. I used to belong to the Britto house, and every Monday, he used to come and tell me, ‘Young man, I hope you are studying as well and not just playing cricket.’ I say to everyone that I would not have been here or played the sport and continued for such a long period had it not been for this institution. As I walked in through the Park Street gate today, I walked through various stages in my mind… the Wood Street gate, the back gate and the front gate… in front of the South Indian cafe… that used to be my breakfast place like a lot of you here,” said Sourav.
Revisiting his memories of his teachers from school and college, he said: “I am in touch with many of them. There was one section of teachers who thought I could do nothing wrong, and there was another section who thought everything I was doing was wrong. Our math teacher was Mr Hassan. He was a very tough teacher and Mr Anindya Mukherjee used to travel with us when we used to play football. He would speak to Fr. Morris requesting him to let us go. All the Jesuit schools used to get together to play, and I used to forget that home existed until my mother called to say that it was time to come home. But I had brilliant friends. In Class X, we got the same marks (laughs)... we played football and cricket together and helped each other a lot,”
Ganguly, who was the captain of his school cricket team way before he became captain of the Indian Cricket team, looked back at those days and said: “I think what school gave me is confidence. Being in important positions in life teaches us that we have been given a job to do well and a job to do for the country. I stood up for myself, and I stood up for my country. What school and college taught us is discipline and, most importantly, how to go through the journey of achieving things in various phases of our life and how to address various situations in life. I never wanted to go back home from school, and that was the best thing that this school did to me. And I say this to everyone, the school and college we go to create the biggest impact in our life, and that shapes up our life and character. I have a lot of fondness for Jesuit schools… their culture and teachings.”
Sourav taking a stroll on the campus with SXCCAA honorary secretary Firdausul Hasan Pabitra Das
“St. Xavier’s College has given the world some of the brightest and most gifted alumni in various fields. Global Xaverian Award is the highest award that the College can confer on any alumnus. I am proud and privileged to felicitate the Maharaja of cricket, Sourav Ganguly, today. It is an honour for the college to value and appreciate his achievements with our highest recognition. We celebrate Sourav Ganguly’s exceptional contribution to sports, we admire his legacy as a captain, and his administrative expertise as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. I feel proud because we, the Jesuit community of St. Xavier’s, have given shape to an important part in his life, schooling and college days. Sourav Ganguly is the recipient of the Padma Shri award, and I am honoured to confer this award on such a deserving Xaverian,” said Rev. Fr. Dominic Savio SJ, principal, St. Xavier’s College.
Recalling his mischief-making days in the end, Ganguly shared: “School memories are not just books and teachers but also the boys and girls we meet and make friends with during that period. We went to Jamshedpur to play football at Loyola College and we had to play St. Xavier’s Chaibasa… they were very tough and by the time the match finished, it was a boxing game. I think passing out of Class X was very memorable. I got letters in seven subjects. At that age, I didn’t know if I would play for India or not, our goal was to do well in Madhyamik and Higher Secondary.”