A Nostalgic Odyssey

Hi ! I'm Sangita. A storyteller.

I last stood on the hallowed grounds of 30 Park Street in Calcutta, 35 years ago. Last Saturday, here in Mumbai, when I stood in the Jade Hall at the Hotel Sahara Star, I felt like a time traveler. A Xaverian time traveller ready to tell the story of a nostalgic odyssey !?

Back story first?

It was a little more than two months ago, when I was one among the 10 Xaverian Alumni living in Mumbai, who responded to a whatsapp chat on the group Bombay Xaverians and landed up at the House of Mandarin in Bandra for some dinner and drinks.??

While I stood sipping my third glass of Virgin Mojito and digging into some cantonese spring rolls ( the vegetarian variety) and okra salad with black vinegar - I heard a bright eyed, 30 something and very animated young man propose an alumni meet up. I instantly loved his energy. This was Mihir Mehta . Batch of 2011.?

I saw the St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) Alumni Association convenor, the stately Dr. Sanjay Goel and the suave and cool Jalpesh Mehta take immediate charge and say with gusto - Yes, let's do it. Who wants to volunteer ??

I have always been this enthusiastic cutlet, looking for extra curricular purposes in life. I think I was the first to raise my hand with full josh and I answered excitedly - Yes, I want to.??

And thus, the story began.?

The Backstage Party?

A committee was formed. Strategizing, planning and curating Nostalgia ‘23 was euphoric. The camaraderie amidst the 25 of us in the organizing team was akin to practicing a high-energy? bollywood dance number for a big fat Indian wedding sangeet sandhya. Koi bada, koi chotta, koi lamba koi mota ! But what synergy !? Move over Ranbeer Singh ! We are here !?

And finally the day arrived. Being present at this Mega Meet organized by the St. Xavier's College Calcutta Alumni Association's West Zone Chapter, felt like reliving the glory days of Calcutta right here in the heart of Mumbai.?

Three Years, One Flashback.?

We were all teens on the cusp of our 20s, when in college. Whichever batch we belonged to ! First crush, first love, first heartbreak. Nostalgia '23 was a masterclass in revisiting that sensation. Unleashing a torrent of memories that had been tucked away in the corner of my mind. The era of the green benches, Arun da's canteen, the samosas in Delights at the backgate and so much more.?

Alumni Avengers !?

Sujeev Shakya from the 88 batch landed? for a quick cameo during his transit from Rwanda to Nepal. I was enthralled by his stories . AbhishekRaj Agarwal (2012) flew in for a day from the steel city - Rourkela,? Mahesh Ji, a true vintage superstar from the 1972 batch was partying like it was his first year all over again. Met Pratik Sharma (2009) a credit risk professional who moonlights as the coffee whisperer with a world championship for coffee brewing on his shelf.?

Shubhra Saraf Sethi (1999), the woman behind the successful monetization of cricket World cup and IPL for a broadcast giant. I met Gaurav Gambhir . His resilience was inspiring. He has just overcome a herculean year long medical battle with treatments and multiple surgeries but he stood smiling, singing and spreading oodles of positivity and shine everywhere.

Anita Panda braved and motivated herself to attend the event despite all odds. CA Honey Sethi - the young lady with a heart of gold.?(She was perhaps more tired than I was,? at the end of the day, yet rolled my suitcase out and stood patiently waiting till I sat in my ride back home).?

Met Sanjeev Maheshwari - who gifted me a bag full of farsans from Pune. The most sober and always calm Naresh Kothari stood for 13 long minutes at one place, talking to me about the eternal and elusive Parsi beauty queen from the English Hons batch. (no, I will not name her).

There are so many more names with so many more incredible stories. Alas, for the lack of time and space I cannot mention them here individually.??

The Golden Steel Bond

But I must mention that I felt overwhelmed and proud to hear Principal & Reverend Father Dominic Savio declare in front of a full house that St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata greatly values us - its Alumni, as one of the steadfast pillars of the institution's strength.

He spoke with pride about the legendary Steel Baron Shri Lakshmi Mittal - an exalted Xaverian whose name needs no introduction. He reminisced how during an event hosted by the London chapter of SXC alumni association - Mr Mittal invited a group of 50 Xaverians for a Sunday dinner at his palatial London home and extended his personal presence and hospitality to all for 4 long hours which his office said was a very very rare thing for him to do.?

A Shoutout again to our behind-the-scenes Crew !?

This grand spectacle would not have been possible without the wizardry of Dr. Sanjay Goel and the tireless team who pulled off the impossible - Jalpesh Mehta , Mihir Mehta , Alok Kr Dutta, CA. Parimal Sheth , Ananya Maitra , Shalini (Chatterjee) Gupta (She/Her) , Sanjiv Saraff , Manish Tekriwal , CA Honey Sethi Prashant Shah , Soumit Das , Anshul Dhanuka , Pratul Jain , Abha Bogi , Vivek Singhi , Nikunj Kanodia , Rahul Agarwal and each and everyone else in the committee.?

Last but not the least, A big thank you for the generous contribution of Xaverians - Amit Harlalka & Vineet Poddar . Your sponsorship ensured the event was a mega success. ??

We -The Bombay Xaverians, turned Nihil Ultra from a college motto to a life philosophy !

(P.S - The term Bombay Xaverians denotes the alumni of St Xavier's College Calcutta who now live in Bombay).