42 St Xavier’s College, Bombay

It was a cloudy June day when we got our Board Exam results, and I was happy to note that I had passed in the First Division. Clutching the result sheets, it was time to join a good college. I had decided to study the Arts and hence did not anticipate any difficulty in getting admitted into Bombay’s finest college, the St Xavier’s College.

So early on a rainy Monday June morning, Anjum and I got into a Bus and headed towards St Xavier’s College. We were thoroughly drenched by the time we reached but had taken sufficient precaution to carry our documents in a waterproof folder.

The College was teeming with eager students waiting to get admission and we found ourselves in a long queue. Our turn came towards mid-noon and after filling in the requisite forms, and a short interview with Fr John Misquitta, SJ, the Principal of the College, we were assured admission. We obtained his signature, paid our first term fees and also obtained our college ID card. By this time it was well past 3 pm, and we returned home happily, as Xavierites of the Class of 69!

The ambience in St. Xavier’s College is legendary – the famous canteen, glamorous crowd and lots of extra-curricular activities including the famous annual Malhar Festival. I was very shy, especially when it came to interacting with girls! This self-consciousness deterred me from any kind of public speaking. For instance, when Professor Godfrey, our English teacher selected my English essay for reading, I was asked to read the essay in front of the whole class… I still remember shaking like a leaf during the reading – sheer agony!

St Xavier’s had excellent faculty and I was fortunate to study under some really outstanding teachers. Ms Eunice D’Souza taught English Literature – she was very strict, and on one day reprimanded me for chewing gum during the lecture. We also had other great teachers like Professor Aguiar, Fr Emil D’Cruz (earlier College Principal, but also a humble lecturer in sociology). Another brilliant Professor was Fr Rudy Heredia who also taught us Civics and Sociology. Later in the college year, I was selected to represent St Xavier’s College in the United Nations Essay Competition on Human Rights. I participated but did not win anything.

I also had some very interesting classmates with whom I am still in touch – among them was Gautam Mukherjee. He had finished his schooling from the iconic British Public School of Berkhamsted (also the alma mater of the famous novelist, Graham Greene). I was fascinated with Gautam’s British accent and his absolute mastery over the English language! Another outstanding wordsmith was Ivan Kostka who, even at that young age was also the Bombay Correspondent of the famous Junior Statesman of Calcutta. Another classmate was Fredun De Vitre who regularly appeared on Doordarshan TV as a cricket commentator, in those early days of broadcast journalism.

My first year at St Xavier’s College was rapidly coming to an end. My social inhibitions, particularly the inability to interact with girls, soon began to take a toll of my mental health. I started avoiding going to college and became reclusive – I managed to just about drag myself to attend the final exams at the end of the college year. The future therefore looked frightening and bleak, and I will dwell more on this as we go ahead.