St. Xavier's School, Delhi
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St. Xavier's School, Delhi is a Roman Catholic Christian, co-educational school from prep to grade 12 founded and run by Jesuits. The school is located on Raj Niwas Marg in the Civil Lines area of Delhi, India. The school has another branch in Rohini, on the outskirts of Delhi.
The school drawing inspiration from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, aims at facilitating the Xaverian family spiritual and moral as well as intellectual and aesthetic values.
Founded in the year 1960, the school works under the management of the Society of Jesus, an International Christian Religious order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540 AD. The school is recognised by the Directorate of Education, Delhi Administration and is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education for the All India Secondary School Examination and All India Senior School Certificate Examination.
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[edit] History
The school is based over the grounds and the building of one of the three top-most British hotels of Delhi, Hotel Cecil, on Rajniwas Marg in the Civil Lines area of Delhi, India . Situated in an 11 acre park it was a posh hotel with over hundred rooms and lush green lawns and a swimming pool.
The Patna Province of the Society of Jesus bought it (including the premises and the services of the hotel employees) from the siblings Mr. Edwin Hotz and Mrs. Pauline White, who were of Swiss/English extraction, and was granted permission by the Commissioner of Delhi to convert it into a residential school for boys.
St. Xavier's School was inaugurated on the 6th of January, 1960 by the Archbishop His Excellency James Knox, the representative of the Vatican in India under the stewardship of Fr. Frank Loesch, the first Rector. Loesh went on to negotiate and bought property around the area (the adjacent land from the Gujarati Samaj and the Bombay House a little distance away) keeping in mind the expansion in the years to come.
In the following week admissions for new classes began starting with Std. V and reaching down to Prep. At the end of the week there were over 700 boys on its rolls, a record for any school in its first year of admittance. It was no wonder then that within a month of its inception the school was granted recognition by the Directorate of Education.
While the Prep classes functioned from the Bombay House, the school utilized the five buildings of the hotel with a few necessary changes keeping for the time being the major part intact. The rooms were converted into classrooms and dorms with four to five boys in a room which had the unique facility of a dressing area and attached toilets. Some parts of the residential quarters were renovated to accommodate the staff.
At the same time work was started on the five storied school buildings and slowly the premises took on a new shape as appropriate to an establishment of learning. In the process many of the old buildings were destroyed but some were retained and are still in use like the Fathers' Residence, the Chapel, the Hall, the Snob's Row and the swimming pool. Modern classrooms, teacher's tutorial rooms, science laboratories, a library and a host of other facilities were in the process of being constructed and a large playing field was created by leveling the ground occupied by a road that had cut across the area.
By 1965, the Junior and the Senior school buildings were ready and were occupied, and the reins of administration came into the hands of Fr. Thomas Kunnunkal who took over from Fr. Thomas Athazhapadam, the first principal. Fr. Kunnunkal - who was later awarded Padam Shri- was responsible for much of the pattern the school adopted in later years. Under his extended term as principal the school gained the status of one of the most prestigious institutions in Delhi.
Hostel and boarding facilities were discontinued in 1970 and the hostel building was converted into a Jesuit training facility
In the 1980s St. Xavier's got itself into controversy when it switched from English to local language Hindi as the medium of instruction in junior classes. This measure (along with decision to set apart a 25% of seats for the poor - with subsidized uniform/books/tuition) was part of changing the image of school from one of "school for affluents" to one of "school for local needs". A large number of parents pulled their children out of school as well as many teachers left. The hitherto popular reputation of St. Xavier's as an elite school took a nose dive and the public was bewildered at the direction this top of the rung school had chosen for itself. Nevertheless, the school continues its policy of teaching in Hindi as it believes that "younger children learn best in their mother tongue".
In 1985, school started admitting girls starting from prep grade and each year moving one grade up and is now fully co-educational.
[edit] The School Emblem
The Coat-of-Arms of St. Xavier’s is undoubtedly majestic, meaningful and rich in inspiration. It inspires us to be as stout-hearted as a lion in upholding the ideals of the School, to be men and women aiming ever higher with the EAGLE-like vision of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, and to embrace all that is best in our country, under the guidance of our teachers and inspired by our patron, St. Francis Xavier.
THE TWO LIONS (similar to the four atop the Ashoka Pillar holding the Dharma Chakra, the Wheel Of Order) hold the XAVIER CREST aloft, faithfully protecting and proudly proclaiming the noble ideals of the Republic of India and its rich heritage symbolised by the LOTUS, the flower par excellence of India the IHS (first three letters in Greek of the name Jesus) symbolise the Society of Jesus; the moonlike chequered and inverted CRESCENT is taken from the Coat-of-Arms of the House of Xavier symbolizing the one after whom our school is named. The inscription at the bottom proclaims that ST. XAVIER’S SCHOOL was founded in the year 1960 and is located in DELHI. ESTO VIR (Latin for BE A MAN) is taken from the farewell instruction of King David to his son and royal successor, Solomon: “I am about to die. Be strong and show yourself a man (Esto Vir) and keep the charge of the Lord, your God walking in His ways and keeping His statutes and commandments so that you may prosper in all you do”.
[edit] Rectors
- Fr. Frank Loesh, S.J. (21.04.1960 - 11.12.1965)
- Fr. Edward Mann, S.J. (12.12.1965 - 21.07.1968)
- Fr. Gerald Grace, S.J. (22.07.1968 - 24.06.1972)
- Fr. Thomas Athazaphadam, S.J. (25.06.1972 - 17.09.1978)
- Fr. Joseph Paschal, S.J. (18.09.1978 - 21.04.1984 )
- Fr. K.T. Thomas, S.J. (22.04.1984 - 20.03.1991 )
- Fr. Mathew Padayatty, S.J. (21.03.1991 - 20.03.1997)
- Fr. Thomas Kuriacose, S.J. (10.07.1997- 2003)
- Fr. Sebastian Assarikudy, S.J. (2003 - Present)
[edit] Principals
- Fr. Thomas Athazaphadam, S.J. (01.01.1960-17.12.1961)
- Fr. Thomas Kunnunkal, S.J. (18.12.1961 - 31.05.1971), (01.09.1977 - 31.03.1979)
- Fr. Abraham Puthumana, S.J. (01.08.1974 - 31.08.1977)
- Mr. Augustus Martins (01.04.1979 - 31.03.1980)
- Fr. Joseph Parakatt, S.J. (01.04.1980 - 31.03.1985)
- Br. Ittoop Pallipadan, S.J. (01.04.1985 - 01.12.1992)
- Fr. John Ariapilly, S.J. (02.12.1992 - 09.07.1997)
- Fr. P.T. Augustin, S.J. (10.07.1997- April, 2001)
- Fr. Xavier J. Ignatius, S.J. (April, 2001 - March, 2005)
- Fr. Jose Philip, S.J. (April, 2005 - Present)
[edit] Famous Alumni
- Arun Jaitley, Former Minister (Union Govt. Of India) for Commerce, Industry and Law
- Ajay Maken, Member of Lok Sabha, India
- Ramu Damodaran, Former Private Secretary to Prime Minister, India
- Gautam Roy, Television Journalist
- Lokesh Bakshi,Vasav Vashisht,Nitesh Vasandani,Band Members & Founders of INDIAN ROCK BAND, PRESTORIKA
- Jividha Sharma, Hindi Actress
- Kem Trivedi, Musician & Composer, and Part of Band Silk Route
- Nitin Malik, Subir Malik & Chintan Kalra, Band Members & Founders of Famous Indian Rock Band, Parikrama
- Upamanyu Chatterji,Novelist,IAS,English August
[edit] Delhi Old Xavierian's Association (DOXA)
The Delhi Old Xaverian's Association (DOXA) formerly Xaviers Old Boys Association Delhi, is the official alumni association of St. Xavier's School Delhi. The Association presently has over 7, 000 members, spanning across all batches that have passed out of the school since 1968.
Nearly two hundred students from St. Xavier's School, Delhi, have been joining DOXA's ranks each year. The members of DOXA form the cream of society in all five continents. Today, the family of Delhi Old Xaverian's Association (DOXA) is one of the largest alumni groups in India.
Membership makes it easier to keep in touch with your school and school-time friends. It also entitles you to participate in all the activities of DOXA including the Annual Dinner, Annual Ball, Annual General Body Meeting, Seminars, Conferences in India and abroad, etc.
DOXA plans to launch services and programmes in the field of social service and also enhance networking, job opportunities, placements, etc. Plans are also underway to establish DOXA local chapters in different parts of the country and abroad.
In its endeavor to do better, DOXA is constantly looking for new ideas and inspiration. We, therefore, call on you to participate in our endeavors. Becoming a member of the Association is easy, provided one has been a student of St. Xavier's School, Delhi and, more importantly, has the vision and will, not only to excel in one's personal life and profession but also to make a positive contribution to it.
