Aditya’s presence at St. Xavier’s upsets alumni
St. Xavier’s College unveiled a logo to mark the celebration of its 150th year on Thursday. The logo, which is inspired by the iconic college’s arches and facades, was unveiled in the presence of notable alumni, including Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray. Unhappy with his presence, other alumni of the college raised their objection, citing him as “antithetical to the principles and values espoused by St. Xavier’s college.”
The celebration is said to begin from December 27 which will consist of feast mass, cultural events, inaugural programme, alumni dinner, music festival etc. For these event, close to 2,000 alumni of the college is said to be present along with the President of India is to be expected as well. However, several alumni of the college that was established in the year 1869 have condemned the invitation of Mr Thackeray in the events. According to their statement that has been sent to the Principal of the college, they have highlighted some of the alleged acts of the political figure.
In the statement, they have mentioned the time of 2010 when he was in the college. It said, “Mr Thackeray led a campaign against the inclusion of Rohinton Mistry’s widely acclaimed, booker prize- nominated novel ‘ Such a Long Journey’ in the Mumbai University syllabus. His protest against the book stemmed from its alleged portrayal of the Shiv Sena in a negative light. Apart from burning copies of the book in public, his party’s exercise of political muscle and threats of unrest subsequently caused the book to be dropped from the syllabus.”
The students said, “Mr Thackeray in the list of notable alumni who will launch the 150 years celebrations of the institution is an unfortunate reflection of the ethical standing and moral integrity of St. Xavier’s today. In enabling him, you are sending out a message that literary freedom and critical thought stands no chance against political pressure tactics.”
When asked Mr. Thackeray what he has to tell about the alumni opposing his presence in the 150th celebration, he said, “I have not read anything about the letter or statement so I would rather not comment on this entire thing.” However, he expressed his gratitude to his alma mater while assuring every support from his or his party towards the college and future projects.