In a maiden and unique initiative, the Department of English in St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, inaugurated a students’ club on March 26 this year. The Literature and Life Club aims to bring literature closer to life closer through literary, artistic, intellectual, humanitarian, and ecological activities. This is being done all through the year with active involvement of students on and off-campus. The club hopes to make all Xavier students aware of aspirations and challenges of the youth, issues of migrants and the homeless, the current ecological crisis and the need for a vertical dimension in life through spirituality or philanthropic involvement.
Nearly 200 persons attended the event in the XICA Hall of St Xavier’s college. The function began with a melodious prayer which was followed by lamp lighting with active participation of dignitaries. An alumnus of our college captivated the audience by creating a beautiful amalgamation of Bharatanatyam with Maya Angelou’s poems “Caged Bird” and “Still I Rise”. Some of the first-year students performed an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, which was edited and directed by the seniors. A poetry reading by our recently-published poet-students Deep Soni and Kris Pereira exemplified the literary aptitude inculcated by our college. Similarly, a demonstration on employing self-defense techniques by Aditi Trivedi, an alumnus of SXCA, added the narrative of empowerment through self-confidence. The event ended on a musical note with a performance on the violin and the flute.
The Literature & Life Club aims to explore literature through artistic, intellectual, and humanitarian pursuits in a way that fosters practical knowledge. Its main purpose is to link innovation with social responsibility. Its logo contains two intertwined ‘L’s, mirroring each other, tied with a fine thread of moral awareness and parallel perspectives, with a rising owl in the background to depict upward movement. This upward movement points towards literary involvement and social upliftment by addressing current issues, especially through cultivating an intersectional lens that will encourage equity, and eco-critical thinking.
To emphasize the significance of literature in life, the Head of the Department, Dr. Saurabh Vaishnav, gave a welcome speech where he quoted many literary works to illustrate this connection. The chief guest of the event, Dr. Jagdish Joshi, the director of the UGC Human Resource Development Centre in Gujarat University, gave an inspiring speech about the importance of literature in forming a balanced human personality. Father Principal, Lancelot D’Cruz, dwelt at length upon the contribution by literature to a multi-disciplinary approach in life. Before unveiling the logo, Father Sunil Macwan, the founder of the club, gave an insight into its vision and collective ideas. Dr. Anna Sacha gave a glimpse into similar literary activities carried out by the department during this academic year.
The L&L club aims to create a space where all ideas find expression. This is a platform where one can find ample opportunities to showcase talent, develop skills, build team spirit and find new avenues to make a positive difference in the world. The club seeks to extend the scope of literature beyond theoretical knowledge. This will be done by organizing activities that initiate conversations for addressing issues of the youth, especially by developing healthy spirituality.
A lot of teamwork, planning, preparation, and practices combined to make the inaugural function a huge success. Bhakti Jain, President, L&L, and Dhyey Lakhani, Vice President, L&L, concluded the event with a vote of thanks. If you wish to explore literature in life & life in literature at SXCA, come join us.
