Student Progression and Illustrious Alumni
Student Progression
Details of further studies after graduation
Academic Institutes where students have got in for further study
Illustrious Alumni
Our students have made us proud with their innumerable achievements in avenues as diverse as media, law, education, research and public service.
Nani Palkhivala
(Image source)Mr Nanabhoy A. Palkhivala, the famous jurist and economist, joined St. Xavier’s College in the late 1930s and graduated with a degree in English Literature. He then secured a First Class First in the 1st LLB exam (1943) and again stood First in the Advocate (original side) examination of the Bombay High Court in 1946. He was a member of the First Law Commission of India (1955). In September 1977, Mr. Palkhivala was appointed Ambassador of India to the United States of America. His most famous legal success came in the famous Kesavananda Bharati vs the State of Kerala case, argued before the Supreme Court. He was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in January 1998.
Ameen Sayani is a radio announcer who became immortal as the voice of Binaca Geetmala, that was broadcast over Radio Ceylon and Vividh Bharati (AIR). He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2009.
India’s first openly gay poet, Mr. Merchant is known for his anthology on gay writing titled Yaarana. His poetry collections include Flower to Flame (1989), Stone to Fruit (1989), and Bellagio Blues (2004). He has also published several works of criticism. In 2016, he released Secret Writings of Hoshang Merchant, a collection of essays on a wide range of subjects.
Mahrukh Tarapor
(Image source)Mahrukh Tarapor is an Indian museum professional and art consultant, specializing in Islamic Art. She has held high posts at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. In 2013, she was honoured with the Padma Shri.
Melanie Silgardo
(Image source)Melanie Silgardo is a poet and editor. Her Skies of Delight (1985) won the Asian award under the Best First Book Commonwealth Poetry Prize. She was, for a substantial period of time, an editor for the Virago Press, the famous feminist press. She has edited, along with Dr Eunice de Souza, These My Words, an anthology of Indian poetry from the earliest times to the present.
Arundhathi Subramaniam
Arundhathi Subramaniam is the award-winning author of twelve books of poetry and prose. Widely translated and anthologised, her volume of poetry, When God is a Traveller (2014) was the Season Choice of the Poetry Book Society, shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Rehaan Engineer
Rehaan Engineer trained as an actor at R.A.D.A, post his time at St. Xavier’s. He is a director and actor, and he helped found “the industrial theatre co.” in 2001. He has also acted in the film Everybody Says I’m Fine!
Quasar Padamsee
Quasar Thakore Padamsee is an Indian stage actor turned theatre director. He started a Mumbai based theatre company called QTP, together with several other partners. Plays directed by Padamsee include the following: The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Minorities, All My Sons, The Urban Burden, A View From The Stage, Acid, Kindertansport, Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace, Project S.t.r.i.p., A Peasant of El Salvador, Mother Courage and her Children, Every Brilliant Thing. In 2013, he directed "So Many Socks," which was nominated for the META Awards.
Ayesha Dharker is a British actress of Indian origin. She is best known for her appearance as Queen Jamillia in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. She has also worked on numerous other films, television shows, and plays in a multitude of languages. Notable works include the films The Mistress of Spices and The Terrorist (Tamil), and the television shows Coronation Street and Doctor Who.
Ms. Pervin Saket
Shortlisted for the Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2020, author of a novel, ‘Urmila’ and a collection of poetry, ‘A Tinge of Turmeric’. Ms. Saket’s novel has been adapted for the stage, featuring classical Indian dance forms of Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi. Her work has been widely anthologised in literary journals, both national and international. She is the co-founder and instructor at Dum Pukht Writers’ Workshop, Pondicherry.
Frieda Pinto
(Image source)Frieda Pinto is an internationally acclaimed actress who graduated in 2005. She rose to fame with her role in the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which won her a BAFTA nomination, apart from numerous other accolades. She has since starred in many British and American movies such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Trishna (2011), Immortals (2011), Desert Dancer (2014) and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018). She is also involved in humanitarian causes, especially that of women empowerment. She was one of the narrators of the documentary Girl Rising (2013), which celebrates the stories of nine girls from different parts of the globe, who fought hard to triumph over socio-cultural hindrances.
Antara Telang
Antara Telang is the Senior Account Manager for Digital Communications at The PRactice, a Public Relations agency in Bangalore. She was formerly the Content Director at LaughGuru, an e-learning startup. She is also a freelance writer, having been published in Scroll, The Wire, Firstpost, The Times of India, The Quint, Arre, and most recently, in an anthology of essays called Skin Stories.
Other alumni include:
Anupama Chopra - author, journalist, film critic, and director of MAMI
Payal Kapadia - writer, Horrid High and Wisha Wozzariter
Mr. B. K. Boman Behram - Former Mayor of Bombay
Ms. Gulshan Ewing - Indian journalist and socialite who Edited Eve’s Weekly and Star and Style
Karishma Attari - author, who has set her books I See You and Don’t Look Down at St. Xavier’s College!