Meet Rajendra Shinde, St Xavier’s Mumbai’s 1st Non-Christian Head

The Quint caught up with Shinde who opened up on his selection, reservation and future plans.

Rajendra Shinde (right) with his wife.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

St Xavier’s College, Mumbai is going to mark its 150th anniversary with a bold and unprecedented step – a Hindu principal helming the college, as opposed to Catholic principals assuming the position traditionally.

Rajendra Shinde has been a part of the institution for more than 35 years, excluding the 3 years he spent as a student in the college. He first walked through the gates in 1980 as a first year B.Sc student.

While he was in his 3rd year, he was offered a job in the college. Although he insisted on finishing his M.Sc first, his faculty in-charge gave him the option of working and studying simultaneously. Shinde took up work in the Botany department and went on to register for a PhD soon after. In 1991, he became a teacher.

St Xavier’s, since its inception in 1869, has never had a non-Christian head and this departure from tradition is saying a lot about the change in its culture. The move has been lauded across the nation.

Shinde defended the step taken by the earlier principals of cutting the SC/ST/OBC reservation at St Xavier’s.

If you look at the constitutional diktat, It says not more than 50%. Right? for minority status and if we have to maintain the minority status, they also want us to register 50% of catholic candidates. If you have that mandate and we have to do that if we don’t do that then we lose minority status Which has its own advantages and disadvantages so we don’t want to lose that status in anyway right? So we must have a 50% of that Now if you have additional 25%. It is a breach of constitution. Even the Supreme Court has agreed with this.

Rajendra Shinde, the first non christian principal of St Xavier’s

The Quint spoke to Rajendra Shinde over the phone and he opened up on his selection, college policies and his priorities once he takes charge.