STUDENT PERSPECTIVESWilliam is amaster storyteller and hisbooks havedone a greatdeal topopularisehistory amongnon-historians.3William Dalrymple &Aadya5Post-talk book signingAadya Shukla(1996, DPhil, Computing) President of the Oxford Indian Society2007-2008, on writer and historian William Dalrymple’s visit to CatzON WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2008, despitethe Trinity Term exam rush, over 170students, academics and visitorsattended a talk at Catz by theinternationally renowned travelwriter and historian William Dalrymple.He discussed his latest book, The LastMughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi,1857, which is a dynamic narrative of thefinal flowering and violent end of the lastMughal imperial court of the BahadurShah Zafar II.During the lecture, which was organised by the OxfordIndian Society, William pieced together the story ofZafar – and the Great Mutiny that spelled his doom –from a trove of 20,000 documents known as the MutinyPapers. William’s mesmerising narrative, supported bya colourful slide-show, had the audience glued to theirseats for more than an hour. He discussed how Zafar,a man of discerning taste, a poet and calligrapherwho attracted artists and intellectuals to his court, wasreduced to ruling an empire that had ‘contracted to thewalls of the Red Fort of Delhi’. Zafar had the bad luck torule at the confluence of two historical currents: a surgein British power that left it suddenly in control of all ofIndia, and a wave of evangelism, inwhich English missionaries, with theconnivance of the British East IndiaCompany (EIC), posed a risingthreat to India’s Muslims and Hindus,including the Sepoy soldiers of theEIC. When the conflict came to a headover the use of cow and pig greaseon the Enfield rifles issued to theSepoy soldiers, the result was the1857 mutiny against the Raj.In the question-and-answer session that followed thetalk, which I chaired, William underlined resoundingparallels between what happened then and currentevents, where the United <strong>St</strong>ates finds itself the solesuperpower after the collapse of the Soviet Unionand is convinced that its gospel – democracy – isthe answer to present troubles in the Middle East.In concluding remarks, he said that we should notignore the lessons of history, adding that the mixtureof religion and politics always leads to unpleasantconsequences, as seen in countries like Afghanistan,Pakistan and Iraq. William loved the atmosphere at the<strong>College</strong> and interacting with an inquisitive audience atthe post-talk book-signing event.28/AADYA SHUKLA
STUDENT PERSPECTIVESLogan Gerrity(2007, Visiting <strong>St</strong>udent)I remember that first week or so in Oxford as a hazeof many different sensations, British accents, teas andlagers both delicate and complex, and the sheer charmof things; colleges, gardens, moonlit nights, anddreaming spires. As I walked the streets of the city,examining something so unique, beautiful, and steepedin tradition that it could only be compared with itself, Idoubted whether I was truly meant to have traffic withthis place. But as the weeks rolled on and Michaelmasbecame Hilary, and Hilary made way for Trinity, anyinitial doubts as to my place in this University werebriskly cast aside.Academically, I was quickly immersed into the worldof tutorials. Because I was unaccustomed to writing somuch in so little time, my tutors were always on guardensuring that I never got buried, while also assigningjust one more book or article to make sure I waslearning everything and seeing both sides of anargument. And while I may have been dubious of thesystem at the start, a system so different compared tomy home university, the friendships and bonds I formedwith many of my tutors, and the quality of my work,serve as testament to my embracing of the Oxford wayand the opportunity it offered for individual instructionwith academics at the apex of their respective fields.Socially, I found wonderful friends in a group of thirdyearartists and geographers. I will sorely miss therelaxed nights I spent with them in the JCR – cool pintin hand, playing pool, and engrossed in some kind ofexistential argument. However, my social life did notend at <strong>St</strong> Catz. I was lucky to be a member of theOxford University Golf Club. It was not until TrinityTerm, when golf had ended for the year, that I realisedjust how good I had it: golfing every weekend atpremier golf clubs (with three-course lunches thrownin), spending so much time with such a splendid groupof guys – I believe I have formed friendships that willlast a lifetime. And I will always remember the six-footputt I made during the dinner match on the eighteenthhole at Royal Liverpool which saved the team £500!Looking back, any doubts or concerns I initially feltregarding my home at <strong>St</strong> Catz and Oxford were illfounded.The past year of my life was one of the best,and I am grateful for the memories and opportunitiesthat <strong>St</strong> Catz has given me.The past yearof my life wasone of thebest ...ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE 2008/29
- Page 1 and 2: The Year2008St Catherine’s Colleg
- Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSContentsMaster’s Report 2
- Page 5 and 6: MESSAGESThe public profile of Colle
- Page 7 and 8: MESSAGESplacing Oxford in the posit
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- Page 11 and 12: COLLEGE LIFEST CATHERINE’S COLLEG
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- Page 15 and 16: COLLEGE LIFEJames Bennett, the Home
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- Page 21 and 22: COLLEGE LIFEJoshua Silver (1964, Ph
- Page 23 and 24: COLLEGE LIFEPhilosophy, Politics &E
- Page 25 and 26: COLLEGE LIFEGraduate Degrees & Dipl
- Page 27 and 28: COLLEGE LIFESports ReviewIn rowing,
- Page 29: STUDENT PERSPECTIVESDaniel Gallaghe
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- Page 35 and 36: STUDENT PERSPECTIVESnuts. Three day
- Page 37 and 38: ALUMNI NEWSintegral metal plaque in
- Page 39 and 40: ALUMNI NEWSMichelle Teasel (1988, M
- Page 41 and 42: ALUMNI NEWSDavid Baum (1982, Botany
- Page 43 and 44: ALUMNI NEWSJack Douay (1946, Agricu
- Page 45 and 46: ALUMNI NEWSNews in briefSophie Chil
- Page 47 and 48: ALUMNI NEWSThe College time capsule
- Page 49 and 50: CATZ FELLOWSthe idea that we can le
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- Page 53 and 54: CATZ FELLOWSThat research currently
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- Page 61 and 62: GAZETTEninety-four, he and Margery
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