Fr. Paul was former editor of The Herald, Kolkata, founded in 1839, and is now the Vice Principal, Sciences, at Salesian College Autonomous, Siliguri.
He was the Founder-Director of Radio Salesian and Salesian
TV-YouTube. He also established the Mass
Communication Departments at Don Bosco University in Guwahati and Salesian
College in Sonada, Darjeeling. And he is also the founder of the Mother Teresa
International Film Festival in Kolkata.
By C. M. Paul
In 1992, swimmer Loraine Varghese broke a silence that had
long shadowed Indian sports.
Her allegations of sexual harassment in national camps,
reported by journalist Shevlin Sebastian, marked the first time such claims
were publicly aired in post-Independence India. The scoop reverberated through
Parliament, exposing the darker realities behind medals and glory.
Today, more than three decades later, Sebastian’s name
surfaces again—this time in the literary world. The veteran journalist, with
over 4,500 published articles across leading Indian publications, has been
named a finalist in the UK-based Globe Soup international short story
competition.
Sebastian became a finalist at the Globe Soup Lit Fest in
London for his short story Tightrope Walk, an allegory about the state of the
world told through a man and his pet monkey. For a man who has chronicled the
struggles and triumphs of countless others, the recognition is a reminder that
his own story is equally compelling.
Born in Kolkata, Sebastian’s career began at Sportsworld of
Kolkata’s Ananda Bazar Patrika Group, before spanning The Week, Hindustan
Times, and The New Indian Express. His reporting has taken him from the Asian
Games in Beijing to the Cricket World Cup in Johannesburg and the Olympic Games
in Athens, weaving narratives that combined athletic triumph with human
vulnerability.
Sebastian credits his literary and journalistic leanings to
his Kolkata mentors: Vernon Thomas and Jesuit Fr Horace Rosario. Thomas was a
prolific Anglo-Indian children’s author who modelled discipline and
storytelling craft, and The Herald weekly’s editor Rosario as a mentor figure
who encouraged Sebastian’s early writing and helped him see literature as a
vocation rather than just journalism.
Sebastian’s career has not been confined to the newsroom. He
has ventured into fiction, publishing four novels for children, and his short
stories have found homes in diverse literary platforms. Singapore-based
journals like Kitaab and Borderless Journal, Toronto’s Scarlet Leaf Review,
Pune’s Active Muse, Guwahati’s Twist and Twain, and India’s juggernaut.in have
all carried his work. These publications reveal a writer unafraid to cross
borders, both literal and literary, in pursuit of narrative expression.
Yet, it is his courage in 1992—amplifying Varghese’s voice
against entrenched systems—that remains a landmark. At a time when athlete
protection frameworks were non-existent, Sebastian’s scoop forced uncomfortable
questions and set a precedent for investigative sports journalism in India.
His recognition by Globe Soup now situates him within an
international community of storytellers, affirming that his themes—justice,
resilience, and the human condition—transcend borders. For readers and aspiring
journalists alike, Sebastian’s journey is a testament to persistence,
versatility, and the enduring power of words.
(Published in Mattersindia.com)
https://mattersindia.com/2026/03/sports-scandal-reporter-lands-in-londons-globe-soup/
