By C. M. Paul
Kolkata: March 6, 2026: 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 as a prolific Anglo-Indian children’s author who modeled 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 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 nonexistent, 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.