three moments

chief guest

The program started at 12 o'clock. First, our chief guest was introduced, and immediately after that, there was a performance of the North Eastern cultural dance. After five groups had performed their dances, one group was left for the final performance. They were called to the stage.

However, just before starting the dance, Registrar Sir intervened and said, "We are running short on time, so we need to start the speeches of the chief guest and VC Sir soon. Let's begin their speeches now."

I noticed disappointment in the eyes of those three girls. It was inevitable, whoever it may be, it would feel bad if they weren't allowed to perform on stage after preparing for it. The Registrar's behavior was quite unwelcoming, and I don't think anyone would have liked it.

Ahmed suddenly said, "Look, Devraj is coming."

Devraj sat down beside us, and Ahmed asked, "Hey, bro, where were you?"

"I was sitting in the common room."

Jokingly, I said, "I told you he would be hanging around somewhere."

Devraj laughed and said, "Bro, have you guys allowed any downloads?"

"Yes."

"That's why mine isn't working either."

Ahmed said, "Rajat bro, look at that girl, she looks so cute... I feel like going and kissing her right now."

Devraj chimed in, "Yeah, bro, go for it, because she won't appear before you again."

Suddenly, a guy from the arts side, sitting near us, started shouting, "Rahul...! Rahul...! Rahul...!"

When we turned around, we saw a guy named Rahul hiding his face. We wondered what had happened. Then, our attention shifted to the girl sitting next to the guy. Bamboo sticks were placed between the boy and girl, maintaining a gap of just 2 feet, to keep them separated. This arrangement was made by the students' union.

The boy's friends started chanting "Rahul! Rahul! Rahul!" again. The girl began to laugh, observing the boy's reaction.

Glancing at the girl with a smile, I offered my opinion, "Bro, it seems she's his crush."

Ahmed chimed in, "Yeah, it's possible. That's probably why her friends are teasing her."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Suddenly, VC Sir spoke up, "Hello students."

Our attention shifted to VC Sir.

VC Sir began, "I was watching..."

Students began to understand and started laughing.

In his Bengali accent, VC Sir continued, "One should fall in love, everyone should, and being in love is essential."

Laughter echoed through the room, unexpected words coming from VC Sir. He chuckled himself and waited for the room to quiet down.

In his Bengali accent, VC Sir added, "Oh, students, they weren't talking about that boy-girl love. We said one should fall in love, and certainly do, but with your work, with your studies, with your responsibilities. That's when you'll truly enjoy. I understand what age you guys are at. We were all once your age. Slowly, we grew up and moved on. If you develop a love for your work, you won't delay it because you'll find joy in it. We don't have much time, so I'll conclude my speech here. Our chief guest is present, let's hear some words from him. Sir, please come."

The chief guest arrived, and as he paused, he said, "Hello... hello students. You all might be wondering why I'm so nervous. Let me tell you, I'm not finding the courage to speak in front of VC Sir and Registrar Sir. I too studied in this college. I don't know what to say... President Chinmay called me to motivate you all. I feel like I need some motivation myself."

No student was paying attention to the chief guest; they were chatting with each other. Even I was engaged in conversations, as their words seemed quite dull.

The chief guest then offered a clarification, "Chewing tobacco and recklessly riding a bike—your parents send you here for education, not to chew tobacco and create a mess in the college. If they find out, what will they think of you all? What kind of impression will it leave on them? You know? They'll think, 'We sent our child to college for education, and look what he's doing.' When he returns tired, his mother will offer him love because he's worked hard, because he's come from college. But what do they know about what their child is actually doing in college?"

As he continued, students were not paying attention; they were laughing about the previous topic. The chief guest continued, "You might not be in a love relationship, but maybe you feel that someone special is in your life, and this may happen to some of the girls... they become the center of attention, and the boy spends money on them, lavishing gifts. But have you ever thought how your parents earn that money? They might be toiling away, so that you can have a bright future."

Amidst his speech, students continued chatting and using their phones. VC Sir's words were barely registering with them. The chief guest concluded, "I don't know, maybe President Chinmay will scold me for saying this, he might be giving me disapproving looks. And not just him, even others may think negatively. Nowadays, if you say too much, people get offended, and if you say too little, they think you're underconfident. What I'm about to say is especially for the boys. They're hurting their health by engaging in such behavior. Those who understand, understand."

Amidst his words, students were laughing again, thinking he was discussing the same topic. The chief guest realized no one was listening, so he wrapped up, "I don't want to drag my speech any longer. We're short on time, so I'll conclude here. Thank you, everyone."

Applause erupted in the room, akin to clapping for a lifeless body.