Shame...

There was a ruckus near the Botany department. ‘Maaro saalay ko’ was all that I could hear. I generally avoided crowds and gatherings in college, but this hullabaloo was different. I could see a couple of students dragging a bald guy to somewhere near the entrance of the building. In few seconds the decently clad guy was ripped off his clothes, well almost. Curiosity got the better of me and soon I found myself standing very close to the scene.

One of them shouted and ordered me to quickly get shoe polish from somewhere. I froze and immediately realized I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I cursed myself for being at the crime scene and in those few seconds contemplated whether or not to follow the order. I was scared, saw no opportunity of escaping, and managed to execute the order. Thankfully I was spared with the opportunity to smear polish on the baldy’s face. This honor went to a fresh face at the scene, some youth leader, clad in spotless white kurta-payjama. My job done, I came out of the crowd and observed the show from a distance.

Few minutes later a battery of college staff intervened and whisked away the baldy with a bunch of students following them.

The baldy was a professor who had, just before he was caught-dragged-thrashed, misbehaved with a lady research scholar.

Two days later the college announced an unplanned off. This professor’s daughter, who was doing her masters in the same college and same department, and was almost of the same age as that of the research scholar, committed suicide. As for the tainted professor, he was just transferred to another city...