Broker Prof!

This incident took place many years ago.  One evening I heard someone knocking on the door of my quarters.  When I opened the door, a student was standing there.  He told me, ‘Sir, I want to talk to you’.  I invited him to my house and offered him a seat.  

‘Sir, I am not able to focus on my studies’

‘Why, what happened to you? Are you finding it difficult to understand the subject?’

‘No sir, I am able to pick up what the teachers are explaining’

‘Then, are you staying away from home for the first time? Are you home sick?’

‘No sir, even for my graduation, I was away from home’

‘Then what is the problem?’

‘Sir, when I take my books to study, her face appears in my mid’

Surprised, I asked ‘Whose face?’

‘Sir, I am in deep love with a girl in my class, but the problem is she doesn’t have the same feelings towards me’ he paused for a moment and continued, ‘Sir, I want your help, will you please talk to her?’

I was taken aback! ‘What do you think of me? I must broker the deal between you and her?’ He didn’t say anything.  I continued, ‘Look, these are very sensitive issues.  You only have to deal with this’. 

After a week, he came to my quarters in the evening.

‘Sir, I feel she has talked about me to her brother, now I feel someone is following me.  I am afraid they will attack me.  Shall I lodge a complaint with the police’. 

‘Are you sure someone is following you?’

‘Sir, I think so’

‘When you are not sure about what you are saying, do you think the police can help?’

He remained silent for some time and left.  I felt bad for that boy.  I could see that he was going though lot of pain. 

Next day evening he came to my quarters again.  He looked more in distress.

‘Sir, I am sure someone is following me.  Do you know who it is?’

‘How do I know?’

Sir, I feel you have sent those people behind me, because you know all my secrets’

I was shocked, I was furious, ‘What nonsense? I have been so considerate to you and now you are leveling allegations against me. I don’t want to talk to you.  Please leave immediately’.  He quietly got up and left. 

After he had gone, I started thinking, I shouldn’t have behaved like that.  First of all, he was in deep pain and my rude behaviour would have only added to his suspicion.  So, I thought I would talk to him the next day.  But he didn’t come to the class next day.  Not just the next day, he remained absent for few more days.  So, I asked his classmates.  Nobody knew his whereabouts.  He didn’t have any close friends in his class.  He was staying in a rented room outside the campus.  One of his classmates went to his room and found the same locked.  The official records in the institute had his postal address, but no telephone number.  (No mobile phones those days).  He didn’t come back for a long time.

About six months later, one morning, when I was entering my office, I found this boy standing there with a smiling face.  I took him to my office and asked him what had happened.  He said, ‘Sir, after I met you on that day, I was feeling extremely depressed.  I didn’t come out of my room for two days.  My elder brother came and took me to my place.  Even there I couldn’t feel relaxed.  Finally, my brother took me to a psychologist.  I went though a series of counselling sessions.  Now I am perfectly alright.  I know nobody was following or trying to attack me.  It was all my illusion.  Sir, I want to join the Institute and complete the course’. 

He had lost one year by that time. So, he joined his juniors and continued his studies.  I found him more jovial and making friendship with many.  He successfully completed the course and moved on.  I have never met him since then, but I was very happy to see that he bounced back to life.  He got the professional help at the right time.

In a recent board meeting, the student representative mentioned about the mental stress that the students undergo and suggested that the Institute should make professional help available.  Not just students, we all go through stress at one point or the other.  The reason may be anything – relationship issues, academic pressure, work pressure, financial problems, and so on.  But getting professional help at the right time is crucial.

Anyway, this remained as a unique experience in my teaching career, where a boy wanted me to broker and negotiate his romantic feelings!

(Note: My sincere appeal to those who know this incident - Please do not reveal his name in your comments)