I’ve known Surya Gauda from school days. We were both in one class; sometimes. I still remember his ankle-length red-gumboots. No one in the school — other than him — had the f***ing guts to wear such footwear in the school.
He was a notorious backbench-er type of student. Although I was myself a second last bencher, I wasn’t even close to him in the madness. I don’t think there was any teacher who wasn’t his prey.
He made sure that he had his claws of madness on all the teachers; and classmates.
After school, I never met him, until a few months back when we made a WhatsApp group of school alumni. We got connected after 22 years or so. I was just casually checking his Facebook profile one day and I was shocked to see the transformation. I saw his photographs doing different social activities.
Surya — now — is a journalist, a social activist, and trustee of a school — a beautiful transformation. I never thought he would transform into what he’s today. Although he must have been a beautiful person inside right in the school days, I failed to see the depth.
The most troublesome schoolboy is a nobleman, the most notorious student is a compassionate teacher and the one who was most reported is a reporter.
I’ve seen many transformations in life, including mine, but this one is a really vibrant and radical one.
