A Day Out With A Man Who Shoots At His Enemies With A Smile!

By D N Singh

It was an eerily quiet afternoon on that campus, in its nascent stage, till then. As soon I reached,  I was led by the Public Relations executive towards the main portico, where a gentleman, simply dressed with a bush shirt and pant, with a smile writ on the face greeted us with a warmth that was endearing.

It was a cordial tryst I had not imagined, then, that, the man would one day climb up the graph of fame and benevolence in years time only. He led us through the emerging campus where knots of structures were visible, indicative of a time, that is today. Hostels, colleges, halls to recreation hovels, it was, as if, an endless legacy in its offing.

It appeared, as if, the man carried on his shoulders litany of dreams I could hardly keep count of. But he walked the talks enviably.

He narrated his plans while walking along, from the basics of learning to the heights of excellence one day. I asked the PR executive who the real gentleman who has been getting us through the pathways with such humble posturing. Where is Mr. Samant? I asked.

She told in whispers pointing with her eyes, `he is Mr.Achyut Samant, the one behind the concept ` .

An unbelievable combination that has gone manifold to blink at the horizon of education. Education not only for the haves but for the aspirational group who were gasping for a place in the world of letters.

What highlighted itself, was the simplicity of the man, who had once partnered a modest room of six to seven hundred rupees per month as rent, today also lives in a three-room bungalow,  clad in those bush shirts and a pair of sandals. A self-invented blend of the monotony of having his feet always on the ground.

When he had narrated his dreams, I, as a journalist, was obviously skeptical about what he said and thought, was he overshooting his ambitions as many others do!

Time passed through  days and years, and in those many encounters we had in between, sobriety appeared to be his only signature quality that he was never ridden off.

I had to drop my case against him as his trajectory of accomplishments hardly caved in anywhere. His down to earth posturing was there from day one and continued.

His quality is that he never shoots at his enemy with a gun but, just with a smile.


If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

NYOOOZ FRIEND

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.

Related Articles