University Memories | Central Library

Parija Library, Utkal University (1994)

1996

“Bhai, treat! ”, Jagan quipped in excitement as the news of Kittu’s nomination being confirmed spread through the campus like fire in the woods. If you took out of the picture - elections, rallies, et al; stuff that formalize University politics, Kittu was the next President of the student council. It was a landslide, clearly.

An average class had 12 students. A department had 10 classes with 3 batches. The schools had 5 departments each, give and take. The University had 10 schools of excellence. And not to forget the Undergraduate junta. And all of these people would vote for Kittu. Why would they do that?

Because Kittu wasn't the guy who ran away when the police was busy beating up university students. Because he didn't succumb to the Vice-Chancellor’s vile threats, academic and non-academic. Because he never forgave enemies, and never forgot where he came from.

Because no one else in the university had the ping-pongs to stand up against a man who could make and break academic careers at the snap of his finger. But Kittu did stand up, selflessly when he and his friends sized up the chutiya librarian because he wasn't allowing freshers to borrow books. 

"Bastard, is this your father's library?", the VC thundered when he heard about it! 

And all of this did cost him his dissertation, a teaching assistant’s job at an American university apart from so many other things that are not important at the moment.

Despite all that, such was his popularity that even the Chaiwallah Mausa at the Central Canteen wanted to enroll his teenage son in the University, so that he could pay back a favor and vote for him.

“I’ll be the Chief Minister, one day. Oh, I will... ”, he would look into the mirror every time he was drunk and proclaim to himself.

The sycophants in the academic council hated him. The juniors respected him. His peers had his back and so did the alumni, who wrote him generous checks to fund his campaigns.

But there was this one woman who loved him. Truly, madly, deeply.

And he loved her back. Unconditionally. Such was Madhu.

But Madhu was the VC’s younger daughter.

Yet, they made it happen. They just had to.

2014

Back in the days, Kittu and friends use to chase cars and kites. Now his friends were chasing their dreams, their KPIs, their EMIs. 

But Kittu stopped chasing his dreams when he became Keshav Mishra.

Because, Keshav Mishra was the youngest home minister, Odisha has ever seen. The most dynamic as well.

And now he was back in the same place where it all began, to inaugurate the public library of the University. With him were two beautiful ladies; his better half Madhu and their daughter.

While Kittu in his speech was joking about active he was on social media compared to the other ministers, Madhu smiled, and  giggled. She smiled because it was Kittu. She giggled because the library was named after her father.