By: Mohmod Irfan Shah
Representatives from each batch or class serve as mediators between Professors and students. They work to enhance communication between staff, coordinators, or heads of the institution with students, as professors can’t reach everyone. Class representatives should strive to contribute to a system that prevents crises and maintains good relations among students. They should seek opportunities to share perspectives and ideas that can improve the institution’s work. They should ensure that students participate fully in the Institute’s academics and co-curricular activities by encouraging scholarly discourse and strategic conversations. The purpose of this should be to increase both the Institute’s and the student’s sense of alignment. A student who is confident enough to speak in public, determined to stand up for student interests, academically strong, and mature enough to find solutions to problems should be voted for the duty of class representative.
Put your hands up whosoever is from section B, from the Department of Civil Engineering – Asked XYZ Ma’am (name withheld), the academic officer in the Department of Humanities. I raised my hand, and she told me to introduce myself. In a low tone, I replied, Mohmod Irfan Shah, completed my schooling at Tyndale Biscoe School. Well, I am allowing you to serve your batch for the current academic session, I hope you will prove to be worth it, and your batch mates will co-operate, she said. It all began immediately when several duties started to fall on my shoulders. Maintaining attendance, participating in every student activity, and balancing your friends, family, institution, and personal matter became an essential part of my life. I was the go-to person for everyone. Being a Class Representative is similar to being a mixed drink. You are a concoction of choices and recommendations made by your class and the administration, which comprise mixed fruits’ key ingredients. You must possess the ideal combination of both.
I was already familiar with my duties as I was the class representative in my 5th grade, so this was not the first time I was allowed to lead my fellows. Here the responsibilities were different because the fellows sitting around me were mature enough to be handled. The faces were new, but the challenges were acceptable. Unfortunately, being an introvert, it was pretty tricky for me to get familiar with these faces.
When the college reopened a couple of months after the abrogation of article 370, that too for a month or two, I hardly knew two or three faces in these months, and after that, everything shifted to online mode because of the pandemic. I was very keen on my job, responding to students within no time, completing tasks given by my professors on time, and managing my home chores simultaneously. My department, professors, and classmates were happy with what I was doing because I didn’t leave any option for them to condemn my actions. I never did anything good for name or fame; I helped everyone because it is one of my inherent traits. Things went well for the past three years; even at times, I just wanted to quit this job, but I couldn’t trust anyone else with these responsibilities. At times, I wanted to end this, but my fellow mates were too comfortable with my duty, even they didn’t let me exit.
Unfortunately, after three years, I realized being kind isn’t enough to survive in this materialistic world. All because of my kindness, I learned many people around me held grudges against me for what I never did. People around me still feel I am being paid with grades for being the representative, and some even feel I help to please people around me. The people I helped yesterday were ready to stab me the next day because they thought I was not useful to them anymore. But fortunately, in a day or two, they came prepared with fake compliments to suck all of my boundless kindness.
Being a Class Representative has several advantages that outweigh its disadvantages. It’s an achievement you can keep with you in the future and add to your resume to help it stand out. Even though working under time constraints may seem tedious, it is a great chance to develop and improve time management skills. These three years were an essential part of my life, and I will never forget these years. I understood that actions speak louder than words, and words speak better than fake expressions. I apologize to my mates, professors, and institution Head for bearing my kindness for three years. Additionally, being accountable and associated with faculty and students helped me learn about leadership qualities. Being a class representative was a rewarding and intriguing experience, so I wish the next class representative all the best.
The writer is the author of the book, ‘Surviving the Apocalyptic Society’ and co-author of three anthologies.
