College Awards

October 23, 2007
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Back in College, they used to give out this “Best Outgoing Student Award” every year. There were two frontrunners for that award in our batch.

This first guy, lets call him Drinivas, was easily the smartest guy in the class. The second contender, lets call her Dwetha, had a photographic memory, and had straight first-ranks.

So in the final year, the day of the awards ceremony finally came, the whole college is sitting in the massive auditorium, and the Head-of-the-Department is on stage, about to make the announcement for this year’s award.

HOD: “We have a very special winner for the award this year…
Drinivas is getting very nervous with anticipation. He adjusts his tie. Finally, the peak of his academic career is here. Winning this award will complete his Engineering degree.
Dwetha is on the edge of her seat. She’s wondering what she’s going to do with the award money. Maybe buy some shoes.
I’m sitting in the very last row of the auditorium, telling jokes about chicken and frogs.

HOD:”…and to honour the spectacular achievements, this year’s ‘Best Outgoing Student’ is…

Drinivas is sweating like crazy. He’s very close to having a heart attack with all the anticipation the HOD is building up with the award. He decides he’ll snatch the award from the HODs hand when he goes on stage to get it.
Dwetha prepares to get up and wave to the crowd as it will go out of control with glee when she wins the award. Oh! Think of the applause!
Me: “…and the chicken says to the frog…

HOD: “…goes to ADITYA KULKARNI!!!

There is a stunned silence in the entire Auditorium. Now, it is true that I was well known in College with all the profs, but for all the wrong reasons. Everyone waits for the HOD to apologize for her mistake of reading out the winner of the ‘owner-of-the-dirtiest-bike’ instead of the best student.

After 30 seconds of pin-drop silence, everyone realizes that this is not a mistake. The audience lets out collect gasp of shock.

My friends next to me elbow me, telling me to get up and go on the stage. I’m so shell shocked that I didn’t even finish my joke. As I make my way from the back of the last row, someone hands me a tie that I clumsily put on, combing my hair with my hand, and carefully avoiding Drinivas and Dwetha, who look like they’re going to kill me.


[Update: Second part is here]

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15 Responses to College Awards

  1. Manish on October 23, 2007 at 4:36 am

    waiting for the part2, lets see if there is any other suspense or same old stuffs[getting out of dream]

    Hope this makes you change the ending if not else

  2. Aditya Kulkarni on October 23, 2007 at 4:42 am

    Hey, I really did get the “Best Outgoing Student” award! Don’t you remember?

  3. Manish on October 23, 2007 at 4:50 am

    Oh is it ??

    I dont remember any one getting apart for dwetha and drinivas

    any ways congrats for that

  4. Vinay on October 23, 2007 at 6:28 am

    Wonder if outgoing here has a connotation similar to outstanding ;)

  5. Riya on October 23, 2007 at 6:59 am

    Finally the university realised the merits of students like you :P :D
    Looking forward to part 2!
    Vaise what does the chicken say to the frog? :P - just curious….

  6. Raja on October 23, 2007 at 8:58 am

    argh! I dint know reading blogs also required patience [:D]

  7. Anonymous on October 23, 2007 at 10:08 am

    You sure that Drinivas or Dwetha would not read this?!

    - One of the two…

  8. Anonymous on October 23, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    was “out-going” categorized into ‘good-riddance’ and ‘good student’…
    :D

  9. shande on October 23, 2007 at 6:17 pm

    yella ok, name change yaake ?

  10. Aditya Kulkarni on October 23, 2007 at 6:35 pm

    @riya: Here’s the original joke, as I remeber it:

    Q: Why did the frog cross the bridge?
    A: Because the Chicken crossed the road.

    I know, it doesn’t make any sense to me either, but I assure you, back in college it sounded very funny.

    Oh No, Drinivas and/or Dwetha have found this blog and read it. I’m as good as dead.

    @Shande: I changed the name to protect the guilty (i.e., me)

  11. NaReN on October 23, 2007 at 7:14 pm

    Dude. you were easily the best “out”-”going” student.. no wonder our HOD was most pleased tht u were finally “going”-”out”.. :P
    I remember tht day and exactly the way u wore tht tie and combed ur hair :P That was way too funny than the chicken and the frog joke :D

  12. Riya on October 24, 2007 at 12:46 am

    I don’t get the joke, but I suppose it could be funny if told the right way….probably to an intoxicated audience….:D
    Or to an audience who couldn’t be bothered to sit through another assembly :P

  13. Aditya Kulkarni on October 24, 2007 at 2:27 am

    Hey Naren! Thanks for validating my story man! Apparantly, people don’t believe my stories. How shocking!

    @riya: Yeah, you had to be there to get it :) Everything is entertaining when you’re sitting in an Auditorium listening to random people

  14. Riya on October 25, 2007 at 12:57 am

    Totally understand what you mean….:P

  15. [...] [Part 1 of this series is here] [...]

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