Three trees for friendship

IT ALL started with hooting, tapered down to shrill whistling and then receded into pin drop silence. All in the centre of a college with a campus, green as its name - Pachaiyappa's. The occasion was the MTC, Police, Busmen and College Friendship Council organised by B.V.R. Links, a counselling service.

The magic spell that worked this wonder were the usual speeches doled out from stage and a couple of entertainment programmes. The silence followed as the message of friendship between students, police and MTC got across. That was symbolised by planting three trees - that is to be nurtured by the water of friendship.

When Dr. R. Balakrishnan, College Principal, threatened to cancel the function if students continued to be unruly, the audience fell silent. His point was clear. The College, known for its hoary history of fighting the British, was blamed for unruly incidents or vandalism as the perpetrators in most cases were outsiders masquerading as Pachaiyappa's College students.

Mr. P. Sakthivel, Deputy Commissioner, Traffic (North) quizzed the student about whom they fear now. Mr. A. Victor of III Year, English, hazarded the right guess, ``our Principal'' and got a prize of Rs. 100 from the officer's pocket.

Mr. Swaran Singh, Managing Director, MTC who played to the gallery addressing Pachaiyappans as ``Super, Cheerful and Intelligent Thambis'', exhorted them to dance in the college auditorium rather than at bus tops. In one such incident, when one of the ``dancing'' boys fell off the bus, the others ran away saying they were not college students, he said. The Rs. 8 crore spent annually for accident compensation could be used to run more buses for them.

Prof. Periyar Dasan concluded the event asking students to divert their energies from petty anger directed at drivers and conductors to worthier social causes.

The programme ended on a cheerful note with Mr. Ambalavanan, an MTC staff mimicking film stars, old and new.

By Akila Dinakar

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Section  : Southern States
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