Stephen’s students were toppers

From topping the class to volunteering for a good cause, the three St. Stephen’s College students who drowned in Kerala on Friday were remembered as being well-liked all-rounders by friends and faculty on Saturday.

Aditya Patel, Anubhav Chandra and Kenneth Jose drowned in Periyar River in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Friday evening. They were on a trip that started on December 13 with several other students of the college.

On Saturday, the college held a condolence meeting for the three, Principal Prof. John Varghese said. Aditya and Anubhav were final-year students, while Kenneth had just joined the college this year, said Prof. Varghese.

“St. Stephen’s College is deeply saddened by the demise of three of its students who were on a trip to Kerala...The entire college community joins the bereaved families in this tragic moment,” he said in a statement.

According to friends, Anubhav and Aditya were popular students. Aditya was a class topper and was being considered for a scholarship. He was also a budding poet and was an active member of the Hindi Sahitya Sabha of the college. The two, who were close friends, were also part of the Shakespeare Sabha of the college.

“I was very close to both of them. The whole college not only knew them, but loved them,” said Divyanshu Jha, a second-year student.

Devastated by the news of their death, Mr. Jha said that he had been in touch with the two and had even had a conversation with them on Friday afternoon. Apart from activities in college, Anubhav was also associated with the NGO BloodConnect, which he joined in April 2015.

He was appointed as the manager of the North Delhi division of the NGO.

(The writer is an intern with The Hindu)