Unmukt Chand, who led India to the World Cup (under-19) victory recently ‘Down Under’, is not certainly the first one to be disallowed for taking exams by college authorities for want of attendance in Delhi.
Some 53 years ago, the late Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha, the genius from Hyderabad, was snubbed by Nizam College in a similar manner. When the star cricketer of yesteryears made his Test debut at Lord’s, the Mecca of world cricket in 1959, he had to be away for six months as the team had to travel by ship.
Jaisimha missed classes for four months between June and September and to his dismay, Nizam College authorities did not allow him to take the B. A. final exams as he did not have the required attendance percentage. That he was representing the country on such a prestigious trip did not cut ice with the college authorities.
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“He was not allowed to take the exams. Many tried to convince the authorities that Jaisimha was representing the country and not any club in England, but to no avail,” recalls P. R. Man Singh, former HCA secretary. Ultimately, Jaisimha could not complete his graduation. But it did not really matter to him as he came from a well-to-do family.