My Story

 My college life began online amidst the global fight against COVID-19. My batch is often referred to as the "COVID batch" because of this. My entire first year was conducted online—no Freshers' Day, no ragging, nothing. It felt unfortunate, but I accepted it. As a History student, I expected my lectures to be delivered by older, perhaps less engaging, professors. To my surprise, both of my major subjects were taught by two young and charismatic professors, Jeevith and Hareesh. These "professor bros," as we called them, had studied together, graduated together, and even began their teaching careers together, handling the first-year students as a dynamic duo. Their energy was refreshing, and I was thrilled to have professors with whom we had a good understanding, given the minimal age difference. However, online classes were monotonous. Most students, myself included, only showed up for attendance. The entire first year felt like a lost cause due to the pandemic....

  This morning, I urgently needed to get to a place, so I boarded the 40H bus near my college to Egmore. When I opened my purse, I realized I only had a ₹200 note. It was early, with just a few passengers on the bus, and I wasn’t sure how the conductor would react. I handed him the ₹200 note, and he gave me a bewildered look. He opened his bag, revealing some coins, and said, “This is all I have. You expect change this early in the morning?” I offered to pay via GPay, but this seemed to upset him. He raised his voice and mocked me, saying, “He says he’ll GPay the fare.” His tone was sarcastic, and the other passengers began staring at me. It seemed as though the conductor was about to kick me off the bus. Thankfully, a middle-aged woman sitting nearby intervened. She told the conductor she would pay the fare for me, and I felt instant relief. I thanked her, but she insisted that I didn’t need to pay her back. After getting off the bus, another passenger approached me and said, “You...