Vira drove Saka to Vayu, a sprawling college campus built on the outskirts of the city.
Perched on a hill, with forests on one side, you could see the sea from the other.
Built almost a hundred years ago by Vira's great grandfather, and also being the first campus built by Gaya, it was old-school in its architecture.
The campus seemed quite deserted on a Sunday, since only the dorm students were around. Many went home on Friday and came back on Monday, using the dorm facility for weekdays alone.
The security guard bowed and let Vira in. Vira nodded his head as he drove by.
The older staff, who were closely associated with the chairwoman and founder, Atira, and loyal to the institute, knew Vira by sight. They consulted him when the chairwoman was away. Many of the newer staff had only heard of him, but had never seen him.
He dropped Saka outside the dorm. "I'll quickly go and meet the Principal; she's an old friend of Grandma. Call me once you're done; I'll show you around Vayu."
Saka nodded, his eyes sparkling. He was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the campus. The maintenance was top-notch.
He met up with his senior, a cheerful guy who was extremely pleased to meet Saka.
"I guess I got lucky to be assigned to you," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"Only time will tell, Sen," replied Saka, laughing.
His instructor, a kid by the name of Nav, was also not from the mainland, apparently. He belonged to the bordering country, Arva, which followed Northern philosophy and prayed to Space.
"I was always fascinated by how modern-day physics and ancient folklore had a lot in common. Through stories, they explained a lot of concepts like lightning, earthing, and such. So I am writing my thesis on the correlation for my master's degree."
Saka looked surprised. "Oh! I thought you were doing your graduation."
"I am doing the integrated course; it's a four-year graduation-cum-master's course, a bit challenging, but worth it. You should take it up; I'm sure you'll shine."
"Oh! I didn't know; I will look it up," Saka replied.
"Also, it's cheaper; you pay for four years, and you cover five years of education. How cool is that?"
Saka laughed. Yes, that was a bonus. He was impressed by how much the college put its students before money. There were all sorts of programs, challenging but valuable. Anyone serious about studying would shine.
Nav gave him a lot of tips, tricks, and references for the entrance exam. He was genuinely interested in helping out Vira.
"I want to be the sort of teacher whom kids will love and trust," he said, "and I hope I will be."
"You certainly will! I think you're cool. Let me introduce you to my teacher; he's just as cool as you are! I came with him. He can provide you with any guidance!"
"I'd love that!" Nav looked excited.
****
Vira went to the principal's office. A young man sat at the reception.
"Is the principal in?"
He nodded. "Do you have an appointment?"
Vira shook his head. "Just tell her I've come; she won't mind seeing me."
The lad nodded."Your name, please?"
"Vira."
He made a call. After a minute, the principal rushed out of his cabin, surprising the lad.
"Vira!" She hugged him tightly. "Grandma Poom! I can't breathe!"
Grandma Poom was as old as his own grandma. She was small in build but extremely knowledgeable.
She glared at the receptionist. "This child gets a free pass. Don't stop him. Get that?"
The poor guy nodded. He had just joined a couple of days ago.
Vira patted him. "Cheer up! She gets a bit excited. You did your job well."
He smiled shyly.
"So, Vira, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked him as she got him a cup of tea.
"I got my student for the course, so I thought I'd drop by to say hi."
"Ah, the kid interested in northern philosophy. I heard he impressed Atira with his knowledge."
"He is brilliant. He just doesn't know it himself. I'm glad he isn't a politician. He'd sway the country with his talk."
"He is that good?"
"You bet! I have no doubt he'll make Vayu proud."
She smiled. "Incidentally, I have a date with Saka and your grandma this evening. She wanted me to check him out without him knowing who I was."
So that was his gran's plan all along. Vira knew Saka had impressed her, but not to this extent.
"Don't harass him too much. He is just a kid."
She laughed. "I don't think there'll be any need for it. From when do you plan to take over the Institute? Your grandma needs to retire."
He laughed. "After Saka graduates. I don't want rumors of favoritism clouding his future."
"Nonsense! You are just buying time."
Vira just laughed. He got a call from Saka. "Saved by the bell," he muttered to himself as he answered it.
He excused himself and drove back to the dorm.
Saka was standing next to another kid, evidently the course instructor.
"Sen Vira, this is Sen Nav. He wants to be as cool as you, so I thought I'd introduce him to you."
Vira and Nav both laughed at the weird introduction.
He chatted with Nav for some time, sharing some tips from his experience as a student.
"I did it on scholarship as well. The integration course is a great idea, but try doing support courses. They are free." He told him how to go about it.
Nav seemed extremely grateful. "Sen, I didn't know you did your course here."
Vira shook his head and laughed. "Rules are the same for all Gaya Institutes. I'm surprised your teachers didn't tell you about these things."
Mentally, he made a note to publish this sort of information in the bi-monthly magazines. It seemed some people were still unaware of all that their institutions could offer their students.
They parted ways with Nav after tea. Vira took Saka around the campus, showing him their various club rooms, sports facilities, and the library.
"You can borrow books from here for your course if you like."
Saka shook his head. "Sen, I am not their student. I can't do stuff like that."
"You would have received a registration code. Show it to the librarian.You cannot take exams until you return the books. We do have a checkpoint, so don't worry."
Saka squealed in delight. He wandered around the library, looking for the reference books his mentor had suggested. Vayu was indeed a wonderland!
Vira grinned to himself. It looked like his plan to entice Saka into doing his graduation had succeeded.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Grandma. Show him his potential." He thought to himself.