The Unexpected Graduation of Rajesh(Sisty)

In the humid corridors of SCT College of Engineering, Pappanamcode, the year 2012 felt like a whole different era. Though our batch had passed out in 2009, a few of my close engineering brothers—Shifas Hussain, Manu, and Rajesh (having pen name sisty because his roll no was 60. While taking attendance instead of saying sixty he used to say sisty)—were still regular visitors to the campus. They were part of that legendary brotherhood fighting off the stubborn residue of 10 to 15 backlogs.

On one hot examination morning, Shifas and Manu arrived early at the exam hall. Life after college had already picked up speed: Shifas was busy running his own LPG gas agency business, while Manu was neck-deep in planning his dream shot at the UPSC Civil Services. As they sat waiting for the seating arrangement to be posted, Rajesh strolled in, joining the catch-up session about their current hustles and post-college life.

Then came the pre-exam notice.

Rajesh walked up to the seating chart to check his hall, scanned it top to bottom, and froze. His roll number wasn't there. He checked again—nothing. Panic set in instantly.

Driven by pure exam-day adrenaline, Rajesh marched straight up to the Exam Cell to demand answers. To make matters ten times more nerve-wracking, the Chief Superintendent on duty was none other than Vijayakumari Teacher. For anyone from our era, Vijayakumari Teacher was legendary—the formidable First-Year Engineering Mechanics professor whose internal marks were guarded like crown jewels, keeping most students comfortably under double digits.

Rajesh began passionately explaining the injustice—he had paid his fees, submitted his forms on time, yet the administrative machinery had erased his name! The commotion grew loud enough to draw a crowd. Soon, staff members, invigilators, and a worried Shifas and Manu gathered around. The tension was contagious: with the exam clock ticking down **just 30 minutes to start**, even Vijayakumari Teacher grew visibly flustered. She snatched the desk landline, frantically dialing Kerala University official units, only to be met with hold tones and standard bureaucratic delays.

Right in the middle of this high-voltage panic, Ayyappan strolled into the Exam Cell.

Ayyappan, the exam clerk, was a man who moved at his own cosmic frequency. Unbothered by ambient chaos, he carried an eternal aura of zero stress. He listened coolly to the heated argument unfolding around him, took a slow beat, and turned to Rajesh with a simple, calm question:

*"Rajesh... did you actually check your last attempt's results?"*

Rajesh blinked. *"Yeah... I think so..."* he muttered, his confidence draining by the second.

Ayyappan didn't argue. He just signaled Rajesh to follow him to the Production Department. Sensing history in the making, the entire entourage followed—Rajesh leading, flanked by Manu and Shifas, with Vijayakumari Teacher trailing right behind to see what administrative mystery was about to be unraveled.

They reached the department office. Ayyappan pulled out his keys, opened a heavy steel *alammara* (bureau), and casually began leafing through the thick Production Branch ledger files.

*"What's your register number again?"* Ayyappan asked, flipping past yellowed sheets of paper.

Rajesh gave his number. Ayyappan’s finger traced down the page, paused, and stopped. He looked up at Rajesh, then at Vijayakumari Teacher, and said deadpan:

*"Rajesh... you don't have an exam today. You passed all your subjects last attempt. In fact, your original degree certificate is sitting right here in the cabinet."*

For a brief second, time froze. The realization hit everyone at once: Rajesh wasn't a victim of university negligence; he was just a guy who hadn't bothered to check his own results before showing up on exam day!

The moment Vijayakumari Teacher processed this, the panic on her face transformed into pure, unadulterated fury. She had just spent the last half hour hyperventilating, holding up exam prep, and frantic-calling Kerala University officials—all for a guy who had already graduated!

She unleashed a full-blown, non-stop, three-minute earful on Rajesh right there in the department office. She scolded him for making false allegations, for his loud accusatory tone in front of the entire exam staff, and for turning the entire campus upside down over his own laziness. Rajesh stood there with his head bowed, taking the hit, quietly listening to every word while Shifas and Manu tried their absolute best not to burst out laughing right behind him.

Finally, Vijayakumari Teacher paused to catch her breath, satisfied that she had thoroughly put him in his place.

The room fell into a heavy silence. Rajesh slowly turned his head away from the teacher, looked straight at Ayyappan, and asked in all seriousness:

*"Ayyappan Chettan... actually, I paid the examination fee for this supply exam... will I get that reimbursed?"*

That was it. Shifas and Manu completely lost it, bursting into uncontrollable laughter right inside the office. Even after facing the wrath of Vijayakumari Teacher and finding out he was officially an engineer, Rajesh's top priority was still his exam fee refund!