Nostalgia grips Mangaldai College as former students honour teacher on retirement

OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANGALDAI: It has been 35 long years since they were the first batch of English Major students at Mangaldai College. Now, they are English teachers working in various districts of the state and are over 55 years of age. The students of that inaugural English Major batch, which began with just 12 students, arrived on Friday at Mangaldai College in a group. Their purpose was to honour their beloved teacher, Dr Runjun Devi, who will retire from her professional life on February 28.

On this occasion, during a programme held in the English Department classroom, Principal Dr Kamala Kant Bora said, “It is an ideal example that former students, who are now teachers themselves, have come to honour their teacher in this way. Only the virtuous can truly appreciate the value of the virtuous.”

In the meeting presided over by Hitesh Hazarika—a student from the first English Major batch and now a subject teacher—Principal Dr Bora further remarked that receiving such spontaneous honour from past students clearly showed that the teacher’s life was blessed and that her teaching career was successful.

The event was attended by faculty members including Associate Professor Rupa Rani Bhuyan, Barnali Kalita, Dr Rupjyoti Barua, Neha Mahanta, and others.

Students from the batch of 35 years ago (1991–93), who are now teachers—Kulendra Nath Deka, Prabin Sharma, Chhaya Banik, Bandana Saikia, Deepak Talukdar, and Hifzur Rahman—brought the atmosphere to life with reminiscences, devotional songs, poems, and heartfelt speeches.

The retiring senior faculty member, Associate Professor Dr Runjun Devi, shared memories of the education she received from childhood, treating her home like a school, and her experiences throughout her career. She expressed being overwhelmed with affection, love, and respect from her first batch of students.

Dr Devi was warmly felicitated with a phulam gamocha, a brass jaapi, a xorai, books, a bouquet of flowers, and a letter of citation. The students of the English Department also accorded her a farewell felicitation.

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