Half Girlfriend

by Chetan Bhagat

‘Distinguished guests of the Bill Gates Foundation, respected dignitaries, my dear students and parents, welcome to the Dumraon Royal School.’ The crowd cheered. Most did not understand English, but the mention of Dumraon was enough to set them off. The Foundation delegates looked at me with attention. Okay, I can do this, I told myself. Just like at the rehearsals with Riya. Just imagine only she is here. I gazed at Riya. She gave me a nod and smiled. Encouraged, I continued: ‘Mr Bill Gates is here with us today. He is the richest man in the world. I am sure he is sick of being told that all the time.’ From a distance, I noticed Bill Gates smile. He is listening to me, I thought. ‘Sir, you know that rich in terms of money is not enough to have the richest life. That is why you are here. In my Bihar, which, even though we love it, is one of the most backward places on the planet.’ Riya was nodding after every line. ‘And in this backward Bihar is this extraordinary school. This school with seven hundred kids, three teachers, negligible fees, no proper classrooms, no toilets, no real government support and yet, a lot of riches.’ Riya gave me two thumbs-ups. Okay, no mistakes so far. ‘The real riches here are the kids. I am supposed to teach them. However, they have taught me so much. We grown-ups complain about what is lacking in this school. But these kids, they never complain. Come to our school at any time and you will hear only one thing from them—laughter.’ The front ro...