Lucknow: During his interaction with students at Colvin Taluqdars’ College, Kumar recalled the lessons he had learnt at the institution and said they had helped him throughout his life.Students gave him a Guard of Honour while the school choir presented a welcome song.Kumar topped the UP Board exams in both high school in 1979 and intermediate in 1981. He stood first among nearly 10 lakh students in high school and six lakh students in intermediate.Kumar said he was interested in sports alongside academics and told students that the two should be balanced. Kumar said he had been preparing to go to the United States but decided to remain in India following his mother’s wishes and his own inclination towards public service. He subsequently cleared the civil services examination and joined the IAS as a Kerala cadre officer.He told the students that college years were an important phase when teachers, institutions and the surrounding environment offered valuable learning opportunities. He said students should remain receptive to the ideas and values imparted by their teachers.Students asked the CEC about the biggest challenges faced during elections, to which he detailed the extensive logistics, security coordination, and ground management required across diverse regions. When a student asked him about the role of first-time voters, Kumar emphasized that youth engagement is the true driving force of a vibrant democracy. On a quesry about the preparatory roadmap before announcing elections, Kumar outlined the months of advance planning, voter roll revisions, and security assessments involved.Kumar shared shared how walking around the campus brought back a flood of memories of school days and expressed heartfelt gratitude to his teachers, fondly naming Mr Tripathi (physics), Mr Samiullah (chemistry), Mr. SB Singh (English), and former Principal Mr SN Tandon.CEC later said he enjoyed interacting with the students and reflected on the similarity between their present phase of life and his own time at the college.Lucknow DM Vishak G, the college principal, faculty and students were present at the programme.
