Son of gardener makes history, elected St Stephen’s president

Having done his schooling from Allahabad, Rohit came to Delhi in 2012 and managed to secure a seat in BA Programme at Delhi University’s premier college.

Rohit’s passion for politics prompted him to contest polls. “In my first year, I worked with George Joseph, the Students’ Council President then. I have always worked towards becoming a politician. When I saw George speak in the ‘Open Court’, I was inspired to do the same,” Yadav said.

Two years later, Rohit spoke at the Open Court — an event where all presidential candidates are supposed to address the college and take questions. Only, Rohit did so in Hindi.

“He made his speech and answered questions in Hindi. This has never happened in the history of the college,” Rohit’s friend Dhiru Yadav said.

Voicing similar sentiments, St Stephen’s principal Valson Thampu said, “I consider this a very significant event. For the first time in the history of this college, the son of a non-teaching staff and a Hindi-medium student has been elected president. I believe that this event is significant for all those who believe that St Stephen’s is an elite institute and caters to people from well-to-do families — a completely ill-founded and malicious prejudice.”