KOZHIKODE: Behind this smart classroom is the heartbreaking story of a 6th grader who was taken to death by cancer. There is also a teacher in that story who made his dream come true with a broken heart.

Deepa teacher and children cried as they walked into the beautiful sixth class B at Atholi Modakkallur AUP School, Kozhikode. As per the wishes of Kashinath, a smart student of the class, a smart classroom was prepared by his beloved Deepa teacher at her own expense. Kashinath is not with them anymore. He left the world on Friday morning. Yesterday was the commemoration. There is no one in the school who does not cry hearing the name of Kashi. Kashinath came to the smart classroom prepared for him for a day or two only. That too from a hospital bed.

Six months ago, Kashinath, the son of auto worker Anish and Shijila, made a request to Deepa, his class teacher. 'Teacher, we should replace the shabby classroom and build an awesome smart classroom. It's there everywhere. We should do it before we all leave the 6th standard...' the teacher nodded but did not answer.

Sometime in between, he had told his teacher that he had a lump growing on his back. The teacher informed the parents. The doctors initially said that there was nothing wrong. He was diagnosed with cancer at the end of last December. Treatments followed. Constant chemotherapies had weakened that young body. Whenever he came to class during treatment breaks, his desire for a smart classroom haunted his teacher.

That's why Deepa teacher made a smart classroom by taking Rs 65,000 from her own hand at the end of the last academic year to make Kashi's dream come true. Although weak, Kashi was brought to class and shown everything.
A chair was also left vacant for him in the front row. Kashi never came back to sit in that chair again. He will not come again...