The renowned actor, activist, and method acting instructor from Kolkata, India, Bobby Chakraborty, held a special session of his life-changing, free, global awareness program for the youth, titled “I am The King of My Mind”, for the eager 7th graders on a cloudy morning with an incredible amount of sunshine in the auditorium of Jyotirmoy Public School, Sonarpur. This was his third session at this reputable South 24 Parganas school.

Through his distinctive sense of humor, unsettling real-life stories, captivating social experiments, and impressive vocal abilities, Bobby enabled his students, or his “soldiers”, to prioritize their health, careers, and families. They also fought against various addictions, such as smoking, alcoholism, and smartphones, as well as detrimental social trends, such as bullying, abusive language, online obscenity to gain popularity, gambling through online games, and more.

Active Soldier Rupam Mandal served as the session’s official photographer, with assistance from Soldier Kanja Das, who was also formally referred to as “The 1st Soldier”. Soldier Maheen Dewan received the additional symbolic title of “The Trendsetter”.

Soldiers Uthsa Pramanick, Kushan Chakraborty, and Akash Debnath won the surprise contest. Bobby presented them with special trophies, HCF T-shirts, and certificates for their community work, together with Rupam.

In his vote of thanks, the principal, Sushant Das, who has long been a steadfast supporter of Bobby’s cause, paid a heartfelt homage to Bobby’s selfless service to the community and expressed his surprise at how Bobby managed to keep the seventh graders glued to their seats for more than two and a half hours.

Priyanka Dutta