The Last Viva is a deeply moving nonfiction account of a teacher who noticed something unusual in the eyes of a young student during what appeared to be an ordinary academic examination.
As an Assistant Professor teaching diploma students in a Mechanical Engineering programme, the author had watched this student grow from a regular first-semester student into a young man approaching the completion of his six-semester diploma. He attended college regularly, appeared for classes and examinations, and seemed like an ordinary student with an ordinary future ahead of him.
But during his final viva, something was different.
His physical appearance had changed. His eyes seemed to be saying something that words could not express. The teacher sensed that the young man might be struggling with drugs, and after the examination, he tried to speak to him about health, responsibility and the importance of choosing a better path. It was their final conversation.
Only days later, the teacher received the devastating news that the student was no more.
What follows is not merely the story of one student. It is a teacher's reflection on the silent crisis affecting young people, the dangers of drug abuse, the warning signs that are often overlooked, and the responsibility of families, teachers, educational institutions and society to intervene before it is too late.
Through memories of classrooms, examinations, conversations and one unforgettable final viva, The Last Viva asks difficult questions about what we see, what we fail to see, and what we can do when a young life begins moving toward danger.
This is a book about education beyond textbooks, the responsibility of a teacher, the vulnerability of youth, and the value of every human life.
Because sometimes, a teacher remembers a student's final words.
And sometimes, it is the student's eyes that remain behind.