He typed "Arun Sinha" into the search bar.
The directory loaded a result.
A faint silhouette materialized. Mr. Sinha looked exactly as he did in 2015—stern, tired, but alive in purpose. He didn't speak; he taught. For three hours, he went through the entire BSEB 10th-grade syllabus for the upcoming board exams, correcting every common mistake, predicting every trick question.
Over the next week, Vikram dug deeper. He called the BSEB helpline. A tired official said, "Sir, we update the teacher directory only once a year, in April. No one is removed mid-session. If the system says 'Active,' he is active."
"He says an old man in a white dhoti appeared on the blackboard. Not as a ghost—as a teacher . He used a piece of chalk that appeared from nowhere. He solved the equation. Then he wrote: 'Page 47, Exercise 3.2. Come prepared tomorrow.' Pintu passed his test for the first time."
"Tell the Directory. I am not a ghost. I am a teacher. My retirement was administrative. My dedication is not."