After arriving as the Chief Guest for an event at a college and being greeted by an almost empty auditorium, Smita Prakash has sparked a controversy regarding a lack of respect from Miranda House. This incident was recorded on video and posted online, sparking an ongoing debate about professionalism and good event management in colleges.
Reports indicate that Smita Prakash received an invitation to deliver a keynote speech at the Delhi University college. The event was supposed to begin at 11 am with breakfast and a welcome followed by a felicitation ceremony at 11:15 am; when she arrived at the venue on schedule, there were only a handful of students in the back rows of the auditorium and no staff members.
Smita Prakash controversy highlights ‘no show’ at Miranda House
Smita Prakash expressed her disappointment to the college’s administration in a post on social media where she stated that she was the Chief Guest and had arrived at the venue at the correct time, but there were no organizers or staff members in attendance.
“You need to respect the chief guest you invite for your events. I was there for a no show…tardiness equals disrespect,” she wrote while sharing the video and images as proof of the situation
Smita Prakash posted that she had attempted emailing the organisers before the event to clarify whether or not they would start on time. Apparently, the event would not have started on time, or there would have been no people in attendance to witness the event to be a “no show,” despite the fact that she was told by the staff when she arrived that it would begin on time.
Smita Prakash controversy shows empty hall and missing organisers
The photos and videos she posted from the event showed a nearly empty auditorium with only four or five students in attendance at the time the video was made, along with empty chairs made up of people who would be sitting. Subsequently, the complete lack of both staff and students at the time of the filming of Smita Prakash’s video further supports her assertion that the show was a “no show.”
Smita Prakash also posted a screen shot of the event posting’s information that indicated that the programme was going to start at approximately 150-300 people in attendance and that it was going to last from 10:00 a.m. until approximately 5:00 p.m. The stark contrast between what had been indicated to Ms. Prakash and what was actually presented made it clear that no one from the staff would be attending the event.
Smita Prakash controversy sparks debate on campus etiquette
The recent video involving Smita Prakash has triggered many discussions about campus manners. One reaction said, “High time this was called out, good you did that Smita. I have reduced my engagement in colleges too until there’s a serious effort… respected.”
Another comment described the situation as “Shameful. Very disrespectful,” while others pointed to a larger issue of poor time management and lack of seriousness in organising such events.
On the other hand, there are reports of many responses from institutions, with minimal, if any, response to allegations of poor event planning, which may account for the low number of participants or the lack of staff representation. While there continues to be a steady number of videos of the incident being circulated through social media the “dispute” involving Smita Prakash is becoming a discussion point, whether good or bad.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
