The conviction of former Kerala DGP Tomin J. Thachankary is more than a troubling item of public news for those who knew him as a distinguished alumnus. It is an occasion to reflect on institutional pride, the moral demands of public office, and the fragile trust placed in those who exercise authority.

Tomin J. Thachankary studied at St. Berchmans College, Changanacherry, for PDC 1978 – 80 and B.Sc. Physics from 1980 to 1983. During 1981 -82 he was the elected arts club secretary of the college union. Those years connected him not only to a course of study, but also to the cultural and public life of the campus. After joining the 1987 batch of the Kerala-cadre Indian Police Service, he rose through the ranks and retired in 2023 as an officer of Director General of Police rank. His professional advancement naturally became a source of pride for many in the college community. He was invited to important functions, welcomed at alumni gatherings, and remembered as a former student who had reached one of the highest levels of public service. Earlier this year, he attended a joint alumni gathering of St. Berchmans and Assumption colleges, and he had also been scheduled to participate in the Dubai chapter’s Onam celebrations today, 20 September 2026.

It is against this long association that the verdict of 17 September 2026 has been received with sadness and disquiet. The Kottayam Vigilance Court sentenced Thachankary to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹30.84 lakh in a disproportionate-assets case concerning the period from January 2003 to July 2007.

Hearing the verdict, I was immediately reminded of a story Tomin J. Thachankary himself told the college community while replying to a felicitation after becoming an IPS officer.

A king repeatedly received complaints that one of his ministers was accepting bribes. Whenever the minister was transferred to a new responsibility, he somehow discovered another opportunity to misuse it. Determined to place him beyond temptation, the king finally assigned him what appeared to be an isolated and harmless duty: he was to sit by the seashore, count the waves, and report the number each evening. Before long, however, complaints reached the palace from boatmen. The minister, they said, was demanding money from them. When the astonished king summoned him, the minister calmly replied that passing boats disturbed his count; he had therefore begun collecting payments from their crews for the obstruction.

I no longer remember the precise context in which he narrated the story, or the conclusion he drew from it. Yet its irony is painfully striking today. It deepens the sorrow, because a cautionary tale once offered to others has acquired an unsettling resonance in the life of the person who told it.

A Reflection Beyond the Verdict

For an educational institution, the accomplishments of an alumnus are never entirely private. They enter the institution’s collective memory, encourage students, and seem to affirm the values the college hopes to cultivate. When such a reputation is clouded, the disappointment is therefore shared. Former teachers, administrators, students and fellow alumni may feel that a familiar source of pride has become a cause for painful self-examination. But affection for an alumnus, gratitude for past association, or admiration for professional success cannot justify weakening the demands of accountability. To do so would betray the very educational values that make institutional pride worthwhile.

From Pride to Disgrace

This episode calls for neither easy condemnation nor sentimental denial. It calls, above all, for humility and reflection. Colleges and alumni associations should rightly celebrate excellence and honour achievement, but excellence must be measured by more than position, fame or professional ascent. Lasting honour lies not in the power one acquires, but in the way that power is exercised.

I write these words with a deep sense of sadness—as a former Principal and as one who knew him personally. The fall of someone once regarded with pride is a reminder that reputation, however carefully built, can never substitute for character.

The most enduring lesson of this episode is not about one individual, but about the values we pass on to the next generation:

• Resist temptation, regardless of rank or position.
• Place truth, integrity and accountability above reputation.
• Remember that achievement earns recognition, but character earns lasting respect.

Pride may come from what we achieve; honour / disgrace comes from how we live.