Tuhin Chakraborty

Tuhin Chakraborty
Current college	Michigan (2018–)
High school	Troy (2014–2018)
Stats	HDWhite • NAQT

Tuhin Chakraborty played quizbowl at Michigan and Troy High School.

Misbehavior

In March 2019, Tuhin managed to register an unaffiliated team called "Tuhin" to compete alongside his friends at the MSU site of 2019 Terrapin, a closed tournament under standard ACF eligibility rules, despite him attending Michigan, whose quizbowl club officially registered several teams for the tournament. It is unknown what schools the friends attended.

Tuhin's next attempt to do whatever he pleases without consequences, before ACF Winter in fall 2020, was partially successful. Perhaps because he would be required to submit a packet in advance in order to compete legitimately (as a junior under ACF's packet submission policy), he initially did not sign up; but right after the last deadline passed, he seemingly changed his mind, forcing Michigan to split its teams by mixing veterans and freshmen. Even more audaciously still, Tuhin felt entitled to play on a more experienced team than Michigan C, despite deciding he was too good to do his fair part in the civic duty of packet submission like most other juniors and making it difficult on others to coordinate and enjoy the competition without causing any inconveniences.

After attending 2020 ACF Winter, Tuhin was given the responsibility of communicating the Michigan C team's roster, and purposely omitted one of the team's female players in an attempt to fraudulently gain a $60 shorthanded team discount from ACF. He justified his actions by claiming that the player, whose presence at the tournament was attested, "didn't contribute" and "for all practical purposes [...] didn't show up." He called his attempt to save money by invalidating and minimizing his own teammate "the brilliance of Tuhin."

After Tuhin received only a meaningless two-week ban from team practices for his actions, the matter was reported in a cautionary post that emphasized his previous history of toxic and misogynistic behavior and alleged that the Michigan club's executive board had grievously mishandled the situation. As a result, several Michigan executive board members eventually resigned, and the Iowa quizbowl team banned Tuhin from their upcoming tournament.

The post included a quote where Tuhin claimed the reporter "blew the whole situation out of proportion because [they] felt 'residual tension' from when [they] rejected [Tuhin] romantically two months ago." Tuhin resurfaced five months later, waiting until they graduated, and doubled down on this deflection, claiming that they "felt some form of perverse romantic tension towards [him] because nobody else in their right mind would do something like this," using this to refer to "foul and petty behavior" like reporting Tuhin's misconduct and Michigan's mishandling of it to the public and sharing incriminating messages made by Tuhin with others. Tuhin also insisted that he "[asks] for affirmative consent before I persist in any romantic endeavors and that I receive it before continuing" despite no one ever mentioning that, and made several false claims about the Michigan club's executive board and the involvement of ACF and NAQT. Tuhin was banned for one month for this post and others.

For bringing up irrelevant things like his PPG in an attempt to defend his own misconduct or argue otherwise, see also Weiner's Law #4. For thinking, incredibly, that what matters is only PPG, or assuming that his performance or experience in quizbowl competitions confers any authority or moral high ground, and not respecting basic norms of behavior, see also cult of PPG.

Mystery

One is easily left wondering why Tuhin would knowingly continue his misconduct and further dig himself into the very hole that only makes it harder for him to be welcomed in quizbowl anymore, when he acts as if what he wants and deserves above all is the right to play quizbowl, whenever or however he wants (since rules and norms don't seem to apply to him), and would do anything to have his way. While it would be recommended for Tuhin to actually start seriously reflecting on his own behavior, do the right thing, not harm others, and find another activity where he has less contempt for his peers and the community, it seems unlikely at this point, especially in light of his unapologetic resistance, in a display completely lacking in self-awareness usually only seen by cheaters and similar dishonorable company.

Though on the other hand, it may not be too curious for Tuhin, a student in the School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, given what he is quoted as saying in the opening pages of the 2019 book Building Better Citizens. Tuhin admitted that he "loved Quiz Bowl so much" and "wants more than to merely know things, to do things," so perhaps one could understand him to be fulfilling his own wish that he "didn't want to just be the passive bystander who learned about historic figures — he wanted to be one." (The book also notes that shortly after declaring this ambition, Tuhin was exposed to the idea that unlimited "power" can spontaneously come into existence by our actions and that there is no need for "charisma.") One could ponder whether Tuhin has yet absorbed the main lesson of quizbowl, that there's always more to know, if it has taken him until now to realize that, by the same token, attempting to pursue a career in government and politics can put significant weight on one's reputation, especially as a titular "21st-century citizen," when the Internet never forgets, or if he's just getting practice. Either way, Tuhin "should focus more on how to be a citizen"; it is unknown whether the irony of statements like that, or "never experienced feeling like an outsider" or "They're not laughing at me now," are lost on him.