THE ENTRANCE MANIA

Hi again! I haven't written something here for a really long time. Man, I thought multitasking is doable. But apparently, it's not- especially if some tasks are the polar opposites; like memorizing the pharmacological classification of drugs and doing something creative.

Today the school near my place is buzzing with activity. It is JEE (joint entrance examination) for entry into the engineering colleges today. People are going crazy all over. And I am reminded of the time I was one of those students.

This is the start of the agonising months uptil June with so many entrance exams, the skyrocketing cut off marks, the apprehension and counselling.   A special feature of our country is that we like to keep tabs on who got into which college. You don't remember his name, or his birthday or anything. ....but you are very interested in his exam results.  This sucks. Parents, teachers and relatives, if any of you are reading this...please stop. Its annoying. It is your mentality that is causing half of the problems.

Ask any average teenager and he/she couldn't care less. We don't give a fuck about marks as much as the elders do. For us, it is just another examination we have to cross and the only difference is that it is a bit tough. Parents and teachers tend to think we are careless, we are not giving the importance these exams deserve, but believe me- we know better. It is just that sometimes the pressure really gets to us and we are afraid to even start/continue studying. We suffer from incredible fatigue from studying upto 18 hours a day. At that time please don't remind us about the examinations, or what your neighbour's child did or berate us. A kind word that you care about our mental state is enough. 

For the over ambitious students or the more aware parents, there is a small proportion of students whom you will find at every entrance exam; engineering, medical, law, plain sciences.....every exam literally.  The agony of these students is often undermined.  People just say it is your decision to appear for all the exams and you shouldn't whine.  What they fail to see the immense amount of pressure, pain and effort goes into each exam. An exam every week is crazy. Because no matter how well you prepare people will still say that you didn't prepare as well as you should. No kinds words of encouragement,  no patting on the back for surviving the Indian education system- just study and study like a donkey because let's face it-  a few hundred MCQs are going to judge your talents.

Sad as it is, we have to walk throught the shit because there is no other way out. To change this world, you have to walk through all this while retaining your free spirited ideas. So students;  give your best shot at these examinations but remember that real life is much more beautiful than all these. None of this success is going to compare with the joy of being in love,  or meeting your old friends.  None of these failures can ever substitute for all the life lessons you learned or the grief you face from losing your loved ones. 

Remember that these exams are a part of your life, they are not your life. It's okay.  Anything you do, it's okay. The only thing that matters is that you should not have any regrets.

-Saujanya

Picture courtesy: Google images