Its that Time of the Year Again!!

WHEN EXAMS ATE THEM UP

“Study to be quiet, and to do your own business”, says the Bible but suddenly everything is so quiet that I am somehow not relishing it. The date sheet is just out and the stress has started building up. The smiles have abruptly vanished from the bubbly faces. The chirpy have turned gloomy and the naughtiness has flow out of the window. Out of the blue, my phone rung at eleven last night. The number reflected that of one of my students. What could have gone wrong were the anxious thoughts racing my mind while I approached the receiver. The voice on the other end was a tense version of a usually cheerful Neha. The tiny black words in the thick books were frightening her. Ma’m what do we mean by this and by that…how do we calculate the percentages of respondents, she was enquiring and I was thinking, what have these approaching exams done to the jovial lot of my pupils!

I am juggling with counseling the examination phobic, time tabling the late risers and offering tissues to dry the flowing eyes. Soothing the stressed souls is my major employment these days as the monstrous papers are nearing, but even their bodies appear tattered and creased out. What do I mean by this? You have to look at them to know this. Bright dresses have turned to plain attires, hairdos are invisible under oiled tresses, contacts have vanished and spectacles surfaced, heels are now converted to floaters and prompt replies to mourned sighs. This is the sight I dread the most, but have to face every year at this time.

While I was a student, I did not notice how the world of everyone turns topsy turvy during the pre test days. I fancied only myself being crushed by the cruel demons. Now that I am an onlooker, I can see objectively how these devils grab everyone in their claws. My vivacious kids have suddenly dawned the look of mature serious youngsters. Well, they are on the verge of being Post Graduates, but I some how hate their worrying reincarnations. Though, all the year through, we gave them lectures on how they should be taking their future seriously, putting in more hours to study and adorn the books, now that it is actually happening, it does not seem to be such a good option either. The department seems to have lost its life with half its crowd now packed in latched rooms surrounded with books. The library has eaten up the canteen mob and the black font is being chewed instead of the samosas. Students with black circles and eyes puffy form lack of sleep have unexpectedly started appearing in lawns to discuss the tough problems. Some are in for groups studies and others have put the Do not Disturb signs outside their hostel rooms. The hostel is silent and the corridors of the department dead. It seems I have lost all my bubbling, chirping, gossiping scholars to the date sheet pasted on the notice board.

I know they would be recovered in a month but for now, our to-be-examinees have been gobbled down by the exam phobia and ironically we are liking and despising it at the same time.