Exam days of my life have been ironically adventurous and more thrilling than the normal so called "working" days where boredom was personified and even the word "lethargy" would not be sufficient to describe those dull and drab days. The atmosphere in and around the hostel were contrasting and strikingly similar to a coin, it had two diverse sides to it. The one side is the stereotyped and often seen one which had diligent and highly industrious "bookworms" who glued their eyes to the books and did’nt have time for even ablutions and meals at the right time. These nocturnal creatures studied for a ridiculous amount of time and defied "logic" by staying focussed for huge periods of time. I sometimes wondered how these "extra terrestrials" managed to keep their eyelids light during exams. This herculian effort comes in spite of them having studied the entire portions weeks before exams. A person clueless about a subject and wrestling for a "pass" should have to put this effort but those species are the coolest ones and write examinations with utmost blithe. Universities are is some ways like our nation, as in "rich become richer and poor become poorer". The elite students continue to do tough work and improve with each hurdle they come across while "underprivileged" find the hurdles as "stopping" stones and seldom stepping.
The other side is the happening one with a lot of interesting characters and it is this side which I will focus in this blog. As a matter of fact, I am perplexed and in a sort of dilemma as I am not sure to be ecstatic or remorseful for being a part of this eccentric bunch of gentleman.
My room in 3rd year hostel was like a "theme park" during semester exams and it was a host of absolute chaos. The room had full attendance in those fine days and each and every one indulged in some futile activites which had nothing to do with studying but apparently, it was these things which were are our main priorities. These days were generally an another day at the office for chechi as his ears were stuck with his mobile and as usual, he was in his "silent mode". His "romantic" conversations consisted of the smallest mono-syllables on earth and no wonder he spent a large chunk of the semester on the phone. Mukund was in his "inspection rounds" as he went around the entire hostel(other hostels if time permits) and made sure he disturbed other guys in their study. Simbu remained busy with his training sessions in cricket( EA sports) and I havn’t seen anyone so committed to a "comp game". I remember him skipping dinner for the fact that gilchrist (him on the PC) had scored a hundred and was a proud man that day. Vinay’s studying postures or "yoga" were fantastically funny and it was this erratic mindset of his which made him unique.
Vathu wasn’t exactly a prodigy but was astute enough to survive and even managed to sky-rocket his internals despite having a gala time during the exams. I guess the fact that he hailed from "it" background meant that he could afford to be complacent. You could hardly see him studying simply because his department comprised of staff who were "gods of generosity" in comparison to their counterparts in my department who were past masters of "parsimony". To add salt to our wounds, there are departments where even written recipes could fetch marks or to make matters worse, some departments had their marks decided way before the exam itself.
Even as my fellow department mates slogged it out day and night, we the "league of extraordinary gentlemen" had a seemingly outlandish way of preparing for the exams.
Mornings pass in a sober fashion and pathetic concentration levels lead to minimal progress in the syllabus.
An afternoon siesta was always a temptation after a rather sumptuos lunch. Evenings played host to forum meetings where studies were discussed between important talks.
Being in a group of movie buffs, we simply couldn’t resist watching movies during exams. Watching old classics like "ethir neechal" was to our penchant and obviously, these activities ate into our time.
It is only after dinner that a sense of seriousness strikes our "numb and dumb" mind. The urgency leads to some study but that positive energy is dispersed in various areas.
An EA sports tournament was a good relaxation but I advise this method for students who study for majority of time and who want to get rid of their fatigue rather than students whose study time is equivalent to breaks.
Few crank calls to the girls hostel( I wasn’t a part of this) would pep us up at times when our eyelids were getting damn heavy.
Even as most doze off, some spend their entire nights gazing at the book as if it was a "bikini babe".
Hitherto in my life, exams have been nothing but nightmares. To start with I was always a victim of "hate-haunt" effect. Questions seemed like greek and latin and pen looked to have dry ink. The ink just wouldn’t come out even as my frantic search for an answer goes in vain. Any good looking girl in the exam hall was a boon or a bane depending on the scenario.(always a boon ).
Finally, I was always secretive about my exam performance and made it a point not to discuss the question paper with others.
All that I think of when I get back to my room is "will I cross the road"
After some crying over spilt milk, I usually decide to redeem myself and regain my lost pride(did I have any in the first place).
I then plan to make drastic measures in my exam preparation.
All that happens next is…..
( read blog again)
(note- "hate-haunt effect is the effect where the part or question which u hate and choose not to study continues to haunt you time and again)
The other side is the happening one with a lot of interesting characters and it is this side which I will focus in this blog. As a matter of fact, I am perplexed and in a sort of dilemma as I am not sure to be ecstatic or remorseful for being a part of this eccentric bunch of gentleman.
My room in 3rd year hostel was like a "theme park" during semester exams and it was a host of absolute chaos. The room had full attendance in those fine days and each and every one indulged in some futile activites which had nothing to do with studying but apparently, it was these things which were are our main priorities. These days were generally an another day at the office for chechi as his ears were stuck with his mobile and as usual, he was in his "silent mode". His "romantic" conversations consisted of the smallest mono-syllables on earth and no wonder he spent a large chunk of the semester on the phone. Mukund was in his "inspection rounds" as he went around the entire hostel(other hostels if time permits) and made sure he disturbed other guys in their study. Simbu remained busy with his training sessions in cricket( EA sports) and I havn’t seen anyone so committed to a "comp game". I remember him skipping dinner for the fact that gilchrist (him on the PC) had scored a hundred and was a proud man that day. Vinay’s studying postures or "yoga" were fantastically funny and it was this erratic mindset of his which made him unique.
Vathu wasn’t exactly a prodigy but was astute enough to survive and even managed to sky-rocket his internals despite having a gala time during the exams. I guess the fact that he hailed from "it" background meant that he could afford to be complacent. You could hardly see him studying simply because his department comprised of staff who were "gods of generosity" in comparison to their counterparts in my department who were past masters of "parsimony". To add salt to our wounds, there are departments where even written recipes could fetch marks or to make matters worse, some departments had their marks decided way before the exam itself.
Even as my fellow department mates slogged it out day and night, we the "league of extraordinary gentlemen" had a seemingly outlandish way of preparing for the exams.
Mornings pass in a sober fashion and pathetic concentration levels lead to minimal progress in the syllabus.
An afternoon siesta was always a temptation after a rather sumptuos lunch. Evenings played host to forum meetings where studies were discussed between important talks.
Being in a group of movie buffs, we simply couldn’t resist watching movies during exams. Watching old classics like "ethir neechal" was to our penchant and obviously, these activities ate into our time.
It is only after dinner that a sense of seriousness strikes our "numb and dumb" mind. The urgency leads to some study but that positive energy is dispersed in various areas.
An EA sports tournament was a good relaxation but I advise this method for students who study for majority of time and who want to get rid of their fatigue rather than students whose study time is equivalent to breaks.
Few crank calls to the girls hostel( I wasn’t a part of this) would pep us up at times when our eyelids were getting damn heavy.
Even as most doze off, some spend their entire nights gazing at the book as if it was a "bikini babe".
Hitherto in my life, exams have been nothing but nightmares. To start with I was always a victim of "hate-haunt" effect. Questions seemed like greek and latin and pen looked to have dry ink. The ink just wouldn’t come out even as my frantic search for an answer goes in vain. Any good looking girl in the exam hall was a boon or a bane depending on the scenario.(always a boon ).
Finally, I was always secretive about my exam performance and made it a point not to discuss the question paper with others.
All that I think of when I get back to my room is "will I cross the road"
After some crying over spilt milk, I usually decide to redeem myself and regain my lost pride(did I have any in the first place).
I then plan to make drastic measures in my exam preparation.
All that happens next is…..
( read blog again)
(note- "hate-haunt effect is the effect where the part or question which u hate and choose not to study continues to haunt you time and again)
1 comment:
After reading this i hav only one phrase in my mind "good work by a last bench student". U deserve to be a frontline guy. Sleepless nights are the days of spooky events d the day after that (exam) is the art of devil's scribling.
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