Board Exams

As we are into the last week of february(this year blessed with an extra day) it is examination time again.The public examinations for class 10 and class 12 students will commence from the first week of march.For thousands of students across the country,this is the lifeline and holds the key to a better future.It is the time of the year when quite a lot of students would be facing examination blues.As i am writing this, my mind travels back in time to last year when i was in a similar situation about to sit for my class 12 examinations.I remember how much i had slogged hard( though i cant really say i burned the midnight oil..). I had used my study holidays effectively, paying equal attention to all the subjects so my preparation was upto the expected level.However i was nervous like any other student and i recall how little sleep i managed the day before the first exam( physics!!). The next morning my eyes were red from lack of sleep and spent a few anxious moments before the breakfast worrying if i would drop down asleep while writing the examination(lol). After reaching the examination center, i was surprised to find out many of my friends had experienced sleeplessness the previous night.

After the customary prayer and the last minute brushing n reviewing of concepts,graphs and formulae we proceeded into the exam hall. The question papers were distributed and we were given extra 15 minutes in the beginning ,for going through the paper. This was and is a open gift to all the students and helps in simmering down the tension. Ten minutes into scanning the paper i had worked out the the way i was going to answer the most of the questions.There wasnt any big surprise in the question paper and the questions were of the expected standard;neither very difficuilt nor very easy.The two practise papers which i had solved prior to the exam helped me to manage my time effectively and i managed to finish the paper with 15 minutes to spare.Coming out of the exam hall i became aware of the glaring mistakes i had made in the paper. I was a bit disappointed with myself for i had put in good efforts.

It was time for me to move on and i was more than happy to put physics out of my mind for the time being. I still had four more to go.The next exam was chemistry and there were 4 days for the preparation.There was just about sufficient time for me to complete studying( i had wasted a lot of time!!!) .However i found the paper to be like a stroll in the park(!!).From that moment i had only maths to think about which was the fourth one.Meanwhile english exam got over and the ICC world cup had commenced.From that moment my attention had drifted from maths to cricket. Analysing the scorecards and the statistics had taken maths out of my mind; more than half way through the study holidays( 13 !!)i started preparing sincerely wishing it gets over soon. Maths was again very easy and by that time Team India had been knocked out of the world cup .Four exams were over and the last one was computer science .There was a break of 2 weeks in between ,and it proved to be quite counter productive. I spent majority of the 2 weeks in attending classes for entrance examinations( which i regret doing now!)that it was only towards the fag end i started preparing anything.The break seemed to drag on forever and finally the exam got over.For me it was the end of an ordeal , 35 days from the commencement.I was no longer a school kid anymore and i had a wonderful summer to look forward to or so it seemed.....

Of hype and hoopla

It is no longer possible for us to ignore the idiotic excesses of the preying media , which has invaded our private lives. Hardly a day passes without an act of gimmick being given servile adulation.It is of little wonder then , that so many of these 24X7 news channels are going up on air competing for every little space available in the spectrum.These channels often promise to bring live updates by the hour , but i wonder to what extent does this claim hold good???Agreed they are do deliver crucial news in times of crisis. However what is the point in analysing every little bit of the matter live on the studio by the experts( lol) with a consequent re-telecast every hour???The so called media experts provide thread bare discussion on every available current hot news ,analysing in a different perspective.They go to the extent of conducting an opinion poll on the issues throwing open voting lines to the public through sms . But how many of these issues are really of any consequence to the common layman?? Well most of the news are of little cognizance recurrantly arising due to some controversy or other.What is most often quoted out of context by some VVIP grab the medial spotlight triggering a wave of turbulence across the country. A justification or clarification by the person in question eventually happens and things die down.This is what is currently happening in most parts of the world. By such cheap acts of gimmickry the real issues are eclipsed ,not only that our time and money are also wasted. Public memory is short and all these ill timed comments are soon forgotten until something else crops up.Ours is a democracy and every one of us have our rights prescribed . It looks like the right to hog limited and flash publicity is one amongst them!!!!!!

The Road Not Taken!!!!

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I—I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

This poem by Robert Frost was published in his 1916 collection "Mountain Interval ".The first time i read the poem was while in middle school.The impact on me at that time wasn't very great considering my mental maturity at that age.But as i read it now , i am convinced nay impressed by the profound meaning of the poem.Life is always a question of choices and one should have the conviction to standy the decisions. The thought of taking the less treaded path would give us a sense of new identity ;at the same time sends a wave of thrill and fear down the spine.

Every one of us would have had to face this situation in our lives at some point of time.It is the fear of the unknown which restrains us from travelling the untreaded path. how many of us would reallyhave the courage to pursue???It is a constant turmoil between what the mind says and what the heart wants!!Ultimately the weaker hearts give way to what the mind dictates. The majority of us choose to do what to do what others have done,rather than what are passionate of.But there are a few whose heart has prevailed over their mind and gone on to excel in their own ways. These are the people who have really made a diference ;much more than how much difference their choice has done to them. The same world which probably raises an eyebrow when you dont toe in line with the majority would cheer you when you have accomplished something fruitful.

The choice is wide open infront of us. Choose the beaten path and you live like your predecessors;content with what the world has to offer you.You will be blessed with an easier life or so it seems.Take the alternative;Seeds of doubt will be sown in your mind by the world.You will feel as if the world is kicking at your backs.It is only a question of time and how sincere you are in your pursuit ,before the same world pats your shoulders. So where do you want to be?? Be with the world or make the world come behind you???

blindfolded at the crossroads!!!!

Today's youngsters are really caught in a trap.Confused as they are by the complexities in life.On the threshold to a future which holds a lot of promises;the road to greener pastures is neither clear of road blocks nor is it devoid of stepping stones.On the verge of better prospects a lot of crucial decisions are at stake.Often relying on their peers to make decisions,most of them dont know what they really want to do.They end up doing what they dont have any aptitude for.Many youngsters are really confused at the high school level regarding the choice of the subjects;not many are given the freedom to choose what they want to.Every year thousands of students land up in engineering colleges without any real motivation or a real interest in the subjects.Like the race horse, they are made to look forward in just one direction without any sense of purpose.Ask questions and you will be met by a stare or a remark,"do as you are told"..I was fortunate enough in having a wonderful chemistry teacher while in school who would make every student participate in the class,by constantly pulling out pupils and throwing questions .This made learning fun and at the same time encouraged the brilliant students to explore the depths ,while the average student was convinced of the basics.This is just an example of how a student should be trained to be.Unfortunately in our country where quantity assures importance over quality, this is not the case.Students are expected to learn or rather cram a given set of topics to clear the examinations and enter the next stage.Consequently the teacher has just about sufficient time to train his students to face the exam.This spoils the student's chances of truly appreciating the concepts.As a result this continues at the university level also and students pursue their courses without any aptitude.Placement seems to be the word on everyone's lips .The very purpose of education for the majority is thus earn a degree after 4 years of college life and land up in a IT job with a fat pay check.