life is series of exams. There is no getting away from them. The academic ones are just round the corner for lakhs of students. These exams will determine to a great extent who will be what in life. Jobs and careers will be decided. Social status and prestige will be determined. It will be decided who will rule in his little world and who will be ruled. With so much at stake it is natural for students to be nervous and phobic about exams. Pressure starts mounting on students as they keep climbing the ladder of exams.
I have an elder cousin brother who was not very good in studies in school. He grew up to be an automobile engineer with expertise in two-wheelers. He did well in his life. When his lone child, a son, was in school, family and societal pressure regarding his academic performance started building up as he came closer to the class 10 examination with each passing year. Though he was okay in academics, at times it all became too much for him. My brother would then comfort him by putting his arm round his shoulder and saying, “Son, I sympathise with you. I know what you are going through. But I am helpless. You will have to learn to live with this pressure.”
On the basis of their inclination to study, there are basically two types of examinees—serious and casual. This demarcation does not have any strict compartments of white and black showing how serious or casual examinees are towards their exams. The division of serious and casual comes from a series of grey shades based on the level of seriousness or casualness.
At one end of this scale are students who are very serious about their performance. These students don’t have to be told to study by their teachers and guardians. On the other hand, they are so serious about their preparation that guardians have to constantly cajole them to take a break from their studies. Guardians become worried that too much studying might misorient them. They think that like normal children, their children labour against a natural inclination to play or have fun in some way. But these children are not normal, they are supernormal.
They remind me of a true story about an eminent scientist whose name I am forgetting. He used to spend long hours in the lab doing research. His wife could not figure out how someone could be so involved in work. One day she said, “You have been working very hard. You find no time for yourself. You should take a day off from your lab.” The scientist was not willing to do so, but when his wife insisted, he relented. He took a day off and remained at home. Soon he became very uncomfortable and just could not figure out what to do. He told this to his wife and she replied, “Oh, today is your day. You are free now to do whatever you really want to do.” The scientist’s eyes shone at this remark and he asked, “Honey, am I really free to do whatever I want toIJ” “By all means,” said the wife. The scientist put on his coat and called his lab to tell the staff he was coming.
That’s the thing with the serious examinees. They love and enjoy their work, their labour. In fact, their work and labour are not the things these two words usually stand for. For when there is joy and love, the unmistakeable tediousness and pain associated ordinarily with these two words have no chance to exist.
I had the good luck to see a student who was in the category of a very, very serious student. He was my classmate in school and got the fourth rank in the IIT entrance exam. He finished the science academic levels of classes 11 and 12 when he was in classes 9 and 10. When he joined my school from another school in class 11, students found him very awkward in his bearing and behaviour. Well, he had to be, because he was not ordinary, he was very special. Soon we discovered his academic exploits. He used to say in the initial months of class 11 that he was ready for the final class 12 exam any time. After taking care of his school academic requirements, he systematically went about conquering the IIT entrance test. He used to be in a zone of his own, studying independent of the class room teaching. Teachers too realised what he was up to very soon, and left him to run his own race. This is the stuff IIT toppers are made of. There is no need for any prodding, threatening or scolding to make them study.
And then there are the casual students who are not so focused on studies. Many in this category too get into premier institutions and jobs. Casual students are not drawn to academics as naturally as serious students. The casual ones may realise at some crucial stage of their academic life that they need to study to have a decent life of comforts and perks. This realisation may be strong enough to make them clear important exams leading to social elevation and dignity. Studying for exams is not a pleasure but they settle for a compromise and take pains to study for the sake of its rewards.
That takes me to an Osho story. A class of mathematics is on in a school. The teacher is excellent and out of 50 odd students, five students are listening with rapt attention to him. The attention of 44 other students is wavering by various degrees from the teacher to sundry other things. And there is one student sitting by a window who is totally absorbed not in the class but a cuckoo singing on a tree outside. The attention of the teacher is soon drawn to this student and he slaps him gently and asks, “Why are you not paying attention dearIJ” The student comes back to the class and replies, “I was paying attention sir. I was paying so much attention to the cuckoo’s song that I became totally oblivious to your teaching.” The teacher thunders, “But this is a maths class. If you want to listen to the cuckoo on the tree, go out of the class and sit under the tree.” The student says, “I would love to but neither my parents nor the school will allow me.” The teacher growls but melts inside when he realises the student is speaking the truth.
It is time our society and the world of academics woke to the needs of the 45 students in the class who are not in love with mathematics, which stands as an illustration for all the other subjects of study, but numerous other valid pursuits, including the songs of cuckoos. Thankfully, just like the developed countries of the West, a lot of fields of activity other than academics that are monetarily rewarding and socially respectable have sprung up where young people can find jobs and make careers. This trend is going to become stronger with time and I hope one day a student immersed in a cuckoo’s song in this country will find a way to turn his love into a fruitful career. Just like the five students in love with maths are assured of a good life today.
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