The board exam festival

Birkarnelzelzit Thiyam *

Students appearing for Class X Exam (High School Leaving Certificate) in February 2018 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Have you started receiving calls from your relatives for how much they want you to score in this upcoming war? Board Exam.
Has your dad already got enrolled in one of his betting for who will score more with your classmate's dad?
Has your mom been praying non-stop lately for you to not forget anything that you memorised so far but not to learn all that's provided?

I know this is one of the biggest festivals in Manipur, "The Board Exam Festival."

This is the one festival where you can buy humans - schools buying the toppers to catch more fish. This is the only festival where parents support late night practice - forcing you to study as late as you can, be it from 12:00 am to 1:00 am. This is the only festival where the respect given to those who are a part of the question setters are way higher than S. Radhakrishnan. This is the only festival where the Manipur media legally supports the commercialization of education.

Few days from now you will be witnessing the biggest lie of your life - that board exam marks are the most important marks. Few weeks from now you will know who went to the correct coaching center.

Few months from now you will get card filled with marks which will do nothing but be a small key to get into new colleges and universities. Few months from now, on the first day of your university class, you will hate yourself for just memorizing but never learning.

This is not much for marks or any educational exam, this is only for the betting between two uncles and aunties. But sadly, for those who won't be able to expose what they want before or right after the exam, they will be absorbed by Comet or Meci, they will drown their parent's money by putting a title for 'wannabee doctor.'

Slowly you will be starting to kill your dreams, those you wanna live with will be turned to a hobby to keep you alive while living with what you don't wanna live with - happens mostly with engineering students.

At first you will think life is a race, and then you will realise there is no made trail for you, then while looking for your safety, your retirement letter will smooch you to sleep and now you will pour all your frustration to your kids and grandchildren.

There will be tons getting eloped on the last day of the board exam thinking they have crossed the biggest obstacles of their life, and they are man enough to take their cuties by their sight 24/7.

There will be a lot trying to kill themselves for they expected 95% but due to sneezing at the middle of the exam, he forgot to put a comma so he lands on 94.99%. There will also be a lot who thinks they would fail but turns out their prayers are heard by the almighty, so they get an open-minded examiner.

There will be students who live next to the toppers house, as the topping trend was set, all their parents would want their kids to be the next sensation without realising that their kids are as dumb as them.

And one of the most annoying questions every warrior will get except the topper is, "Why is his mark greater than yours?" I got a lot of those during my time and I have one answer for you, tell them, "His marks are more because I need to hire him for my company." I mean - that's cool but you got to work for it too.

All the realities aside, all the best for this coming board exam for both 10 and 12.

Marks are just the key for your new college, they are not the key to open the Pandora of life because at some point of time during winter you will hate yourself for getting low marks in 12 for the report card will be too small and you don't get to burn for the heat for long.