There was indeed a time, when exams seemed to be as normal as any other school assignment. However, now is a time when exam equates to an existential crisis. What were those moments of childness of the exams? Read ahead to find out.
As a kid in class 4th, I was just concerned about my playtime. I waited the entire day for the clock to strike 6 in the evening so I could finally play with my friends in the park. And then exams used to happen. Amidst the vibrancy and liveliness of childhood, even something like exams was super fun. My mother would sit with me and make me learn my syllabus at that time. That was it. That is all I was required to do. The next day, I used to be the happiest kid as my test used to finish smoothly. On the day we were shown our test results, I knew that what my mom had taught me was more than enough, and there was nothing to be worried about, so I used to go to the teacher confidently, and boom! I was right. I had flawless marks on my test, and that happiest kid continued to remain in her ecstasy.
Bygone are the days which did not know how to spell stress and pressure, which did not know that her mom would stop sitting with her until she learned everything. I reminisce about those simpler times. Times filled with joy to give the exams, times that did not know anything about competition, and times which were as happy as they ever can be.
As I grew up, exams became tough and something to be feared, and there was no turning back the clock. Remember that time we used to give tests out of maybe 25 or 40 and expected to score something between 23-25 and 38-40 respectively? The best part is that what we expected used to turn out true, but as we grew up, things turned to coincide with “bass pass hona hai” (we just have to pass). In our final years of schooling, we were concerned only about how to keep ourselves afloat rather than how to be the best. As a class 8th student, it was all so “cute”—scoring the perfect marks, spending time indulging in activities we loved, doing every last bit of what we wanted. These things continued but diminished over time, and there is no turning back.
I can not say that exams are all about stress and pressure now, but it surely is overpowering. Due to this, we are not able to see anything beyond it. There are students with horrendous sleep schedule, baggy eyes, and perhaps an everlasting migraine. From sitting with mom to complete the syllabus to getting no sleep through isolation in the dead of the darkness, the simpler times turned into a complex chain of events that we hope to get done with as soon as possible.
Alas! We can not go back to our childhood but can only cherish those fond memories. As we grow up, the notion of “independence” and “self-reliance” hits us hard. All we have to do now is to take cognizance of these notions and work towards them while enjoying those sweet little memories as they play in the back of our minds.
Read Also: Reminiscing Poetically “Romantic” Childhood
Featured Image Credits: verywellfamily.com
Ankita Baidya
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