1963 - Failing PreUniversity Exam nightmare that lasted three weeks.
I had taken my exams in physics, chemistry, maths and logic at PUC. Maths was not that good expected only about 70. Physics I had done extremely well (95%) an chemistry was a bummer. The entire question paper was based on periodic tables. They had about twenty Clark's tables in a hall of 80 students. I sat and wrote the exam for three hours with one hand in the air asking for Clark's tables. For a three hour exam I got hold of one only when some smart students had finished their exams and were leaving the hall. It was too late. Just could not finish the paper. Still expected around 65 marks I should say.
About four weeks before the results came I was visiting my aunt who was the Principal of Queen Mary's college. She asked me for my exam number so that her Physics Professor who was going to university would find out my results early.
Three weeks before the results were going to be made official my aunt rings and tell my mom, chander has done very badly in his exams and has got a "third class". That was impossible unless I had failed in chemistry. But even then it was not possible as the average of physics and chemistry was what we were looking at.
There was doom and gloom in the house. My older sister had not only got first class but also got into medicine. My mother was very angry and kept telling me that I was just fit for a clerk's job. For three weeks I went to the temple every night and walked round and round the temple saying my prayers.
The day of the results, I took my cousin Sudhakar who was supposed to be lucky to read the results on the notice board. Since we knew that I had got a third class he starts looking for my number in third class. It was not there. I tell him look again. It must be there. He looks at third class again. No chance he says shaking his head.
I am thinking of how I should end my life. We were right on the beach and all I had to do was swim out to sea and keep swimming and go so far that I would not have strength to return, a theme from James Hadley Chase that I had read recently.
I just started to walk away and say Shit what do I do now.
My cousin says let us have a look at second class. May be it could be there. Absolutely no chance. How could there be a chance if it was not even there in third class.
I am feeling sick, tears in my eyes and feel like throwing up. There is a lot of chirping of boys and girls who had done well and some girls crying.
My cousin was persistent. Well for what it is worth let me check out the first class as well before we go home he pleaded. He himself had failed the previous year in English and had to repeat a whole year of Pre University .
I am not bothered any more. But he keeps looking. He suddenly turns around and gives me the biggest slap on my back I have ever felt in my life. It was a stinging one and I would have punched the hell out of him but for the news he had for me. I had got a first class after all. The fellow next to me in roll call who was also my name sake had secured a third class. So who ever looked up my marks had looked at the wrong line. Yippee. My prayers had not gone waste. But then I had no doubts in my mind that I would get a first class but for this Physics Professor who made my life a nightmare for three weeks.
