Is It Really Worth All The Loss And Suffering

Most of you have either yourself taken coaching classes or private tuitions for entrance exams, or know someone close enough who does so. And whatever may the case be if you have been through that phase or are currently studying in 11th or 12th, I wish you the best of luck because your life is about to be changed utterly and completely, and it’s going to change you too. Now changing or not changing is not in your hands, but what is in your control is if it happens to you for the better or worse.

Because in these two years, preparing for JEE brought me and lakhs of other students closer to our patience and tolerance limit. Limit to the study hours as teachers and parents would say, or limit to the number of hours you could successfully sit in front of the textbook irrespective of how much essentially goes through your brain and how much is lost in Neverland. Limit to the number of things you are willing to sacrifice just so you could do all this again for four years in the IITs or the equivalent for medicals (pardon me for not knowing the institute name peeps). This particular clause has no terms and conditions to it, because technically and practically you are expected (read: forced) to sacrifice everything. Literally. Sacrifice family time. Sacrifice your sibling and participation in their life. Your hobbies, things you like or dislike, friends, everything. Festivals? What even are festivals?

Social media now becomes mortal+immortal enemy number 1 because your activity on social media (even bloody emails for that matter) is inversely proportional to your expected grades in the next weekly test and hence in JEE, low scores in which is one of the Unforgivable Sins.You cut ties to the outside world and two years later when you finally repair your social and cultural antenna you realize that the world since has had a major breakdown, not much unlike yours. The names of actors and actresses are something you find difficult to recall and fifteen new people have made their debut films in all this time.

Emotions are either skyscraper high or rock bottom low. High when all this madness is suffocating you and your mind and soul are starting to go on high alert because something needs to be done sooner than later or you might as well go crazy, low when the constant struggle and hardship is finally starting to get to you and has drained you and shredded you to smithereens and you don’t have an ounce of energy left to go against anyone or anything, and now even Irodov is starting to weigh heavier than R. D. Sharma. Many of you even start hating your own parents out of sheer desperation and moreover, frustration.

So to my dear aspiring JEE and NEET and other pathetic entrance exam preparing students, my dear little juniors, please do not lose yourself in this madness. Because honestly, YOU and your life are more important than any exam in this godforsaken world. And please do not forget this, that your parents may make some wrong decisions, but they always wish the best for you. So please don’t hold anything against them. Because at the end of the day, when the whole world turns its back on you, they will provide you with their lap to rest on.