10-11-2025, 11:16 PM
## Update 91: The Exam Begins (Avi and Riya)
My exams started today, marking the culmination of weeks of intense study. Some classes' exams had ended yesterday, including Mala’s, which meant I wouldn't be able to meet her until my own exams were completely over. I resolved that when I finally saw Mala again, I would first apologize for my sudden silence and focus.
After meticulously preparing for the exam, I carefully put all the necessary items into my bag. Before leaving, I went to the main room and touched the feet of my great-aunt, Suman Chachi, Seema Chachi, Meena Chachi, and my uncle, taking their blessings. Meena Chachi made a grand gesture of ceremony, feeding me a spoonful of curd and sugar to sweeten my luck, watching me with hopeful eyes as I swallowed the sweet mix.
I left for college at 10 a.m. My exam center was, conveniently, my own college. Komal also got our college as the center. More than half of our college's students had their center there, alongside students from other village colleges. There were about two hundred students in the college, out of which forty were from our college and the rest were strangers from other colleges and villages.
It didn't take me much time to find my designated place in the classroom. I got the second bench from the back wall. A girl was already sitting in front of me, her posture erect and rigid. She wasn't from our college. She was beautiful to look at, with sharp features and quiet intensity. I leaned forward and asked her name, trying to be friendly. "What is your name?" I asked, tapping her shoulder lightly. But she didn't even look up to tell me her name, dismissing me with her silence. I didn't give her much more attention after that; anyway, what was I going to do by knowing her name?
There was an empty seat right behind me. After a while, another girl came there, claiming the seat. This girl, I recognized, was from my own class. The girl sitting behind me was named Riya.
I turned slightly and talked with Riya for a while, making light conversation. "Are you ready for this paper?" I asked, settling the tension in my chest. I asked her about her studies and last-minute preparation. She leaned closer, her eyes wide, and whispered that she had studied some subjects thoroughly and left some major ones completely to the will of God, sighing dramatically.
We kept talking like this, easing the pre-exam tension, and then the invigilator sir came into the class. It was 10:30 a.m. now. The sir gave the blank answer sheets to everyone. After calmly writing my roll number and other details on the answer sheet, I closed my eyes and calmed my mind for a moment, recalling all the concepts I had recently studied. My body felt alert, ready to work.
We got the question papers at 11 a.m. sharp. I quickly looked at the paper once—the first one was of language—and started writing immediately. I didn't have much of a problem with it, as I had studied hard. I began to write the paper well, my hand moving smoothly across the page. I looked at Riya once; she was also writing her paper calmly, her tongue poking out in concentration. After looking at Riya, I returned my focus entirely to my own paper.
It had been about an hour into the exam when the girl in front of me abruptly got up and told the sir she needed to go to the washroom. "Sir, I need to go to the washroom," she announced, standing tall. Her answer sheet was left unattended on the bench. Because of the ceiling fan, some pages turned over slightly. My eyes inadvertently went to her answer sheet. She had only written two pages in the span of an hour. I immediately understood that this girl didn't know anything about the subject and was going to fail.
After fifteen long minutes, she finally came back. I mentally calculated the time she had wasted. *How can someone waste fifteen minutes during a crucial exam like this?* I thought, my mind racing with confusion over her lack of seriousness. I started to write my paper faster. I was genuinely happy that I knew the answers to most of the questions, a direct result of Meena Chachi's enforced study schedule. I kept writing the paper steadily.
Now only one hour was left when the girl in front of me told the sir that her paper was entirely done, even though the time wasn't up. "Sir, I am finished with my paper," she stated confidently. I was shocked to hear this—she had barely written anything. Then I thought that since she didn't know anything anyway, she was getting up and leaving out of frustration. But the sir, following the rules, didn't let her go. "No one can leave before the three-hour time limit," the sir announced, shaking his head. The girl told the sir to ask the principal sir once about early submission. "Please ask the Principal Sir once," she requested firmly. The sir, probably intimidated by her confidence, asked the principal sir. The principal sir surprisingly gave her permission. The girl collected her belongings and confidently left the class. After she left, I immediately returned to writing my paper, using the remaining time fully.
Then a sharp bell rang, and the sir announced that only ten minutes were left now. I was done with my paper entirely. I started to look over the paper once while sitting, checking to see if I had missed anything. Just then, Riya leaned forward and whispered, asking me the answer to a tricky, final question. "What is the answer to the last question?" she mouthed urgently. I looked at the sir. He was wandering here and there, distracted, looking out the window. I quickly slid my answer sheet over and showed the answer to Riya. She copied the answer quickly, scribbling furiously until the last second. My heart hammered against my ribs, fearing the invigilator would catch us. My palms were suddenly slick with cold sweat from the risk. I quickly pulled my paper back and smoothed it down.
Then the final bell rang loudly, signaling the end. With this, the first paper was over. The sir collected everyone's papers. I started to put my things into the bag, feeling the immense relief of completion. Riya leaned over and quietly said thank you to me for the help. "Thank you," she mouthed, smiling warmly. I smiled back and came out of the class.
I found Komal waiting outside in the corridor. She immediately asked me about the paper, wanting to compare notes. "How was your paper?" she asked, grabbing my arm. After talking about the paper for a while and discussing our strategy for tomorrow, I finally came home, ready for a much-deserved break before the next round of studying.
---
My exams started today, marking the culmination of weeks of intense study. Some classes' exams had ended yesterday, including Mala’s, which meant I wouldn't be able to meet her until my own exams were completely over. I resolved that when I finally saw Mala again, I would first apologize for my sudden silence and focus.
After meticulously preparing for the exam, I carefully put all the necessary items into my bag. Before leaving, I went to the main room and touched the feet of my great-aunt, Suman Chachi, Seema Chachi, Meena Chachi, and my uncle, taking their blessings. Meena Chachi made a grand gesture of ceremony, feeding me a spoonful of curd and sugar to sweeten my luck, watching me with hopeful eyes as I swallowed the sweet mix.
I left for college at 10 a.m. My exam center was, conveniently, my own college. Komal also got our college as the center. More than half of our college's students had their center there, alongside students from other village colleges. There were about two hundred students in the college, out of which forty were from our college and the rest were strangers from other colleges and villages.
It didn't take me much time to find my designated place in the classroom. I got the second bench from the back wall. A girl was already sitting in front of me, her posture erect and rigid. She wasn't from our college. She was beautiful to look at, with sharp features and quiet intensity. I leaned forward and asked her name, trying to be friendly. "What is your name?" I asked, tapping her shoulder lightly. But she didn't even look up to tell me her name, dismissing me with her silence. I didn't give her much more attention after that; anyway, what was I going to do by knowing her name?
There was an empty seat right behind me. After a while, another girl came there, claiming the seat. This girl, I recognized, was from my own class. The girl sitting behind me was named Riya.
I turned slightly and talked with Riya for a while, making light conversation. "Are you ready for this paper?" I asked, settling the tension in my chest. I asked her about her studies and last-minute preparation. She leaned closer, her eyes wide, and whispered that she had studied some subjects thoroughly and left some major ones completely to the will of God, sighing dramatically.
We kept talking like this, easing the pre-exam tension, and then the invigilator sir came into the class. It was 10:30 a.m. now. The sir gave the blank answer sheets to everyone. After calmly writing my roll number and other details on the answer sheet, I closed my eyes and calmed my mind for a moment, recalling all the concepts I had recently studied. My body felt alert, ready to work.
We got the question papers at 11 a.m. sharp. I quickly looked at the paper once—the first one was of language—and started writing immediately. I didn't have much of a problem with it, as I had studied hard. I began to write the paper well, my hand moving smoothly across the page. I looked at Riya once; she was also writing her paper calmly, her tongue poking out in concentration. After looking at Riya, I returned my focus entirely to my own paper.
It had been about an hour into the exam when the girl in front of me abruptly got up and told the sir she needed to go to the washroom. "Sir, I need to go to the washroom," she announced, standing tall. Her answer sheet was left unattended on the bench. Because of the ceiling fan, some pages turned over slightly. My eyes inadvertently went to her answer sheet. She had only written two pages in the span of an hour. I immediately understood that this girl didn't know anything about the subject and was going to fail.
After fifteen long minutes, she finally came back. I mentally calculated the time she had wasted. *How can someone waste fifteen minutes during a crucial exam like this?* I thought, my mind racing with confusion over her lack of seriousness. I started to write my paper faster. I was genuinely happy that I knew the answers to most of the questions, a direct result of Meena Chachi's enforced study schedule. I kept writing the paper steadily.
Now only one hour was left when the girl in front of me told the sir that her paper was entirely done, even though the time wasn't up. "Sir, I am finished with my paper," she stated confidently. I was shocked to hear this—she had barely written anything. Then I thought that since she didn't know anything anyway, she was getting up and leaving out of frustration. But the sir, following the rules, didn't let her go. "No one can leave before the three-hour time limit," the sir announced, shaking his head. The girl told the sir to ask the principal sir once about early submission. "Please ask the Principal Sir once," she requested firmly. The sir, probably intimidated by her confidence, asked the principal sir. The principal sir surprisingly gave her permission. The girl collected her belongings and confidently left the class. After she left, I immediately returned to writing my paper, using the remaining time fully.
Then a sharp bell rang, and the sir announced that only ten minutes were left now. I was done with my paper entirely. I started to look over the paper once while sitting, checking to see if I had missed anything. Just then, Riya leaned forward and whispered, asking me the answer to a tricky, final question. "What is the answer to the last question?" she mouthed urgently. I looked at the sir. He was wandering here and there, distracted, looking out the window. I quickly slid my answer sheet over and showed the answer to Riya. She copied the answer quickly, scribbling furiously until the last second. My heart hammered against my ribs, fearing the invigilator would catch us. My palms were suddenly slick with cold sweat from the risk. I quickly pulled my paper back and smoothed it down.
Then the final bell rang loudly, signaling the end. With this, the first paper was over. The sir collected everyone's papers. I started to put my things into the bag, feeling the immense relief of completion. Riya leaned over and quietly said thank you to me for the help. "Thank you," she mouthed, smiling warmly. I smiled back and came out of the class.
I found Komal waiting outside in the corridor. She immediately asked me about the paper, wanting to compare notes. "How was your paper?" she asked, grabbing my arm. After talking about the paper for a while and discussing our strategy for tomorrow, I finally came home, ready for a much-deserved break before the next round of studying.
---
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