An engineer: A guy devoted in tightening up the screws for others and doesn't even know that he might have screwed up his own life, tightly.
What is JEE?
For me and my friends, it’s a tough exam and when qualified secures your position in one of India’s top engineering colleges. But when you look outside the window of the world JEE is altogether a different phenomenon. People seem to judge you and your characters on the basis of an exam which doesn’t even ask anything about your family, life and future. It’s just an exam with theories and expressions which in a common man’s life carry no utter significance.
Let me give you a personal example. When I was in class X, I didn't knew what JEE was. For me it was just another exam that the big guys took, after pondering hours over a pile of oxford patent dictionary sized paperwork aka 'books'. One day I asked my father about what career should I opt for? And my father said
‘either’ a Doctor or an Engineer. I don’t blame my father as he was an electrical engineer himself and was much restricted to it. But when I asked several ‘knowledgeable’ men in our colony they suggested the same. Some were suggesting career options in Law and Fashion designing but they were soon chucked out by the masses.
Honestly when I looked around, every single friend of mine had one of the mentioned choices as their goals (also some were determined about IAS). A survey conducted by the school for their annual magazine showed that 74% of us wanted to crack JEE (please note that I am talking specifically about JEE not any other engineering entrance exam). They were determined to fall prey to several cobwebs of reputed coaching institutes spread all over the country (which they ultimately did). They dreamt to study in IIT’s.
But there is a thing about dreams and engineering exams.
When you dreams lack something, you end up in lakhs
The same happened to most of my friends. As for me I never looked at the matter seriously. Life for me used to be fun and everything around was perfect. I went to coaching,partied in hotels, bunked classes with my friends and enjoyed life as much as I could. I had poor grades in board exams and the JEE practice papers used to pass by me with less or no human interference in its beauty. They all looked brand new even after the exams.
The day the results arrived, some made it to the cover page of the local dailies (just like the few thousand others throughout the country). Their families were happy, they were happy and for them the whole world was happy. They news broke out and within seconds a normal boy in the colony became an achiever, an idol of intelligence.
But this one is not about them.
This is about those whose stories should have made it to the daily even if it was for the last time.
Amidst the crescents of the smiles lied a silence of the closed lips which signified failure. These lips were sad, sad not because of the marks but of the fact that the people who were around him weren’t the same now. I was one of them. Some said that it was not on the cards after all, as you don’t have it in you. Some said that just buying books don’t matter, you have to read them. Some consoled when it was not required. They said it’s not your fault, when it’s not a fault after all.
How do the people have a right to compare adolescents and their future on the basis of marks obtained in an exam about which they don’t even know about?
If you want a justification of my statement, try out these questions on those who are die hard paranoid advisors.
• How many subjects are taught in the IIts?
• How many institutes take admission through JEE?
• What is the syllabus for this exam?
I personally think these questions are more than enough.Believe me, they only know the facts that are spoon-fed by the so called NEWS channels and our esteemed dailies. They know that you have to study but they don’t know how, yet they advise you study in a ‘famous’ training institute they say best. They don’t know how you have to study, but they’ll advice you to not to watch movies and be glued to a pile of books as if we are locked in a prison and aim salvation.
I, unfortunately, know some people who tried to commit suicide as they were not able to qualify in JEE. I talked to one of them, but he was so frustrated that he didn’t even listen. Life for him had no meaning. He kept saying two things “I have failed my parents” and “I am doomed and my future is gone”. In some cases people even went ‘berserk’ (as in a movie like situation) and broke their computers and television sets as they could not withstand their failure.
Why do parents don't understand the amount of hard work their ward is devoting in the studies? Still after all this they are disappointed that they won't be able to talk with others due to shame. That's because others would comment and criticize them. Its unfortunate that people have made this an issue of social status, an issue that is only superficial.
Now I am an engineering student, pursuing my career in a good collage. But here the stage demands the puppet to play a different role. Wisdom is only confined in small spaces and the feeling of being in a quest has finally dissolved in boring lectures and massive dictations which one has to swallow and vomit you know where.
Finally all this comes down to one thing clear for an engineer
We grew innocent, were taught to become saints, mug up to become strong and finally grow up to become a con in a mob.........creativity is forfeited for the sake of life which just doesn't exists......
give me some sunshine n give me some rain, give me another chance I wanna grow up once again!!!
