Results came just after few days; I was waiting for it eagerly. Got 63 marks, highest was 78. Everybody was amazed except one person. ME myself. When lots of “muggus” and psychos made it hard to get 50+, I was having more than 60. That exam gave me short-term fame. However, that was enough to make me happy. During exam when I was looking here and there to kill the time, I saw that the CBSE beauty sitting below me was checking her answer. As it is well said, “opportunities are everywhere; it’s up to you how you take it." Therefore, I grabbed the opportunity. I marked the answers blindly copying her, enough to get 60+. So was the first written exam in my history of medical life.
Otherwise, there was nothing exciting except a rock show and a musical night until vibrant. Rock show was the event to try all steps of dance you know and musical night was just like a cheap pastime. In-between, I went home 2-3 times. There is always a typical situation at home; parents are having that million-dollar smile on their face, though they deserve that. The dreams I saw in their eyes, their every effort to make me best, help me and encourage me, deserve a lot more than this. What makes me irritate most is relatives’ behavior. Actually, I can classify them in the following category.
1. Well wishers, those really wanted to see you as medico. These are the only relatives I liked talking with, but due to my bad luck, there are very few of them. It is always same with every medico.
2. “First timers”, those who missed your success story long before; come to know about it when you meet them. Always welcome you with typical question, “are you in medical, MBBS?” First question is always followed by “where?” Generally, they are harmless, but their enthusiasm about knowing you and your degree better, makes you feel uncomfortable.
3. Unlucky mumma-daddy, whose son or daughter did not make it like u. The typical reaction is “well, apda baba ne to medical ma ras j n hato.” (My son was never interested in MBBS.) Alternatively, they will become total pessimistic, “there is nothing good in MBBS now. Without PG you don’t have any value.” (As if he knows that, I will just stop learning after my MBBS.)
4. This category contains hardest to convince type of relatives. These types of relatives are always eager to pour their knowledge to help you to choose your future path. “Gynecology is the best”
“Do specialization in ortho, my so and so friend’s so and so relative’s son did it. He is earning in lacs.”
“Be neurologist, I am having severe problem of headache.” (as if I will be the first neurologist)
“What???????, you want to be that “topi sunghanwa wala” DR?”
You can never tell them about your plans, because what they think is the only worth to do branch.
After some years, last three categories almost are mixed up. I cannot stop myself telling the typical interview I faces every time I meet any of such relatives.
R: So you are in which year now?
Me: final year.
R: ok. So do you have one-year internship after mbbs?
Me: yes
R: “to pachhi agal su karvanu chhe?” (“So, what is your future plan?”) “In which branch you want to do specialization?”
Me: (it is always hard to say this lie, knowing that clearing all-India exam is not piece of cake.) It depends on the merit of PG exam.
R: But you must be having some choice? (Yaa, I have the choice. I want to be the best radiologist of this country. Will you provide me the seat? Who gives a damn to choice here when you have to fight until death for getting rank in all India.)
After trying my best to have some productive answer to stop the ongoing debate, what I can hardly say is.: It is of no use to have choice, because there are very few seats and also 50 % reservation.”
R: then also, you should have decided about the branch. Well I think you should…………………………bla bla bla…………
I have faced this “interview “hundreds of times in last 6 years. From wherever the” interview” starts with, end is always the same. same bla bla bla mentioned above….
So, the life was going on like this, vivas were going on and we got used to it. But suddenly the first internals came. Ringing the bell of fear, it got all of us unprepared. From outside I was like let’s see, but from inside I knew that this exam is going to be the first written exam in English language in history of my life (it is itself a skill). That is the time when you are always knocking the seniors’ room. I was lucky enough to got helping people in this category. So I met these reputed fellows to seek advice, got the books “ticked”, and started my preparation for first battle with English. Actually, it was not a sort of preparation, because from seniors’ advices what I concluded was if you can draw good figures in exam, you would score well. I also figured it out that physiology was my favorite subject in first year (it will remain for lifetime). So, I was never worried about it.
Exams came, and first paper was of anatomy. Almost everyone was scared. Some rankers were pretending that they are scared. But if you look at the atmosphere, you see a typical picture here. And the same thing keep repeating for every exam. Every girl, yes I am not mistaking, every girl, is reading and mugging the hot topics for the last minute preparations. Some anxious guys are busy reading the topic they missed last night, even if they knows a lot thing about subject, they looks very depressed or in similar state, just because of the single question they missed. Somewhere in the parking, you can find group of friends discussing the question you hardly find in exam. Some “muggu” somewhere is impressing girls by telling such a dangerous name of veins that even a professor of the subject would like to revise them from book. Some lovebirds that were busy reading in the library since early morning are making their presence in the crowd. But the story not ends here. I have not mentioned the real category yet.
10 minutes remaining to the exam
Without taking bath, spraying him with body spray, unshaved, this person in on his way to college. But suddenly he realizes he is not even having a spare pen or pencil. So after buying all the required tools he is ready for the next 3 hours of marathon race. This guy is from the last category. I would like to say the royal category people. They do not care about reading things at last minutes. They are lazy genius. They believe in handling the emergency situations. They give the exam with one aim, that if you can 50 out of 100, life is easy. Life is cool. These people believe in Einstein theory that “education is what left behind after you have forgotten what you learnt in the classroom.”And these are the guys people like to be away from during exam days. generally they are always welcomed because of there cool nature and finding fun in every situation. But during exams muggus want to learn,while these guys want fun. So at last all this studs get together in 1 or 2 group, some muggus who realized there is no point reading now also join them to relieve their anxiety.But actually all this studs are confused. no no not because they have not read enough( that is but obvious no need to get confused there)but they are confused because others are reading so desperately when everybody knows that No author of any subject's any book has ever written a topic which you can understand and keep it stored in your hard-disk within 5 minute.But when results are declared it is now turn of other group( muggus) to get confused. "how the hell he got passed? the week before exam I called him and he was watching movie at inox" This is one of the reaction. so the thing is people scoring more than 60 are sad and those managed to get 50+ are more happy.
In my first paper I wrote almost of 85 marks, was not satisfied with my performance, but when I came out of hall everybody was in same situation. I thought everyone was performing poor so I need not to worry.
Other papers and practical passed in the same manner, except in anatomy practical where level of anxiety and fear was much higher than other practical. Well, the best moments during exam period are last few minutes of last practical. I do not know about others but I am always keen to get out of lab and just yell aloud,” exams over time for fun”
After exam two types of medicos are eager to wait for the results, one who are expecting some high score, second who hope to get some decent score. I hoped to get 40. Results of anatomy came first; I was not expecting very good score, so I did not even care to go to notice board. But my collogue gave me shock of my life when he told me that I got 51 marks. I told him “may be you are making fun of me or you saw someone others mark.”
But, fortunately he was right. I was among the 30 lucky students out of 180 to get the honor of passing anatomy exam. Score in physiology was also decent enough. However, I was failed in biochemistry. I expected it.