Chapter 2: Two

Mounika looked nervously at the huge crowd in front of the exam center - Aditya Junior College, Tanuku. The students were being admitted into the center already after proper verification of their hall tickets and security check. Some of the students, especially girls, were removing their jewelry and handing it to their parents. She was glad that she had chosen not to wear any jewelry that day, but she was still apprehensive of how she might perform in the exam.

"You will do fine dear." her father said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and she felt a surge of confidence rush through her body. "Just focus on the paper, okay? Remember what Sri Krishna said to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra?"

"Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma faleshu kadachana? Maa karma falaheturbhurmate sangostva karmani."

"Exactly! One must focus on doing one's job perfectly and leave the rest to god." Her father translated the meaning of the shloka. "So, concentrate on answering the paper to the best of your ability."

"But father...."

"I am not worried about the result. We will have a nice meal, and a cup of your favorite ice-cream after the exam, irrespective of how you write the exam." she hugged her father in relief. This is what she loved in her father. He never failed to take the pressure off her mind.

"Thank you, father! I love you." he patted her back gently.

"Go, you still have to find your room." she smiled happily, kissed him on the cheek and walked confidently towards the security guard.

It was not so difficult to find her room since clear directions had been pasted on the walls for the candidates and the invigilators. Besides, the college had also appointed some of their staff as volunteers to guide the candidates in the right direction. Soon, she was sitting in her seat, waiting for the exam to begin.

There were two invigilators in the room with a seating capacity of 24 candidates. the room was almost filled up with only four seats remaining vacant. Of the two invigilators in the room, one was a female which was a relief since there were 8 girls in the room. This was because one of rules of the exam was that a candidate would have to be accompanied by an invigilator if the candidate wished to use the washroom.

There was still ten minutes left for the exam would start at 10 am. She had reached the exam center by 9.15 am and had managed to be in her room by 9.30 am. She had spent 20 minutes observing her surroundings. The male candidates were neatly dressed in formal shirt and matching trousers. It was interesting to see boys take so much care to come in matching clothes though the visual media stereotyped such a good dressing sense as the monopoly of the girls.

The male invigilator was perhaps around 35 years and was looking very serious and fearsome with his handlebar moustache and a face that was both charming yet frightening. Those sharp eyes could strike fear in the hearts of the enemy. He had chosen to wear stiffly starched and ironed cotton khadi shirt and white formal trousers with matching formal shoes. His black belt accentuated his slightly rising belly though he gave off an aura of absolute authority and ease as if he was the boss - which was true. It was his word till the exam was done.

The female invigilator was wearing a starched and ironed cotton saree to ward off the summer heat. Mounika never could understand the logic of conducting the exam the peak of summer - in the month of May when the average temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

At 9.51 am the candidates were asked to open the seal and fill in the candidate details. The invigilators spent the next nine minutes assisting the candidates and making sure they had filled in their details correctly. At exactly 10 am, the candidates were asked to open the seal of the booklet and start answering the questions.

Mounika looked at the first question. Section A - Principle of Superposition, path difference, wave fronts and coherence. A 1. Two sources of intensity..... As she read the question paper, a wide smile broke into her face. The paper was not easy, she had expected it to be tough, but it was not so tough as she had expected it to be. She felt greatly relieved and marked the questions she wanted to answer first. She was now ready.

She spent the next two and a half hours solving the paper as best as she could and then started filling up the answer sheet carefully, making sure she did not bubble the wrong answers. Even a single mistake could mean the difference between getting a seat in a top ranked college and a low ranked college.

Lunch was as her father had promised - a nice meal enough to give her enough energy for the second paper she had to take in the afternoon session but not make her sleepy. She licked the last of the chocolate ice cream she loved and dabbed her lips with a paper napkin.

The second session was a bit harder that the morning session - she assumed it was because she was tired and feeling sleepy. But she did her best following her strategy of solving the paper first and then filling up the answer sheet calmly. The invigilators had changed but it made no difference to her. She had done what she supposed to do. Write the exam well and hope for the best.

As she returned home, she reflected on how lucky she was to have such a supporting father, a doting mother and an irritating, silly sister! What more did she need? She was the happiest girl on earth, content to be with her family, have dreams and strive to achieve those dreams. She was already thinking of the potential colleges she could join and the types of courses available to her.

If everything went smoothly, would anyone think of God? Man proposes, God disposes! What has God kept in store for Mounika?

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