As for my mind, it was a tennis ball that was being tossed between two courts. Every time I prepared myself and took one path, I seemed to land up in the other. I guess I had been going in circles for the past 3 years. Endless calls to my best friend, every time I felt upside down, was a huge relief. The only benefit was the fact that my friend too was running the race along with me, though neither of us seemed to make much progress. With the corridors of coaching centers and hostels echoing the fascinating theories of classical and quantum mechanics, a whole year rushed by so fast unnoticed by most students. While those who knew the importance of IITs appreciated my decision to spend a year for JEE preparation, many others frequently asked the question I dreaded most, “Why waste a year for engineering entrance? Why not medicine?” Here in Kerala, the highest privilege is to study for MBBS, it doesn’t matter if one has spent a crore on the fees too. One keeps count of the dates only to realise with fear how many days remain for D-day. The dawn, dusk, dreams and nightmares, everything apparently spelt 3 letters: J-E-E!

But for one moment, like Pablo Neruda said, if we all ‘kept quiet’, closed the problems of Physics and Mathematics, opened our eyes to the world we live in, we would realise how lucky we are. Of course, it is a tough race, this JEE, but there is a life beyond that; in case we don’t make it, it is not a dead end. Perhaps we might get another chance, a detour to our dreams. Perhaps later we might realise it was a good thing we didn’t clear JEE, because life has an uncanny way of surprising us! No matter what happens, cling to your dreams, work double time, give them wings and don’t just fly, soar with all your strength and make sure you’re not the only one happy with your deeds. Bring a smile to someone else’s face as well!

With the clock hands ticking at lightning speed and a very few days left, I waited for what lay ahead. With pressure building up on their shoulders, hopes and dreams of parents and loved ones, the bewildered JEE aspirant prays for the best with fingers crossed. Not everyone is born a JEE-nius after all! And, as expected, I couldn’t crack Advanced. But by God’s grace, I managed to get into another prestigious institution. To everyone who was worried about the ‘year I lost’, I never lost anything. In fact, I gained a lot more, in the past year. Hoping that someday I can integrate the links between science and literature. I run, with the crowd, trying to be one step ahead, not in the cut-throat competition  of IIT-JEE.