On Cloud Nine

Living in the past - year 1996...

I’m on cloud nine today. Its not because of I got another girl or my love got accepted. Today is even more special. I cleared my 12th standard. What an awesome feeling it is.

After my 10th standard all the people whom me and my parents knew asked me to join group 1 for my higher secondary course which is a combination of Maths, Physics, Chemistry & Comp.Sci saying I can join an engineering college after that. But none listened to my argument for joining commerce group. With no choice left I joined the science group aspiring to be an engineer and fulfill my parents dream.

In the first 2 months itself I realized its not my cup of tea. And for these 2 years I have been trying to figure out how to clear my 12th standard public exams. But I was confident taht I will do it somehow. So I went all out to enjoy the final 2 years of school days in my life. This is the phase where I started bunking school and going for movies, had my first peg of rum and did what all a teenager could do except for sex.

Public exams started and unlike others chasing for answers I went chasing for question papers. I was damn happy when I got the question papers of mathematics, physics & chemistry. I was shocked to see the actual question papers didn’t even had single word of what was there which I had bought paying through my nose. I was left with nothing but to copy from my fellow classmates. Believe me copying in a public exam is tougher than usual school exams. I managed it for my physics exam. For chemistry exam the supervisor who came in was reincarnation of Mahatma Gandhi, she didn’t even allow anyone of us to breath. So I had to manage with my own equations which I knew if experimented would lead to explosion of the chemistry lab. Somehow I was confident because all I had to score was 20 marks in the theory exam. Mathematics is a subject where I have to score 70 marks through theory and that’s a very tough ask.

I still remember that day and I’m sure that particular 3 hours will not erase from my memory till my death. I entered the exam hall hoping the question paper what they going to distribute should be the same, which I got from black market. To my dismay this time also I was cheated. I called all the lords on earth, heaven and in the universe to help me clear this exam. My prayers was answered, my classmate Singaravel gave his answer sheets to copy and the supreme god for me that day or for that matter rest of my life will be the supervisor who allowed us to copy. After the exam like a true devotee I went and literally fell on his feet thanking him.

For the past 2 days I didn’t sleep properly fearing the results. Today morning when the results came in my number was there in the list of candidates cleared board exam in second class. I was damn happy and thrilled. Straight I went to my dad and said him I cleared my 12th standard. He was so excited like me and said, “ If passing the board exam is this easy even I would have done my 12th “. He gave me the permission to take my friends to the club for treating them.

I want to enjoy this success for another 2 days and then look forward to my college admission. I’m on cloud nine is not only because I passed but today is the first time I finished quarter bottle of rum all alone. What a wonderful feeling to be here…wish I could be here always…