It was a cool January morning but there were beads of perspiration on my forehead and my hands were clammy. My friend saw our lecturer approaching our class and admonished me not to wear out the floor tiles which I had been continuously treading on for past 20 mins. As the Lecturer entered the class, I was waiting with bated breath for the Food Costing paper which was to be shown that day.
We had the habit of discussing each and every exam paper that we appeared for. I loved crunching numbers hence Food Costing was my favourite subject. I always got good marks in this subject, this time also I was hoping to get the highest marks in the whole class for it. Everything was okay until I found that the whole class has got a different answer for a particular question of 4 marks, I was the odd one out. If I had got the correct answer then I would have scored 48 marks and be the one to get highest marks in class.
When I could wait no longer, I looked beseechingly towards the lecturer so that she lessened our misery by distributing the paper. I was happy with my calculations that they were right, though I was a little put off by that one particular question which would cost me precious 4 marks and relegate me to third/fourth position in the class. When I reached that question I was dumbstruck, so was the rest of the class when they reached the same question in their respective papers. That moment irrevocably changed my whole life, a very strong myth was broken. Something happened that no one expected, I was the only girl in the whole class to attempt that question correctly, the rest of the class got it wrong. It is always believed that MAJORITY IS ALWAYS RIGHT but that dictum proved false in this instance. After this I never believed that majority is right always and my changed belief has proved tobe beneficial on a few occasions that occurred in my life.
Right now my son is appearing for his 12th standard Prelims exams. You aren’t reading it wrong and I am perfectly in right frame of mind, his board exams are in May-June as he is appearing through Cambridge Board. Seeing him studying now, transported me back in time, the time when I was preparing for my Board exams.
Do share if you had any similar experiences in your life…
