"I've scored Zero, I've scored 100%, how many of you know/ seen/ experienced these both sides of the coin in academic exams/ life?" This happens to be my first question in the class in the first meeting itself. As it shows the balanced view to look at life and like it the way it is.
Lot of students raise hands when 100% score question is asked. As they feel proud, but, for Zero-score question less students generally raise their hands. Then when made comfortable more hands come up.
The comfortable they become when I tell them, the people who score zero in maths or science or economics or......may not be total failure in life, their skills might be something else.....I've many such live examples...
Once, I scored 100% I was happy....as efforts paid....However, when only once I scored Zero....that too without my fault....I went to meet the Vice Chancellor of the University. I just said, "Sir, I've scored Zero in my ....this paper...". Without looking at me, he said, "You might not be studying." I said, "No, sir, in fact, I taught this subjects to my colleagues....if you allow me, please give me this question paper right from 1856 when this subject started.....Sir, I promise you, I'll score at least ONE Mark....how can I score Zero?"......
Now he looked up and said, "Yes, you don't seem to be person who can score Zero....".....
Any how, that one Allowed To Keep Term (ATKT) in the annual pattern examination schedule taught a lesson to my family...it's not only our efforts that is important there are many factors that play when it comes to success and it's not a straight line path, that, I study, I score and I'm successful, when in Nagpur University 500000 i.e. half a million students appear for exams.
We may try hard in life, other factors also play important or slight a role in life. God has made this world very amazing...
Then, I again studied and scored well in that paper is different issue....but....Zero is Zero, and 100% is 100%.
Later, I told them, a past incidence. As many of us know, there are scores of genius in this world. I lived in such company where the most genius in that place looks ordinary..... yes. When some of us scored 98%....99%....100%....few of my friends scored 105% . Yes this happened after our 12th standard/ grade exams. Some of my friends had MCVC- i.e. vernacular courses and they used to get 5% extra on what ever specialization subject they opted for. One of my colleague got easy admission in Mechanical Engineering in VNIT as he scored 105%.... Thus, I can't boast even if I score 100% and cannot be brooding over scoring Zero was the situation.
So keep trying....was the only way left out......and it's the Mantra for the whole life by now, when everyday I score Zero in some part of life's living exams and I score 100% in some exams or score infinite in some exams. In our life there are no negative marking, I do something wrong or write wrong or do right, I get my report card instantly.... believe me....god is great. If you ask me how, the, innerest the innermost voice and the God inside the deepest soul shows this report card from instant to instance and if the work takes you from bliss to bliss....the 100% score keeps and gets going....just experience it...if something is even thought wrong for a moment, god hangs me upside down in fraction of a instance/ moment... then I've to say sorry to him and continue life...but, it occurs rarely....being gods own son....It's requested to God to let me be what he want me to be.....
Aum. Amen. Amin.
Dr. Ashish Manohar Urkude, Nagpur, India, Lives on the Ground.