On May 12, 2023, I was in the midst of my breakfast when my Instagram suddenly became inundated with messages. The notifications were pouring in from my school group, with everyone asking, "What were your results?" At first, I was perplexed by the question, but soon I grasped that they were referring to the board exam results.
I abandoned my half-finished plate and hastened to retrieve my admit card. My roll number, 1162xxxx, and my school code, 10381, were etched in my memory. As I entered the details and the page loaded, I was greeted by an unexpected sight.
An 89 in English – it hit me like a ton of bricks. Tears welled up in my eyes as I grappled with disbelief. I questioned whether I had entered my roll number accurately, and indeed, I had confirmed it twice.
The aspirations I had nurtured lay shattered, and my optimism was crushed. Aiming for a 99% score, missing the mark by just 15 points left me feeling utterly defeated. What would my friends think? Here I was, having put in countless hours of hard work throughout the year, and this was the outcome?
In my state of distress, I powered off my phone and ignored incoming calls for about an hour. Only the comforting words of my father and mother, who were at Kedarnath during that time, were able to stem the tide of tears.
Gradually, I began to respond to the calls, and a sense of calm settled over me. Still, I couldn't shake off the unease that lingered throughout the entire day.
It was in the evening that my mom offered me a perspective that provided a measure of solace. She posed a question, "What would you choose: my well-being in the mountains or the three percentage points you fell short?" The answer was crystal clear, and I embraced this rationale.
Ultimately, I came to realize that sometimes life doesn't grant you what you desire because there might be something even better in store, or perhaps an undesirable outcome has been averted.
P.S. - I did submit an application for revaluation and my score increased by 13 marks.
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