Walk-On

-Sadiksha Gautam

After successfully opening the so-called “iron gate”, I was lost in the other side profusely confounded over which path to choose. Good friends, quality teachers and tones of experience as you leave for outer world are a dream of every student and I was no different. However, I was unaware of the challenges ahead as I thought passing SLC as my ultimate and most difficult challenge.

In search of a right path, I chose to study A-levels in a newly opened, promising college. I was attracted by the facilities and teachers from the renowned schools. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where I was heading for. Then, the sorrow days of me and my fellow students started as we knew what was waiting for us. The professors taught us like they were teaching +2 students, neglecting the syllabus provided by GCE board. When we warned this to our college heads they turned deaf ears to our pleadings. They were afraid to admit that their teaching faculties had any flaw and simply ignored us. So, our hopes of rescued were very slim. Fortunately, before six months of our board exam, new teachers were appointed. However, it was too late. One of them left us aghast and agape when he hinted that we didn’t know even a simplest thing, an A-level student was supposed to know in that particular subject. Yes, I knew about my decision being wrong at this point.

Despite of poor environment of our college, I was able to prove myself by obtaining around 70% in my A-levels. However, I knew I was capable of more with the help of my brothers if I had proper guidance at college. The memories of my exam days are still fresh in my mind. It was previous day of my exam and I was going through my books for revision. At about 11:00 pm my brother asked me if I was ready and did some cross-questioning. Alas! I was unable to give him right answers. So he taught me till 4:00 am in the morning. The very same day was my exam at 9:00 am and fortunately I got B in that subject. That was the first time I was confident on myself. But many of my classmates were unable to pass the exam though they were more capable than me. Due to this reason, I really avert that college for ruining many lives. No one will ever believe me if I tell the name of that college because it is one of the most popular colleges of the valley. This article is not to dispose them (I don’t want to gain attention), so I think it would be better not to disclose its name. I just hope after reading it, students who are searching for right college for them doesn’t suffer like us.

However, like every darker side has a brighter one too, it gained me a lot of experience. I made good friends who will always be there whenever I need them, teachers always guiding me out of darkness. It taught me to handle things maturely even at most hard times. Most important of which is every person is special in their own way whether others feel it or not. It’s just that you have to believe in yourself. I have understood why our parents irritatingly scold us to study even if we tend to neglect them. Unlike us, they have lot more experience from life and they know that life without education will be hard to sustain. Education is not about just passing exam or being a top student, it’s about gaining knowledge, how you spread it, use it for living and gain self-satisfaction from life. It taught me never to get discouraged and move on no matter how many obstacles come ahead. After all, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”. And no one will ever want theirs dreams go unfulfilled, will they? ---Dedicated to my classmates of A-levels of my batch (they’ll surely know me if anyone of them reads it)