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Sunday, February 23, 2014

My equation with Chemistry ( #ConditionSeriousHai ) !

Teenage is probably the most underrated phase of a person’s life. All the physical and mental variations and a ruckus of hormones, ultimately makes up a weirdo or in other words, a teenager. This was also the time when ‘Look at Leela aunty’s son. He is a topper in whatever he does’ rang in my ears even when my Mom was actually telling me to eat. Leela aunty and her son were marked in red, bold and underlined, and highlighted in yellow on my hit list ever since I can remember. And this is one woman I avoided like plague because she was bothered about my very existence. Apparently her son scored just 96% and topped the district or even the country but Leela aunty was wiping her nose in distress, because her #ConditionSeriousHai.

And I remember that day when I came out of the exam hall after the twelfth grade Chemistry exam. The question paper was very simply set with direct questions. Basically, I was not born to study Chemistry. As simple as that. Now if you want to inject organic and physical chemistry into my head that is not designed to accept this type of data, it is your call. This was my attitude all through the chemistry classes, chemistry tuition classes and chemistry entrance tuition classes. After that load of  chemistry equations and theories were dumped aimlessly into my head, I still could not balance an equation correctly, whereas my classmates did it in a matter of microseconds. Apparently Leela aunty’s son balanced equations with his left hand when he had to used his right hand at dinner.

So as I walked out of the exam hall I heard peals of laughter and my classmates discussing the question paper with beaming faces. I could almost see a 99/100 written across their foreheads. However diplomacy is the key to coexist with competitive parents. So when Papa asked how the exam went, I replied it was ‘okay’. By saying that, neither did I confirm that I would pass with flying colors, nor did I say that it was difficult and invite hell’s wrath. It was a situation of mental equilibrium. When I reached home everyone was not actually looking forward to see me because Leela aunty had howled from the top of her roof that her nerd of a son was throwing things around saying it was a ‘sub-standard’ question paper and he wasted his year for nothing. So basically this moron’s #ConditionSeriousHai.


The reply ‘It was okay’ to any question that was aimed at me related to exams kept the parents waiting for the results so that they could pounce on me. This means, that two months till the results came I could live peacefully in my house without it being converted into a T-Rex's nest. However, I tactfully avoided appearing at any get-together or Sunday school, as a measure of precautionary self-defense against suspected nosy aunties. Those two months till the results came was a period I needed to be extra careful. After the results are published the war takes a different turn altogether which may involve major bombing from all possible directions but that is a totally different story. Meanwhile, Leela aunty was silently having a party in her head, as her son’s batch mate was likely to hit rock bottom. And I tell you, there was not one but lots of Leela aunties around all whose #ConditionSeriousHai.

 If I tried hard and managed to get a mark more than her son, I am sure Leela aunty would have attempted suicide. So, my decision to stay within the average pool and never leaping out of it was in a way saving the life of Leela aunty and her son whom I doubt wore diapers at night.

Ten years down the line, I am doing just fine without learning Chemistry, just like Leela aunty’s son is after mastering it. The bottom line is that we will all be just fine regardless of our take at the Chemistry paper.


So Leela aunty, chill, have a Cadbury 5 star.  




This article was written for Indiblogger Cadbury Five Star contest - Condition Serious Hai. 

14 comments:

  1. I swear there are so many Leela aunties is each one of our lives. And they totally need a chill pill. I really cant understand just why do parents need to compare their children with others.. Very well written Anita :)

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    1. Yeah...and this comparison continues, generation after generation ! Thanks Jyotsna!

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  2. Is she reading it? Better, gift her one, and probably one for her son too. :D

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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    1. Haha this Leela aunty is fictional name and is a mix of multiple real life characters. Even if any of them reads, I am so far away from them that there is nothing to worry about...also I am not taking any exams now for her to be bothered about :D

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  3. A philosophical narrative, my beloved daughter ! Good. I never had any arrears during my 5 year engineering course, University of Madras. My class mate had arrears and joined the organization in which I worked later. After 35 + years I had the misfortune, or fate, of reporting to him ! That is life :)
    Papa

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    1. That is a whole story in itself Papa..! Yes thats life.! Thanks for reading Pa !

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  4. ARE SOOOOOOOOOO TRUE! I used to have nightmares about chemistry. I left the maths stream in eleventh grade and took up commerce. I think I am doing just fine without it :P

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    1. You are doing much better than the ones who took up maths even though they dint want to !

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  5. Please send this link to Leela aunty will you :)

    This is an issue relevant to the current society too Anita. Wonderful take on the prompt. All the best for this one :)

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    1. Haha that I can't ...although I secretly wish some of the Leela aunties get to read this!
      Yes and thanks Soumya!

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  6. This reminds me about an incident in my cubicle, 2 of my team mates were sitting adjacent to each other , senior one asked junior girl about college , batch and all , and her friend came and told this junior girl is university rank holder .. then the other guy started laughing and told
    Rank medicha aalum supply medicha njaanum same client nte theriyum kettu pattiye pole pani edukkunnu .. !

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    1. haha thats what I say...life has a unique sense of humor!

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  7. Chemistry was my Honors subject :) You did wow by not scoring higher than Leela Aunty's son. She owes her life to you :)
    Seriously, many people's #ConditionSeriousHai :)
    Best wishes, Anita.

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