The SSLC Result Fever

The SSLC results were announced yesterday. That tempted me to dig out my old middle-piece that Hindustan Times carried in June 1989. Here it goes.

“With my office located not very far from that of the Central Board of Secondary Education, I cannot but sympathize with my neighbouring colleagues at the hardy annual that announcement of examination results has come to mean.

“Going down memory lane, I still recall vividly the anxious moments I had when the result of my SSLC examination was round the corner. Hardly had I disentangled myself from the examination fever to enjoy a few days of respite, when the result fever struck me. The unanimous forecast of the elders in the village was that all the five boys from the village would re-visit the examination hall later in the year. In the case of the two girls, the opinion was divided - would they pass with distinction, or just in first division?

“We had heard that the results would be announced in Chennai (then Madras) at 2 pm. They Madras office of Dina Thandi (Daily Telegraph) would teleprint it to their Coimbatore branch which would publish it in their evening edition to reach us in Palghat by seven the same evening.

“In preparation for the event, I got up early morning, bathed in the river, went straight to the temple and recited, slower this time, Vishnu Sahasranamam (the thousand names of Lord Vishnu - the rescuer, friend of the needy, protector of the weak…), and, for a good measure, chanted slokas in praise of Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.

“Towards the evening, my friends and I left for the bazaar to wait for the Coimbatore bus. The bus which generally came in unnoticed, received a rousing reception that day. The evening news arrived, and in a few seconds the newspaper vendor displayed the board: "All copies sold out" and got busy tallying the day's takings. I managed to get a copy and we checked the results. Yes, the girls had passed. And so had I!

“The village boys were very joyous that it was after all not an 'all-girl' show and that one from the boy's groups had also made it. They collected some money, bought a garland, hung it around my neck, and raising me on their shoulders, took me to the village shouting, "hip, hip, hooray".

“As was customary, on the way home, I bought 11 coconuts (on credit - not customary), and offered them at the wayside temple to Ganesha, the Lord who arrests Obstruction, for having cleared my way.

“At home, my mother was immensely pleased to hear the news. She prepared some instant sweets and shared them with friends and family. My father happily accepted the congratulations of the villagers and discussed with them my future plans.

“Later, overcome with emotion, and responding to the enthusiasm of my friends, my mother unknotted her small savings from the tip of her saree pallu and handed them over to enable me to entertain my friends to a picture that night.

“Feeling on the top of the world, I went to bed after the show. My sound sleep was disturbed by a commotion early next morning. I rushed out to enquire but was greeted with sudden silence. They all had in hand different morning newspapers – Mail, Hindu, Express.

“When I insisted on knowing the problem, an elderly person took me affectionately to a corner and patted me: "Printer's devil does occur once in a while, as has happened in your case in yesterday's evening news. But let me assure you young boy, you will definitely pass in your next attempt."

(To keep records straight, the story relates not to me, but to my mother’s Chittappa. Though failed in matric, he attained greater heights in life and was even asked to contest Lok Sabha elections by no less than Rajagopalachari and Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer, but he declined. As the Secretary-General for India of the Japan-based Universal Brotherhood Association, he invited to India Sir Clement Attlee (who later become British Prime Minister and passed Independence bill for India in July 1947).  It was during this visit that he insisted on Sir Attlee to try his home-made tooth powder made of burnt husk, black-pepper powder, salt, and a few spices. Sir Attlee tried it and, still to recover from swollen gums before his formal address, he swore never to touch it again even with a long pole.)

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