CAT...20 Nov 05... (KAAT KHA GAYI...)

Nov 20 th 2005 , The D Day.... , I wake up to my dad's gentle nudges on my shoulder.Well not really wake up, Am able to gather my senses rather. My right eye opens into a thin slit. I give out a groan !! .. Awww I look around for a time piece. My phone is lying nearby.Its 6.45 AM.. Never once have i been awake this early in the last 8 months. "Get up Son, revise something.. " Dad voice reverbrates in my ears. Heck ! , The last time I touched the CAT prep material was what... 3 months back !?!? . And revising now would do me any good,would it?.Well , he has the best interests for me in his mind. Cant deny that..canI ?.Ahem.."Would rather jog , Dad .." I tell him and snuggle deeper into the exceedingly comfortable and warm sleeping bag. On second thoughts I'd rather not jog.There have been instances in my history whence i have dozed off in a main exam ( I had jogged to get fresh that morning.!).That was Engg 2 nd yr and it was Computer organization paper. :)) and yes I cleared it.

I have always been pathetic at Exams . Be it Competitive or academic.Thats a different issue altogether and I wont discuss it because it entails me to disclose/discuss my preparation strategy for the same. Well, there isn't any(strategy) and the preparation starts at 11 30 PM the previous night and ends at 6 30 AM the exam morning.In this case(CAT)..I dont seem to have any idea whatsoever what to do now.. So no prep at all. U may ask, "Then why the heck give CAT at all if you were so complacent about it ??" Hmmm Good question.. I'll ask my project manager about a host of issues which led to this. Why did my project escalate into a critical partnership issue with the client at exactly the right time. Why was i asked to be a little more knowledgeable about 'some' Technology as I might be moved into that development and i have to be real good at it... and when i was ready ..(yes i sacrificed my prep time table for this ..)
BOOM .. The project is in tenterhooks and ... I am told it (development) is no longer required as of now b'coz of client issues.... Forget it. Its all done.. the milk is spilt.And i promise myself not to whine and crib about it.

I reach the exam centre (which is about 40 min drive from home). The place is choking with other aspirants. So much for the reassurance I was giving myself all the while I was on ONYX (my black Pulsar DTSi:)) ). The aspirants are all cramped in a tiny courtyard and countless pairs of feet raises a dust cloud enough to asphyxiate an experienced coal miner !. Thankfully I have no allergy to dust and I survive the waiting ordeal. I get to my classroom.., after having calculated from the seating arrangement blackboard that there are exactly 2000 aspirants from my exam centre only !! and there are more than 20 centres in Hyderabad. So much for my miracle wishing. Sigh ! I am directed to a bench by the invigilator. I sit down .I realise its a 6th standard class room from the class board and the size of the bench I am sitting on. I am 5' 10" sitting on a bech designed for 4 '. Great, just great! .
My Hands are a little moist . Strange, I do not feel any tension building at all in me though.
I am not at all a nervous wreck (yet ! ). There is a wish for a miracle at the back of my head( :) Mein nahin sudharoonga !!). I look around. 85 % male population. Elbows on the desk, hands clasped and placed under the chin,eyes closed, lips moving.. AAhhh !! I get it .. Prayers minus the genuflection!
Question:"Why not let the Lord write it for you guys and gals ?".
One or Two rubbing their sweating hands on their trousers. The sound of a sharpner scratching a pencil is heard pretty loud behind me. I contort myself and turn back to look at the guy . WHAM ! Its a gal and is sober enough to make me give her a empathetic smile. Not mutual though.
The invigilator starts checking the "candidates"(yikes !! thats what they call the aspirants ... and the same word in my local hyd jargon is someone raunchy.. yep u gettin it right.. u dirty mind ! !). My turn. A look at my snap.., a look at me.., a look at my snap again.. "OHH !! ,Changed your hairstyle AAAA ??? Wokay wokay".
Loud enough to send my soul to middle earth. I hear giggles in the class.
I give a "yessss " accompanied by the widest smile I exhibited ever.
She trudges on. Finished with her 'Candidate' scrutiny. She is about to distribute the OMR answersheets ..
"KWEEEENNNN !!! " the Speaker in the corner booms and tears my eardrums to smithreens !!
"CANDITAES ...Welcome ..Blah blah.. are requested to keep calculaters.. etc away Blah! .. means of unfair assistance Blah! blah !.. read the instructions ! Blah blah, best of Luck Blah! Blah ! ".
Phew ! 3 minutes of Torture. A guy stands up ..and is about to go outside.. looks a 'dehati'.
"Where are you going?"questions the invigitor..
"I am .. going outside..er ."
"But you can't..The test is about to start.. they wont allow .. u are not allowed to go out ya.. ?"
"But maidumm i have to go .. i will come back.. jus down i will go."
" Where to u will go .. ",
"I will jus .. but .. two minutes.. i have to go.... aaa.. mmmaidum "
The room was in huge smiles..
"the wash room ..",
"Why didnt you go earlier..?",
"Earlier.. I .. , Didint get.. er aa, i mean.. it was fulll",
"Ok Ok go Come fast!!"
"Yes maidum thank u maidum"
:)) :))

Hmm QuestionPapers distributed... Read the Instructions.. Filed the OMR. Why doesn't any one ever get tired of filling tiny circles with graphite... Its so irritating!! and mind numbing.
OKAY..... here I Go..
"pheerssss...."(tear the seal).... Turn the page over,
"DHISHUM ! DHISHUM ! ... WHAM ! GAWK ! " :(