It’s That Time of the Year Again!

Tension, a strained silence and an unhappy hush in the air – it’s examination fever! For those who have worked consistently through the year, it’s time to revise and re-revise. For the ‘playboys’ – as the ‘hinglish’ speaking refer to them – it’s a call to settle down and try to achieve the impossible by simultaneously slowing down time while fast forwarding their academics!

This is the sight that inevitably greets one on the first day of the Class 12 exams. 

It is a tradition in our school for the Sr Sec teachers, the Co-odinator and the Principal to be there before each exam – a gentle reminder to our boys that they are remembered and loved. A security blanket that envelopes them in its warmth and comfort and assures them that they still belong to St John’s and they are not alone at this troubled hour.

And the reaction when they see us tells us we are doing something right. There is a palpable release of tension the moment they sight the vehicle we are arriving in. As we alight, the subject teacher promptly disappears into the mass of boys that surround her/him, each one with his own query! The rest stand in comfortable silence while the boys come up to greet them and then take up positions close by, subconsciously seeking reassurance by being near the presence of those who hold them dear. The parents too, look infinitely relieved and suddenly the world seems a better place.

Then comes the dreaded moment – it’s time to enter the portals of hell! But before they leave to meet their individual destinies, there is yet another tradition to be completed.

Out goes the cry, “St. John’s – to me!” and like well trained soldiers responding to the call of the trumpet, all the boys present collect immediately around their staff. What follows next is truly beautiful and profoundly moving. A hundred odd boys, standing casually on the sidewalk of a road in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, proceed to bow their heads as they say their school prayer “O God, who is Truth…” and follow it up with the familiar “Our Father”. There is not a trace of discomfort to be found, nor does even one of them seem aware of the fact that there is something marvelously strange about praying on the side of a busy road! They are also completely oblivious to the fact that they have brought traffic to a grinding halt and that they are the cynosure of all eyes! Instead, one can see a definable difference in their demeanour in a far more positive way – gone are the frenetic movements of worried, tense children. In their place stand calm, assured young men who know their God is with them and who walk with confidence into the examination hall. On their way in, they seek the blessings of each of their teachers – a mark of respect and a silent thanks to their ‘gurus’ -  yet another tradition that never fails to bring joy to the doer and the receiver.

And so continues the story. Each time it’s new and each time it’s old. But the freshness and the love never fade. It’s what brings them back to say ‘hello’.