CBSE results 2025: A mum’s open letter says 98% isn’t failure and why watching Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots is comforting now

Dear CBSE Students, especially the ones who think 98% isn’t enough,

I’m a mum of three — and once upon a time, I was exactly where you are now.
This week, my phone is drowning in CBSE Class 10 and 12 results — percentages, ranks, and more 99s than a clearance sale at Dubai Shopping Festival. Parents are grinning from ear to ear, handing out sweets at their workplace like they cracked the exams themselves. But you? You’re sitting there wondering why your 96% doesn’t feel like a win. You studied, you showed up, you nailed it — and still feel like it’s not enough? Let’s talk.

Let me say this clearly: 98% is not failure. Getting a B in Math is not the end of the world. And yes, crying over an 89 when the topper scored 99.6 is, frankly, a bit nuts. But we’ve all been there.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that our marks define our worth — that life is a neat graph where A+ equals happiness and success.

But let me remind you of something far more powerful than your result sheet: your curiosity, your kindness, your creativity — those can’t be measured in percentages.

And if you're feeling crushed right now, I urge you to go watch Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots. Yes, it's a film. But it’s also a crash course in what really matters: learning, not rote. Passion, not pressure. Life, not just a label.

As a mum, I want to tell you this: You are more than your marks. You are more than a topper or a ‘just-passed’. You are not your Math score or your Chemistry grade. That rank won't come to your rescue when you need to think on your feet, manage failure, or comfort a friend.

So breathe. Cry if you must. Then put the result aside. This is just one checkpoint in a long, unpredictable, exciting life.

And in case no one's said it loud enough: You did great. Truly.

Now go be the idiot --like Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi in the blockbuster in 3 Idiots -- who dare to dream.

With love,
A mum who knows and former nerd.