It has long been accepted that the Indian educational system puts too much pressure on beleaguered schoolchildren, and this problem is now being addressed through the phasing in of a grading process.
The race for marks had threatened to overtake the global arms race, leading to widespread despair and, often, self-destruction. But not everyone got caught up in it. There are a few who got away with ignoring the system and had a blast from toddlerhood, through the teens, to adulthood.
In our small household, one young boy somehow made all those tedious exams go his way. And today, when everyone from seven to 70 is actively participating in the great Indian debate of grades versus marks, he's unfazed that he 'missed the boat' and nonchalantly declares, "A2s, C3s and B1s sound more like air force bombers than the result of a year's efforts", before going back to his 'research' on the fictional superhero of his choice.
In his time, he cared not in the least whether he received 75 or 95, having played his adoring parents just right and received a reward on some flimsy grounds even before sitting his exam. He was secure in the knowledge that 'to be' was all that really mattered to his parents and so he (and they) ignored his teachers' frequent 'could do better if he tried' comments.
He also had a ready answer in case one of the doting parents asked why his marks hadn't been up to scratch. "All my friends did worse than I did," was his standard reply, uttered in confidence that his parents eschewed comparisons and would not seek to verify his largely untrue statement.
His one source of regret was that he grew up in small towns where there were no 'progressive schools' with attractions such as oral tests in all subjects until class 2, or no exams until class 5. Unfortunately for this happy-go-lucky soul, he moved to a large city in which select schools had such policies at too old an age. So, with a resigned sigh, he sallied forth in the tried and tested formal system, still taking for granted that his existence was more important that his report card.
Marks were barely worked for, exams were almost stress-free and, as luck would have it, he sailed quite respectably through 12 years of schooling. He was never where he could have been if he'd made an effort, but never where he should have been considering his lack of effort! Graduation and post graduation passed at the same easy pace and, wonder of wonders, he put it all behind him without breaking a sweat (except on the football field or when he was organising a party), and then proceeded to venture into the job market.
One would imagine that then, at long last, he'd realise the folly of his easygoing ways and struggle to catch up with the rest of the world and its attitude of 'survival of the fittest'. But no, the doomsday predictors who'd criticised his half-hearted approach through the years didn't get the last laugh. With reserves of energy obviously saved during more than 18 years of half-measures, he happily launched into a career tailor-made for him.
He was willing to stay late, eager for market visits and overjoyed to take his work home over the weekends. Parents and friends were amazed. Was this the same boy who'd procrastinated and avoided assignments and sweet-talked his friends into copying notes for him?
"It will take longer for me to reach the burn-out stage at work because the fire has only now been lit," he says with a wicked gin. With that, he returns to his gaming console - which, by a stroke of luck, is also his work station!
Cheryl Rao is a journalist based in India.
