<p>It is 11.30 pm, and I am wide awake. Not because of a deadline, not because of work, but because I am helping my child finish the last worksheet before her exam. </p><p>As she sits there practising her poem with half-open eyes and dramatic sighs, I suddenly realise something profound: I have spent a significant portion of my life studying late at night—school, college and now… midlife. The only difference is that now I am not a student. I am the official night-shift exam companion.</p>.<p>Watching her rehearse her poem instantly transports me back to my school days and the annual epidemic known as exam fever.</p>.<p>Our science teacher, Pandey Sir, was the undisputed chief physician of this condition. An excellent teacher, he was not only brilliant in science but also a master of life skills.</p>.<p>His famous declaration would arrive every December:</p>.<p>“All of you start preparing for your finals right away. Otherwise, January will jump away… February will fade away… March will march away… and April will fool you!”</p>.<p>This guidance (warning, if I may say) would appear right in the middle of the Christmas season, long before exams were even visible on the horizon, when our primary plans involved cakes, holidays and absolutely no books. Yet Pandey Sir’s words were enough to jolt us back to academic reality. As sincere chelas of our guru, we would return home and begin studying, at least for 10 minutes.</p>.<p>But the real battle was never about studying. The real battle was waking up early. Alarm clocks never worked for us. Cuckoo clocks could cuckoo themselves, and we would still be asleep. Fortunately, our guru had a scientific solution: “Drink a full tummy of water before going to bed. You will definitely wake up early!”</p>.<p>Let us just say the method was extremely effective. Naturally!</p>.<p>Our history teacher, Kennedy Sir, was no less legendary. Long before I encountered the term ‘eustress’ in psychology books, he had already explained the concept in his own style:</p>.<p>“Exam pressure is good! Without exam pressure, none of you fellas would even open your books. So remember your mantra: Exam pressure is good!”</p>.<p>At the time, we were not entirely convinced. But looking back, those teachers did far more than complete the syllabus. And now, decades later, here I am.</p>.<p>My daughter finishes her poem and closes the book with the relief of a marathon runner.</p>.<p>I say gently, “Wake up a little early tomorrow and revise once more.”</p>.<p>She looks at me with sleepy protest and replies, “Mama, it is very difficult to wake up.”</p>.<p>Like a true disciple of my guru, I repeat the timeless wisdom of Pandey Sir, “Drink a full tummy of water and go to bed.”</p>.<p>And just like that, the sacred exam-survival wisdom has officially been passed on to Gen Alpha.</p>
<p>It is 11.30 pm, and I am wide awake. Not because of a deadline, not because of work, but because I am helping my child finish the last worksheet before her exam. </p><p>As she sits there practising her poem with half-open eyes and dramatic sighs, I suddenly realise something profound: I have spent a significant portion of my life studying late at night—school, college and now… midlife. The only difference is that now I am not a student. I am the official night-shift exam companion.</p>.<p>Watching her rehearse her poem instantly transports me back to my school days and the annual epidemic known as exam fever.</p>.<p>Our science teacher, Pandey Sir, was the undisputed chief physician of this condition. An excellent teacher, he was not only brilliant in science but also a master of life skills.</p>.<p>His famous declaration would arrive every December:</p>.<p>“All of you start preparing for your finals right away. Otherwise, January will jump away… February will fade away… March will march away… and April will fool you!”</p>.<p>This guidance (warning, if I may say) would appear right in the middle of the Christmas season, long before exams were even visible on the horizon, when our primary plans involved cakes, holidays and absolutely no books. Yet Pandey Sir’s words were enough to jolt us back to academic reality. As sincere chelas of our guru, we would return home and begin studying, at least for 10 minutes.</p>.<p>But the real battle was never about studying. The real battle was waking up early. Alarm clocks never worked for us. Cuckoo clocks could cuckoo themselves, and we would still be asleep. Fortunately, our guru had a scientific solution: “Drink a full tummy of water before going to bed. You will definitely wake up early!”</p>.<p>Let us just say the method was extremely effective. Naturally!</p>.<p>Our history teacher, Kennedy Sir, was no less legendary. Long before I encountered the term ‘eustress’ in psychology books, he had already explained the concept in his own style:</p>.<p>“Exam pressure is good! Without exam pressure, none of you fellas would even open your books. So remember your mantra: Exam pressure is good!”</p>.<p>At the time, we were not entirely convinced. But looking back, those teachers did far more than complete the syllabus. And now, decades later, here I am.</p>.<p>My daughter finishes her poem and closes the book with the relief of a marathon runner.</p>.<p>I say gently, “Wake up a little early tomorrow and revise once more.”</p>.<p>She looks at me with sleepy protest and replies, “Mama, it is very difficult to wake up.”</p>.<p>Like a true disciple of my guru, I repeat the timeless wisdom of Pandey Sir, “Drink a full tummy of water and go to bed.”</p>.<p>And just like that, the sacred exam-survival wisdom has officially been passed on to Gen Alpha.</p>
