Shut eyes & the world feels right

Anmol Rattan Narang  

I COMPLETED my graduation in the year 1972. Those days, the results of all university examinations were first declared and published in newspapers. It was only during midnight that the official gazette used to come in the market, where shopkeepers — charging 50 paise from each candidate (it was a big sum then) — would tell the result and make a quick buck.

 In Jalandhar, shopkeepers would sit at Mai Hiran Gate, the main market, for ‘result-telling’. 

There were no computers then and everything was done manually. To err is human, and so, there used to be many errors in the newspaper publications and a good number of students, whose roll numbers appeared in the newspaper the previous day, declaring them ‘pass’, were later found to be failing and vice-versa when the official gazette came out. In newspapers, only roll numbers of successful candidates were mentioned, not their marks, for which the candidates had to refer to the gazette.

When my BA final result came out, the newspaper had already declared me successful, but due to anxiety regards my score, I rushed to Mai Hiran Gate at 12.30 am.

Two-three persons were sitting in the middle of the road with stools, on which was kept the gazette, each surrounded by seven-eight persons, all keen to know their results.

 I shelled out 50 paise to the result-teller, gave my roll number, and in no time, I was told my marks and also that I had passed. 

While I was standing there, another candidate, who had come along with his father, handed his roll number. He was told that he had not cleared the examination. On hearing it, he started sobbing loudly. His father and I consoled him, but to no avail. He could not face failure and lay down on the road, crying, ‘How will I face my mother, sisters and friends?’

Realising the grim situation, his father, just to lift his morale, stated, ‘We shall tell everyone that you have passed. Who comes here to check the gazette?’ The trick worked! The boy got up, wiped his tears and his face broke into a smile. 

On the anniversary of demonetisation, when I see Modi bhakts congratulating themselves and their party men — not only on the ‘success’ of demonetisation, but also getting ‘first division’ — the face of that boy comes to my mind.

We can close our eyes and believe it never happened.