The End of an Era

A typical study time.

As I sat in the loo answering nature’s call and relieving the pressures of life and my stomach, I felt a tug in my navel and my immediate first thought was that I was being teleported. What actually happened was that I had  somehow travelled back in time. A montage of pictures danced in front of my eyes. Not till I really concentrated did I realise what the pictures were all about.

I saw pictures of me sitting on a bed or at my study table through different times struggling to concentrate on my textbooks. These pictures were reliving the story of my life or rather the story of my struggle against education.

 I was never a good student, still am not I think. All my life my tutors said that I was a student who was bright but also who never worked hard enough. In truth I never felt like studying and I always saw studies as nothing less than torture. I always dreamed of education becoming a real-life dictator so I could lead a revolution to topple his tyrannical regime. (A result of all those Hollywood films I might add!!)

My parents much like the loyal officers of the dictator, screamed, cajoled and used every possible trick in the book to make me submit to his powers. I continued studying just to keep their hearts.  As I grew older, my love for studies kept decreasing. I passed my first hurdle, i.e., my 10^th standard under a strict measure of control. Imagine my life when I had no access to a TV, computer or comic books for a year. I still pride myself on my sheer mental strength to survive that phase.

Post-Grad times...

The next few years were rocky to say the least. I didn’t do well in my studies, failed in my academics and my parents and not until a couple of years back did things stabilise. Until then I had never looked at studies as a goal that I needed to achieve. But things changed, new people came into my life and they had a huge contribution in changing my perception towards life.

I did well in my graduation, much better actually than I or anyone would ever expect. To some extent I surpassed my parent’s expectations. I got into one of the best universities in the UK and now as I have finished my course, I finally realise the magnanimity of what I have achieved. I’ve done what every child (including me) dreams of every second he or she ‘has’ to study. I have completed my education. Yes you heard me, complete. Finito.

If you would have asked me during my school days, I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would  complete my education and that too so well. I would have probably told you that I would be expelled from my college at some point of time or maybe sit at the till of a shop as my parents had threatened to do. (I had actually also thought of a name for the shop when they had threatened me!!)

The feeling of completing my education though is completely opposite of what I had expected. Instead of being on cloud 9, it is a very bitter-sweet feeling. Yes I know I will never have to sit through nights learning and mugging up pages and pages of text. But I may never get to enjoy life as I have in my college times. Once in a job I may not be able to go anywhere and anytime I want to, let alone get enough time to meet my friends. There would be no more bunking classes and the excitement and the sense of adventure that comes with it. I think it’s too big a thing to sacrifice in order to give up studying. But that is what life is and as I was reeling on my last thought, I was wrenched back into the real world. I realised it was time to flush. Phew! What a moment in the loo!