6CO2+ 12H2O-> C6H12O6+6O2 +6H2O. To have thought of the equation of Photosynthesis as the most difficult chemical equation when I was in the sixth standard seems like sheer stupidity now. If I had known the equations that life was going to subject me to, I would have probably scoffed at that equation then.
All the chemical equations I knew till Std X were just the bookish ones. And then came XI and XII, when I was introduced to the chemistry equations of my life. Changing your learning methods is never easy and when you are introduced to an academic pattern which emphasises on mugging up stuff rather than learning them, you tend to come up with a few equations based on your experience. Those two years were a mere blur as they rushed past.
Fighting the system is never easy and I just ran along with the crowd. That's when I realised the first chemical equation of my life:
School curriculum + Good rote learning skills = High marks + Assured seat in a Govt. college
Oh yeah, I forgot the catalyst in this. A very good memory can speed up the process and go a long way in helping you to get the result. Having applied this equation for over two years and getting the desired result, my next stop was college.
Stage two
Landing in college with high hopes of unleashing the creativity and talent within, I was brought to a cruel stop to become aware of the fact that college was also going to be about studies, but on a higher magnitude, again with an emphasis to train us for the merciless competitive world out there. Sitting in classes and listening to professors drone on about the last topics on the earth you would want to listen to, made me realize the second chemical equation of life.
Lecturers + Boring topics = Five yawns/min + Occasional sleeping
An extreme case in the above equation results in students lying flat on the bench and going to sleep, as the only result. Joining the rat race was never part of my plan but then again I went along with the crowd. In between the ‘god-only knows-how-many' assignments, tests and projects, the third equation of my life came into being.
Engineering +students not so interested in engineering =
Oh well, I don't know the exact result here, as I have one more year to go. But its definitely not the desired one and comes under the same category as pungent gases like Ammonia.
N. Aakrithi, III year, IT, Jafferkhanpet.
