The final year of a degree programme is a challenging time in any student’s life. It was especially so for us, back in 1975, as students of the B.Sc. Zoology programme of a college in Madras city.
We were under great pressure, much of it self-inflicted. There was the record note book with hand-drawn diagrams of some 200 animals, each with a synopsis, to be submitted. Though our professors had advised us to complete this work during the summer vacation of the previous year, we had postponed the task. And then we had to prepare for the practical examinations, where we had to skillfully dissect a frog or a pigeon and display a particular internal organ with minimum loss of blood, followed by peering through a microscope to identify and comment on half a dozen slides. The climax, without doubt, was the theory exams, in some five papers of Zoology, each carrying 100 marks. Adding to our anxiety were our recurrent nightmares of what the future had in store for us, triggered by the staggering unemployment problem in a dismal economy. In such a bleak scenario, we concluded that somehow securing a first class alone would give us at least a semblance of a chance.
When life is this hectic, time seems to fly. And so it was with us, and soon the academic year was coming to a close.
That was when a rumour began doing the rounds that one of our professors had set the question papers for two oncoming theory examinations (Cytology-Genetics and Evolution-Embryology), which he had taught us over the year. A student with connections in the university, quoting a reliable source, swore upon the authenticity of the news. The hearsay was believable, as our ‘profy’ (as we fondly called him) was an authority on both subjects. We saw an easy way of securing the first class, if only we could somehow convince him to help us! But our dilemma was, how to approach one with a reputation for being very strict in the classroom, though friendly outside.
That was when the ‘student with connections’ volunteered to make a formal request to the professor, on the last day of college that was to be followed by a month-long study leave.
‘What if he fires you?’ we asked, by way of caution.
‘Not likely’, replied our friend confidently and explained that no teacher would berate a student on the last day, and besides the professor had good regard for his sporting abilities and had earlier congratulated him on the medal he had won in the intercollegiate athletic competition.
Our department had three renowned professors, including the head of the department, who have all since left for their heavenly abode. They followed the practice of giving us a list of 20 important topics, per exam, to focus on, from which questions were likely to appear, with the disclaimer that we needed to study all topics, with emphasis on the ones suggested.
The last class of the year was our professor’s, on whom rested all our hopes. We surprised him by greeting him warmly on arrival in the classroom. He then dictated to us the important topics in the two exams, with the usual disclaimer and then wound up the class after wishing us good luck. That was when our friend stood up and sought permission for one last question, which was readily granted. The student said: ‘Sir, we understand that you have set the question papers for both the exams. Please help us by telling us what questions are coming!’ The professor seemed to be taken aback. After a moment’s silence, when we waited with bated breath, he smiled and said: ‘I know only a little bit of Zoology and not even a bit of Astrology!’— amid thunderous applause and laughter from the class.
After coming out, one student remarked: ‘Profy has missed his profession; he would have made a greater diplomat!’ As for our hero, he pointed out that his claim had been proved right from the fact that he had neither denied, nor acknowledged, but had cleverly deflected his request! Anyhow, the upshot of the episode was that our batch created a record of sorts by being the first in the history of the department to secure 25 first classes, from a class of 60 – that too by fair means! Most of our batch then went on to do well in such diverse fields as Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, Banking, Software, Accounts and Finance. One even became a master chef in a five-star hotel in Honolulu!
Looking back, it is clear that when we are young we tend to go by the opinions of the so-called experts in judging our own prospects in life. We also think that our future is shaped by our present, which is simply not the case. Life is full of opportunities for those who dare to dream and act. With application and determination, one could shine in any walk of life, whether or not it is connected to what one studied during the three or five years of college life!
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