Ravi was always afraid of the mathematics exam. As soon as he heard the word “exam,” his stomach started hurting and mountains of questions appeared in his mind. This time the situation was even worse because he had spent the entire year planning to start studying “from tomorrow.”
On the day of the exam, Ravi woke up and prayed, “Oh God, please help me pass today somehow. I promise I will really start studying from next year.” His mother said, “Don’t make false promises; first finish your breakfast.”
After reaching school, Ravi felt as if his life was hanging by a thread. As soon as he sat in the exam hall, he looked around. His friends were already flipping their answer sheets as if searching for a magic book.
As soon as he received the question paper, Ravi’s eyes widened. The first question was, “Prove that the sum of angles of a triangle is 180 degrees.” Ravi thought, “I understand ‘sum,’ but what does ‘prove’ mean?” He wrote with great effort, “A triangle has three angles, and together they send a message of friendship.”
The second question was, “Write the formula for the circumference of a circle.” Ravi thought for a moment and wrote, “A circle is round, and its circumference is what goes around it.”
The third question made Ravi feel worse. He thought that if he knew nothing, he should remember the goddess of knowledge. He wrote in his copy, “I humbly accept that I do not understand this question.”
The friend sitting behind him whispered, “Hey! Write something, or you will fail.” Ravi panicked and wrote, “Mathematics is a very difficult subject, but it is important to remain patient in life.”
After the exam ended, Ravi came out feeling as if he had conquered a mountain. He told his friends, “Today I escaped with my life.”
After reaching home, Ravi thought about his answer sheet and said to himself, “Next time I will really study… maybe.” But the next moment he switched on the TV because even the goddess of knowledge deserves a little rest.
RAJEEV VERMA 