Outline : Fear and anxiety; mind puzzled; memory failing; no appetite; divine help sought; not a wink of sleep; mixed feelings of helplessness and hope.
A day before the examination is full of fear and anxiety. One is extremely nervous. One is a picture of forgetfulness. One is sad and gloomy. One feels feverish and puzzled.
With a perplexed mind one scans (reads) one's books. They are too many. The time at our disposal is too short. Everything looks blank. There is darkness before our eyes. Memory appears to be failing. Whatever one has mugged up and read so far, seems to be slipping out of hand. The notes, guides, books and exercise books lie scattered here and there. They are piled up in the shape of the Himalayas. The job is quite difficult. What to read and what not to read. Everything looks important. One does not want to lose anything to chance. All the lessons of the books are most important. Any question under the sun may be asked.
The night before the examination is sleepless. There is no wink of sleep in the eyes. One tosses in the bed again and again, then looks to the alarm clock, gets disheartened, gets up with lumbering feet (heavy and clumsy feet). The head is giddy, the heart is beating either too fast or appears to be stationary (not moving). The main problem is of the revision of the courses. One becomes a victim of insomnia (sleeplessness). There is no appetite, one feels like vomiting and nauseating (feeling sick). The mother insists again and again on taking at least a glass of hot milk with almonds. It is said: "Honey and almonds are taken for sharpening of one's memory." But they all appear to be poison. The whole frame of mind and body gets stuck into the demon of examination. The examination fever is too high and one is too scared (frightened) of everything. One is lonely in the whole drama. There is none to help you except God, the Great. No one soothes you. No one speaks a word of sympathy, No one comes to your help to lessen the burden of examination. No one simplifies the ticklish and lengthy answers. Divine mercy is sought. His I help is craved for. One looks towards Him in this hour of trouble and difficulty. He is the great helper who helps the big and the small, the examinee and the examiner.
Long and silent prayers are said to the Lord for an easy question paper. All the questions should be easy enough. A lay man may solve them effortlessly. The questions paper must be a cake walk. One implores the Lord to be merciful and throw the success in the platter. Oh God, take pity on this innocent creature who is engulfed in the net of examination, who has spend many sleepless nights and uneasy days in the preparation. There are mixed feelings of helplessness and hope. The mind is swimming and sinking at the same time. One dreams of top position; a photograph on the front page of the paper. People are coming to congratulate on the brilliant success in the examination. Then one sees his doom and failure. He is finding out his roll number in the paper. The roll number which precedes me (goes before) and the one that succeeds me li.ive passed but I am the only unlucky who has got plucked. I begin to weep. I cry too much. But it is a cry in the wilderness. I am surprised at my Foolish conjectures (guesses, forming opinion on incomplete grounds). Any way the very name of Examination is obnoxious (disliked). The Bible says : 'God keep me away from the terror of examination.' A day before the actual crucifixion is boring and insipid (tasteless). It is like an ordeal.
