We
all hear about students procrastinating stuff, but in our first semester, it
was the other way around. Out physics professor was a lazy lamebrain. Owing to
an unprecedented holiday, few of us missed one of our lab sessions, and so we
were not able to complete an experiment. Unfortunately, we did not have another
lab hour before the end-semester exams either.
We literally
stalked our professor, hoping that he would arrange an extra hour in the lab so
that we could finish the pending experiment. Irritated with our incessant
stalking, he casually rang up the physics lab. After a minute-long
conversation, he turned towards us, “Go to the lab. Dhamodharan (The HOD) sir will
be there. Complete the experiment that you have not done. Do not disturb the students
who are already there." We were very happy.
As
instructed, we went to the lab and requested the HOD to grant us permission to
complete our experiments. He contemplated on letting us in for a while, and
then said, “No”. We explained that our physics professor had sent us there; pleading
that it was the last chance to finish our experiments. All the begging and
tears did nothing to his indifferent attitude. We left the place cursing the
man, "Sottai!"
We
approached professor again, and he cast a diffident look towards us. When we
explained the situation he just smiled, "Ponga ma naan paathukuren.
ungaluku exam la nee endha experiment pannalayo adha naan varama
paathukuren"(Do not worry, I will see to it that you don't get the
experiment that you didn't do in the end-semester exams) We were relieved. We gleefully copied
down the readings for the experiment that each of us did not do. And to top it
all, my friend Sush was the
first to get the lab record finished and signed (even though she didn't do an
experiment)
Finally,
the day arrived…
We
were all busy discussing what we had learnt and what we had not. We were
nervous when we entered the lab. Since I was the last person on roll, I did not
have any choice while choosing experiments. I was praying that I do not get
Spectrometer, and my luck lands me in trouble yet again. There it was. Written
in red ink, it mocked me. "Find the wavelength...”. My eyes began to
search for my professor, and he was there indeed. I told him that I had not
done the experiment. Immediately the HOD pounced on me, "You have to do
it"
Earlier,
I got one of my friends to explain how to do the experiment-to find the
wavelength of visible light using a spectrometer. She was generous enough to
explain it to me. I was satisfied that at least I know how do to the
experiment, that I failed to notice I did not know how to do the calculations.
Now the thought of doing calculations daunted me. As I stood stranded in the
dark room (spectrometer experiments are done there), I heard a hiss. I thought someone
wanted to help me. Nopes, with my luck it was a guy who didn't remember the
diagram for another experiment involving spectrometer. Then I drew a rough
diagram of his experiment. He thankfully noted it down. The dark atmosphere
left a nauseating feeling, worsened even more by the fact that I did not know
the calculations. I did do the experiment, and had noted down readings and did
some calculations as much as I knew. I sneaked out of the room and showed it to
my professor *Damn it, I had still trusted him* He said it was right and I could
not be happier in my life. I was almost in the stars.
Triumphantly
I stepped in for viva-voce. It was then that our sottai HOD went for bull's
eye.
He looked
at my readings and calculations. He called me n accused me," Nee reading mug up panni iruka"(You
have memorized the readings). I was caught off-guard. It was an offense and an
offense that affected my integrity. I haughtily refused it. Then he made me to
explain every detail, of how the experiment is done, and I did it with pride.
Then he told me my calculations were wrong and I would lose 20 marks for it. I
was left in tears. He said, "Viva-voce attend pannu". (You may now
attend your viva-voce) I was not in a situation to do it. I badly needed those
20 marks to prove my worth. The external examiner asked me a simple question,
"Define Interference". I blurted out the definitions amidst some
sobbing and tears. She was very considerate towards me, seeing how caustic our
HOD had behaved, that she said that I could leave. I left the lab indignantly
and fuming anger towards my HOD. I cursed the man, and I still do, "May
his children n grandchildren be granted a similar fate and flunk in all their
physics exams"
Moreover,
it so happened that Sush had
to do "Newton's
rings" experiment, which of course she had not done earlier. Talking about
tough luck, we have seen it all! And she suffered a similar fate. Finally, we
got our end-semester results. I got a 79.7 which was good enough to be 9th
overall, while the topper got a whooping 84. I hit an all-time low in my
physics lab exams notching up a 75, while my counterparts got marks in the
range of 95-100. I quickly calculated my average in theory subjects alone, and
got a 76.4 which was the highest among all
This
was how I was PHYSICALLY KILLED!
