Physically Killed

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!