Parshu Shrestha
Sanumaya was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when she heard the news that the SEE (Secondary Education Examination) result had been published. She felt excited, and rushed to her room where she had plugged her mobile phone into its charger. She took her mobile phone and entered her SEE symbol number into the official website of Nepal Education Board. She was overjoyed when she knew that she had got 3.75 GPA.
Sanumaya simply could not believe her eyes with increased heartbeat and fast breathing. Even though she had written her exams well, she had not expected to get A+. As she was feeling jubilant, her mobile phone started ringing with notification tones. The parents of some of her classmates had already posted congratulation messages on their Facebook profiles. They had uploaded the photos of the smiling faces covered in red vermilion powder along with the GPAs their children had achieved in SEE.
After a while, Sanumaya’s mom also knew about the publication of the result when she received a series of Facebook notifications. She was watering the plants in her terrace garden where she had planted different vegetables. She came down to the kitchen to ask Sanumaya about her result. She jumped up and embraced Sanumaya for kissing on her cheeks. The mother was very happy to know her daughter’s result.
Hurriedly, Mom smeared Sanumaya’s cheeks and forehead with red vermilion which she brought from the puja room. She took out her mobile phone and clicked some snaps of Sanumaya’s face. She also took a screenshot of her daughter’s result. Hurriedly she uploaded her daughter’s photo and result in her Facebook account and wrote: “Congratulations to my darling daughter for her success in SEE with 3.75 GPA! May God bless her with happiness and roaring success in all her future efforts in future!” Then, she posted the status with Sanumaya’s and her husband’s profiles tagged.
The next moment, Sanumaya’s father video-called in Messenger and congratulated her. He was also very happy to know that his daughter had passed SEE with such a nice GPA.
“Now, you must study science, dear daughter,” her dad said, “and show your capacity to all our relatives and joriparis, the enemies.”
“Yes, our daughter will now be a doctor,” Sanumaya’s mom added, “We will now show to all those people jealous of us.” Then, she laughed with her husband. They were both very happy today.
However, Sanumaya did not seem so happy. Despite having such a high GPA, she was not interested in studying science.
“But I don’t have interest in science,” Sanumaya spoke, as if in protest, “I think I will do better in other subjects than in science.”
“Don’t say so, dear.” Mom tried to persuade her, “After all, you’ve got such a nice GPA.”
“But high GPA doesn’t mean that I must study science even though I have no interest in it.” Sanumaya said.
“Do you know,” dad spoke in a persuading tone, “in our time, one who passed SLC in the first division used to join science? It was like a rule. If anyone did not join science even after passing SLC examination in the first division, people would have doubt on their honesty in the exam. You’ve achieved much highermarks than that.”
“But I won’t go for science,” Sanumayaanswered, “Rather I will join a technical course, or commerce.”
“Our enviers will jeer at us,” Dad replied promptly, “They will have doubt on your result. They will speculate that you cheated in the exam if you don’t join science even after passing with such a good GPA.”
“I don’t care what other people say Dad. The decision to choose the subject of study must be mine.”
Sanumayawas determined not to choose any subject or career in future just to appease her parents, or anyone else. She was clear at her future plan. She also knew that no subject in this world is good or bad; it is just the matter of one’s interest. Each subject is like climbing up Mt. Sagarmatha if one has no interest in it.
Many young students and their parents do not know this, though. They decide to choose a subject just by the percentage or GPA they get in SEE. Sanumayaknew that some students got unexpectedly high GPA by dishonestly cheating in the exam. So, blind in excitement, they resulted into taking the wrong decision while choosing their future courses. She knew some senior friends from the previous batches who had taken the wrong courses in their life after SEE. Most of them were frustrated. Some were taking the medicines of depression and one had already committed suicide.
Prabhat was senior to her by almost five years, but he was still in grade 12. He had passed SEE with A+, but he could not pass exams in science in grades 11 and 12. So, after losing his life’s precious two years, he joined grade 11 again in commerce. However, he has not been able to improve his study. Last Monday, she met him in the market. He told her that he has always felt regretful for joining science just because of his parents’ pressure. He failed his exams and feels very low when he remembers that he has already wasted some golden years of his life while his classmates have already goneup to the next level.
Sahil, the only son of his parents, besides his two sisters, committed suicide two years back in Kathmandu. First, he joined science in grade eleven just because he passed SEE with 3.9 GPA. However, he realized, within the next three months, that he had chosen the wrong subject. He dropped and joined commerce the next year because his parents told him that one who cannot study science should join commerce. However, he failed the exams in commerce, too. He got frustrated when his parents scolded him. People say his father had even slapped him. He was found hanging under the ceiling fan the next morning. His classmates say he was very good at English and wrote beautiful stories.
Sanumaya did not want to be another Prabhat or Sahil. She had to decide soon what subject she would study. However, she was not going to choose any subject or faculty just because of her parents’ or anybody else’s pressure. Although she knew it was going to be very challenging for her to convince her traditional-minded parents, it was not going to be totally impossible. After all, she did not want to regret in future.
-8.12.2024
