2008 April 23 « Floral Fragrance

Mrs. Rao’s face shone brilliantly as she advanced towards Rimi along with her son, Naren. She held his hands tightly. Naren looked confident. She shook hands with Rimi and introduced Naren to Rimi. Then they headed towards the center where Naren’s IV Semester M.A. Literature exam was carried out…One of the staff members made them sit near the principal room. Over a period of time Naren’s Professor passed by and wished him good luck for his American Literature paper for the day. Rimi and Naren conversed briefly, about his preparation and over some general topics. The bell rang and Naren was guided to a nearby room, where he was seated comfortably. Mrs. Rao explained Rimi how the process worked. Rimi was a bit apprehensive as it was something she never heard or did before. One of the staff members of the college came and handed over the question paper and answer sheet booklet to Rimi. Mrs. Rao profusely thanked Rimi for the help she extended to offer. As a concerned mother, she placed a water bottle and the exam board on the desk and wished good luck to Naren and left for her work-place.

In the meanwhile Naren revealed he wanted to become a Sanskrit scholar and was fond of music too. He was also learning Karnatic music. If luck favored he wanted to choose music as his profession. Rimi told him about her profession too. They instantly shared a quick camaraderie.

It was time to start for the exam. Rimi read out the question paper aloud. She could see the contentment on Naren’s face as he thought he had known most of the answers well. He strategically chose to answer those questions that he was confident at …and attempt the rest in the end. The time allotted was 3 hours with an extra half n hour. Naren answered and Rimi scribed. Yes, Naren was a visually impaired student amongst the lot who was trying to make a mark in this competitive world. He was ambitious and had the confidence to accomplish his dream. Rimi chose to scribe on his behalf. She didn’t know him personally, but was informed about this urgency through a friend. Rimi learnt that day life could be a real struggle for Naren’s Parents. It has its own blessings & challenges dealing with him everyday.

After the exam, Rimi precisely took his thumb impression on the answers’ booklet and submitted back to the Exam Department. She was handed a fee of 60 Rs. for the job of scribing on behalf of Naren. Looking at it she wondered what to do. She quietly slipped the money into Naren’s pocket and asked him to spend or give away to someone needy. Then, she left for her workplace.