Youngsters resort to quirky rituals to crack their board examinations

The wait is finally over! After attending year-long tuition classes, cutting off social life and many times even deactivating their social media accounts, students of class XII have started their journey to crack the HSC board examinations of state board. Since it is undoubtedly a stressful time for the board examinees, quite a few youngsters out there resort to quirky

rituals

of their own to keep the stress at bay and ensure that they pass the examinations with flying colours. Here’s the fun lowdown on this examination saga…

One for the memory
Some youngsters are taking their quirkiness to new heights to ensure that they don’t forget what they have studied for the papers. Harshit Shukla who is appearing for the ongoing HSC examinations has evolved a strange ritual of his own. He explains, “During the examination period, I am not washing my hair as I feel that it will wash away my memory with it. It is my way to keep the examophobia away. Every day I wake up at 5am and revise whatever I have studied. I feel washing my hair will erase my memory and it will be a bad omen for me. Hence I won’t take the risk of washing my hair for next few days.”

Lucky mascot matters
Sounds strange? But it is true. Writing with a

pen

used during class-X board examinations is another ritual for some youngsters who believe it helps them write the papers smoothly. Yatin Waghmare, a board examinee, says, “I am writing my HSC examinations with the pen I wrote my standard-X papers with. I have a special attachment with this pen; I feel it had helped me in the secondary examination to write my papers on time and it had helped me to score 88 per cent in the Xth

boards

. Though I am aware that regular studies is the only way to pass the examination, this practice is my way to ensure that I feel a bit more comfortable while writing the papers.”

Chanting

for a miracle
While there is nothing quirky about turning to God for divine intervention, but some youngsters are going the extra mile to praise the lord to keep their anxiety at bay. Apart from deactivating her social networking sites and rigorous studies, Ankita Sahu chants for her success. “It takes half an hour for me to reach the examination centre from my home, and on my way, I chant the prayer 108 times. There’s a lot of stress to perform well in the

exams

and by chanting this prayer, my aura is positive and I feel confident,” says she.

Transfer of knowledge
If you think you read all the interesting stuff already, brace yourself for some more. There are some youngsters who keep their books under their pillow as part of a belief that it will transfer the content of the book to their memory. Board examinee Sonali Mehta says, “I am confident that I am going to do well in the board examination as I have prepared thoroughly for the boards. Yet I follow a ritual of my own and keep the books under my pillow while sleeping. I feel that my subconscious mind will be awake in the night and it will receive all the knowledge from the book from under the pillow. I have been following this ritual since I was in standard VIII and it gives me a high.”