Exam Fever

Examination - the word itself drives a chill down the spines of most students. Unarguably, the two most dreaded months in a school student's calendar in India are March and April, which are traditionally the months in which most schools conduct the final examinations across all classes for promotion to the next higher class. Although there are class tests and semester exams throughout the year but the final examinations in March-April are the most important. This is a testing time not only for the students but also for their parents, for whom it is like revisiting their school days all over again! Same was the case with most of my friends' parents and I somehow found it a bit funny to see that the parents were more worried and anxious than their children.

"Nandu, have you finished your studies beta?" Ragini aunty asked even as she opened the door for me. I had come to my friend Ashwin's house to call him out for our evening football game in the neighbourhood park. "No Aunty," I replied, "I will be completing it after the football game." She appeared a bit flustered and was not her cheery self.  As I plonked myself on their comfortable sofa in the living room,  she handed me a glass of freshly made lemonade, and asked, "But beta, don't you have your exams from next week? Shouldn't you be spending more time studying?" I could now understand why she was acting differently than usual. She had this habit of forcing Ashwin to remain indoors during exams and did not like his friends disturbing him during the examination days. She said it affected his studies and his results. Same was the case today. She was not very happy that I had come to ask Ashwin out to play when our exams were just round the corner. But Ashwin didn't like that. He always felt that going out to play for an hour or so actually helped him to concentrate better in his studies, but he couldn't convince his mother about it. It was time for 'Natkhat Nandu' to help out his friend.

Looking towards her I said "Do you mind if I ask you something Aunty?" She looked at me and nodded her approval. "Do you feel restless and anxious during Ashwin's examination days? Is it that during this time, the only thing you can think of is Ashwin's exams and that thought overbears everything else?" I let off my questions in a flurry. She looked at me with surprise and replied back reluctantly "Yes Nandu." I shook my head, looked a bit concerned and asked, "Does this condition persist only for the period Ashwin has his exams? Did you experience the same thing when you were a student?" Now, she appeared startled and slowly nodded in affirmation. I put a frown on my face, looked at her and said, "Aunty, you are suffering from EAD or Exam Anxiety Disorder. This condition is prevalent in both students and their parents and it surfaces during examination time, subsiding slowly once examinations are over." I could see she was getting concerned now. I continued, "This condition remains with a person for life, usually striking when one is a student and then later in life when he or she is a parent to school going children, when it resurfaces again, as is the case with you. The worst part is that people do not want to accept this is a disorder and hence do nothing about it." I could see that my words had started to make her think. She looked at me worriedly and asked, "How can you be so sure?" I waited for a couple of minutes before answering, "Aunty, you remember Raghav, our childhood friend, who moved to Canada two years back with his family? His mother had the same symptoms. She was diagnosed with this problem there in Canada. Such advanced research is still not available in India." She  was now beginning to get convinced and in a low voice asked me, "Nandu, is there a cure for this EAD?" I nodded and said, "Aunty, that's the biggest surprise. Apparently, there is a cure for this disorder in homeopathy medicine. Since traditional medical science doesn't recognise homeopathy, you will not find any mention of this in medical journals."

By now Ragini aunty was hooked. Looking at me hopefully she asked, "And do you know of that cure?" I gave her a reassuring smile and said, "You are lucky Aunty that we spoke today. Raghav's mom had consulted a homeopathy practitioner here during her visit last year and he had given her a homeopathic medicine. Her condition improved completely after taking that medicine. In fact, Raghav used to let me know when the medicine stock got exhausted and I would visit the practitioner and parcel fresh stock to her from here. The treatment went on for six months." She looked overjoyed on hearing this and said, "But Nandu, I don't want to visit the practitioner as I am afraid that people will take me to be some mental patient if word gets around. You know how people react to such conditions. Can you help me with this medicine from the practitioner?" I gave a surprised look said, "Although it would be better if you consulted him once, but I think I can do it for you. But please see that my mom doesn't come to know of this. It should be a secret between us." With a smile she said, "Don't worry; you have been such a big help, I won't mention about this to your mom. Even I want this to be a secret between the two of us only." I got up, gave her a high five and said, "I will get you the medicine tomorrow. Just one more thing Aunty. This medicine works best when you combine this with some meditation to calm your nerves. So, I suggest that you use the thirty odd minutes when Ashwin goes out to play to take your medicine and complete your meditation too as there would be no one to disturb you in the house at that time." She nodded in approval and I got up to get back home, promising to get her the medicine the next day. The next day, I got her two bottles of the medicine as promised. Ashwin couldn't hide his surprise when Ragini aunty called out to him and allowed him to go out to play with me. "Be back in half an hour Ashwin." she said as closed the door behind us. 

Three months after Ragini aunty began taking the medicine and doing meditation, she felt she was completely fine and asked me to stop bringing the medicine for her. We could all see the positive change in her and Ashwin was the one who was the most happy for this change. She however continued with meditation as she felt de-stressed and calm after doing her meditation. Our final exams had gone off well and we had been promoted to the next class with flying colours. Ragini aunty was very happy with Ashwin's performance and no more stopped him from going out to play, even during exam days.

All this while Ashwin seemed to be a bit puzzled with the sudden change in his mom. One day as we walked towards Ashwin's house after our football game, he stopped me and said, "Look Nandu, I know that this change in mom has to do something with you. I have seen you handing her small bottles a couple of times. The bottles seemed to have some sort of medicine. I have tried asking mom what is it she was having but she has never told me about it. Although it seems to have helped her but I need to know what she had been having for the last three months. Please tell me." I looked at him, smiled and said "Ashwin, those bottles had a very rare and important medicine called 'Belief'." He seemed puzzled and said, "Please don't fool around. Tell me the truth." I again smiled and said, "The bottles had plain balls of sugar, which is the base for all homeopathic medicines, to which the homeopaths add the liquid medicine concentrate! Without the liquid medicine concentrate, these are just plain and sweet sugar balls." Ashwin couldn't believe what I was telling him. "So all this while she was just having those plain sugar balls and thinking that she was having medicines?" he asked me with surprise written all over his face. "Yes, my dear friend! Harmless, small, sweet balls of sugar. I made her 'believe' that she had a problem and then made her 'believe' that this 'medicine' was the cure for her problem. Once she acknowledged to herself that she had a problem which needed a cure, she believed that this was that rare medicine which could cure her. Her belief is what has helped her come out of it. That is why we say that our mind is stronger than our body. If we believe, we can! Undoubtedly, meditation has had an important part as that helped her to relax and de-stress." Ashwin, by now had tears in his eyes. Even as I finished speaking, he hugged me tight and said, "Natkhat Nandu, I owe you big time my friend." I hugged him back, smiled and said, "Let's go then, there's a new pastry shop which has come up close-by and I have heard their pastries are to die for!"

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