Parents camped on the footpaths and street outside JEE advanced centers while their children took the exam on Sunday.
The sweltering heat of Sunday tested the parents and their wards alike. While for students, JEE Advanced was a test of their knowledge and preparations, for parents, it was a test of patience and endurance to beat the heat and stress while their children took the exam to secure a seat in the prestigious engineering colleges across the country.
Parents who had thronged the exam centre in hordes, left no stone unturned to comfort their children in that hour-long break in between the papers. From blowing air with paper fans to holding up newspapers as a shade above their children to feeding them and others as well, they turned the streets and footpaths into a day care centre overflowing with a generous dose of food, care, and concern.
Some centres in the financial capital were situated in secluded areas. There were no shops nearby. The centres didn’t even have any seating arrangement to accommodate students and parents in the break. The students and parents were left with two choices – either stand outside the centres in the heat or walk a mile to scout places for a quick grub and some rest. But for most students the first option seemed more feasible.
Most parents chose to camp on the footpaths adjacent to the centres while their children took the exam. It was heartwarming to see one of the parents seated on a cotton bed sheet on the footpath, feeding her child with her hands. The pampering helped the engineering aspirant forget the fatigue and physical hardships, at least for a while.
The parents who had accompanied their children for the exam also bonded well; they shared not only lunch-boxes and tea, but also their fears, hopes, and expectations with each other.
Parents of some candidates did not accompany them. But such students were not alone at the exam centre as there were parents of others who quickly took over themselves to see that they ate well and relaxed in the break. Arya Podwal, an aspirant at Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai, said, “My mother had advised me to avoid lunch as it would make me sleepy. She packed a box of fruits for me. But some of the aunties outside my centre didn’t let that happen. They fed me enough to last for more than three hours.”
On the other hand, another aspirant Anurag Mal went on distributing extra snacks to others present at the exam centre. He said, “My mother had packed food for a battalion. She thought she was sending me on the war front.”
Students only had one hour for food and refreshment. Most parents felt that it was not sufficient as the students were exhausted after the first paper and needed a little more time before taking the next one. A concerned parent Hussaina Zakir said the classrooms were not airy and the heat made it worse for children. “The classrooms were not well ventilated and the students felt tired and exhausted because of the searing heat.”