Until my 4th standard I was a very ordinary student. I used to get on
an average 75% mostly, at times crossing the 80% mark. During those
times, we used to form groups or teams in the class. The members of
these groups used to sit together or close to each other. I also had a
team consisting Sanjay Kumar and Shahid Khan other than me. Later on,
Prashant Shukla also joined this group. Prashant was new to our Model
English High School at that time. I realised that he was better than me
studies which did make me feel a bit jealous. Oneday, the students were
rearranged and I ended up on the same bench with Prashant which meant we
had to sit together for the whole year. Initially, I didn't like his
company but gradually we became good friends. We started studying
together and this helped our friendship to flourish further. The final
exam of the 4th standard concluded. I got 74% marks as average which I
was not happy with. I was now more serious about studies, thanks to
Prashant's company.
Our vacations ended and we were now to enter our 5th standard. I was very excited about it as we were now entering the Secondary section and also we will now onwards be using full pants instead of the half pants we used until 4th standard. The only sad thing was that we now had to get up early in the morning. Prashant and I decided to sit on the first bench this time so that we will get more attention from teachers which as a result may boost our studies. However, our class teacher (Vijayalakshmi teacher) brought in the rotation policy according to which we had to change our bench every week. However, we did study seriously and completed our first exams confidently. After a week of the exams, the D-day (results) arrived. I was happy with the 78% I received as it was better than what I got last year. Prashant was magnificent with his 86% and it was a sure bet that he would be the first rank holder in the class. As there was no official ranking system, we students ourselves had to find out the top 3 rankers. It was confirmed that Prashant was first when the marks of the students were compared. Now the hunt for the second rank holder had begun. During those days, Ruchir Kemnaik, Diran Shetty, Manoj Jadhav, Dipti Patil, etc. used to be the regular rank holders in our class. So, I thought they maybe the other rank holders. Suddenly, Prashant came to me and said, "Congrats Jithin." (Jithin was my name at that time).
Me: "What for?"
Prashant: "You are second."
Me: "What? Kuch bhi."
Prashant; "Arrey, seriously."
Me: "What about Ruchir, Manoj and Diran then?"
Prashant: "Ruchir and Purvi are joint third, they are 1 mark behind you while Diran and Manoj are not even in the top 5."
Me: "Are you sure about this?"
Prashant: "Damn sure bro. Its official, you are a rank holder Jithin."
It was like heaven, a dream come true. Before that I never even imagined that I will ever be even in the top 10. It was a great encouragement as well. I started working harder after that and it did pay off as I got first rank in the next exam with 86% marks leaving Prashant and Ruchir behind. During those days, rank holders were respected like superstars. Now, a new superstar had arrived. I compared my rise to the rise of Hrithik Roshan in Bollywood. He had just arrived into movies at that time but was already my role model. It was during this time that I got contact glasses which gave me a scholar look. In the next exam, most of us crossed the 90% mark although I finished 2nd behind Prashant and followed by Ruchir. The final exams also concluded and when the average marks came out, I was second again which meant I would receive my first big prize from my school. I received the prize for 2nd rank at the annual day celebrations of the school that year. It was a Little Oxford English dictionary which I still have with me.
However, in the 6th standard I became overconfident and a bit arrogant too. Also, my friends group had changed. I started declining in my studies gradually and soon everyone including me forgot that I was once a rank holder.
Our vacations ended and we were now to enter our 5th standard. I was very excited about it as we were now entering the Secondary section and also we will now onwards be using full pants instead of the half pants we used until 4th standard. The only sad thing was that we now had to get up early in the morning. Prashant and I decided to sit on the first bench this time so that we will get more attention from teachers which as a result may boost our studies. However, our class teacher (Vijayalakshmi teacher) brought in the rotation policy according to which we had to change our bench every week. However, we did study seriously and completed our first exams confidently. After a week of the exams, the D-day (results) arrived. I was happy with the 78% I received as it was better than what I got last year. Prashant was magnificent with his 86% and it was a sure bet that he would be the first rank holder in the class. As there was no official ranking system, we students ourselves had to find out the top 3 rankers. It was confirmed that Prashant was first when the marks of the students were compared. Now the hunt for the second rank holder had begun. During those days, Ruchir Kemnaik, Diran Shetty, Manoj Jadhav, Dipti Patil, etc. used to be the regular rank holders in our class. So, I thought they maybe the other rank holders. Suddenly, Prashant came to me and said, "Congrats Jithin." (Jithin was my name at that time).
Me: "What for?"
Prashant: "You are second."
Me: "What? Kuch bhi."
Prashant; "Arrey, seriously."
Me: "What about Ruchir, Manoj and Diran then?"
Prashant: "Ruchir and Purvi are joint third, they are 1 mark behind you while Diran and Manoj are not even in the top 5."
Me: "Are you sure about this?"
Prashant: "Damn sure bro. Its official, you are a rank holder Jithin."
It was like heaven, a dream come true. Before that I never even imagined that I will ever be even in the top 10. It was a great encouragement as well. I started working harder after that and it did pay off as I got first rank in the next exam with 86% marks leaving Prashant and Ruchir behind. During those days, rank holders were respected like superstars. Now, a new superstar had arrived. I compared my rise to the rise of Hrithik Roshan in Bollywood. He had just arrived into movies at that time but was already my role model. It was during this time that I got contact glasses which gave me a scholar look. In the next exam, most of us crossed the 90% mark although I finished 2nd behind Prashant and followed by Ruchir. The final exams also concluded and when the average marks came out, I was second again which meant I would receive my first big prize from my school. I received the prize for 2nd rank at the annual day celebrations of the school that year. It was a Little Oxford English dictionary which I still have with me.
However, in the 6th standard I became overconfident and a bit arrogant too. Also, my friends group had changed. I started declining in my studies gradually and soon everyone including me forgot that I was once a rank holder.
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