I was waiting for the train that had my name enrolled on the passenger list. Tired and sick of sitting on the wrecked old bench, I took a deep sigh, and, supporting my chin with both hands, placed my elbows on my knees and started wondering why are we supposed to run like race horses, work like donkeys and act like robots? I was about to get absorbed in my thoughts when suddenly my eyes caught a small boy who was standing in a corner with bruised knees, dirty innocent face, dressed in white summer uniform and his meek shoulders overburdened with a heavy bag. I smiled at him but received an indifferent expression. I felt him saying, "I am just too tired and exhausted to pull up my face muscles in order to smile".
It took me down the memory lane of my school days. It all started with the first day of my kindergarten. I would sit on a small chair, stare weirdly at the teacher, and my little ears would long to hear the bell ring. There wasn’t any play-way method of teaching; instead, we were very efficiently taught the technique of cramming. Incomplete assignments and falling scores would give our stern teachers the opportunity to drag us up to the closed door of a rat room. And our hearts would be filled with fear and anxiety.
My whole childhood was wasted in improving my cursive and my score card. The story continued in the same fashion up to my high school. The only difference was that with passing years it started getting worse. The things that I was taught were cramming, competition, hunger for marks and a race to win. Nobody tried to discover my talent; they wanted me only to obey dictatorship and forget my field of expertise. 
My school is over, and now when they ask me to define life, I say, "life is nothing but a hassle, an unending race in a thirst for best scores". For such an answer they call me a "pessimistic", and it makes me smile, but my heart sobs secretly.
Meanwhile, the train I am waiting for would lead me either to the land of engineers or doctors as there is no other option left for me. I hope it doesn’t keep me waiting; else, I'll be buried under the heavy weight of taunts and comparisons. Anyways, I wish that little boy good luck.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST