Hell's gate...the full story

BOMBAY-1987 A.D(CURRENT DAY MUMBAI)....

A BOY WAS BORN.LIKE ALL OTHERS HE WAS EXAMINED BY PROFESSIONALS...DEEMED TO BE A GLORIOUS FLIRT HE WAS PLACED IN A CRIB BETWEEN THE CRIBS OF 2 FEMALES...HE WAS DEEMED TO BE THE LEADER OF THE WORLD...THE CHOSEN ONE

FROM THE TENDER AGE OF TWO HE WAS BAPTISED WITH ICE...TRAINED NEVER TO GIVE UP LEARNING..NEVER TO GET HIS POETRY WRONG...NEVER TO GET A SPELLING ERROR...TAUGHT TO WRITE EXAMS WITH HONOUR AND SKILL...HE WAS TRAINED TO DO WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO,WHAT WE WERE BRED TO DO...WHAT WE WERE BORN TO DO--STUDY!

THEN ON REACHING 4 HE WAS CRUELLY TAKEN AWAY FROM HIS MOTHER AND THROWN INTO THE MAD WORLD CALLED SCHOOL JUST LIKE HIS FELLOW MEN...WHERE HE LEARNT AGAIN TO WRITE...TO READ..TO RECITE...TO MAKE PEN AND PAPER A PART OF HIMSELF AS MUCH AS HIS OWN BEATING HEART...

HIS INITIATION WAS BY FIRE..SLEEPLESS NIGHTS TRYING TO CRAM IN THE SYLLABUS OF 3 MONTHS IN 1 NIGHT...NO SLEEP...NO TELEVISION!...HE WAS MADE TO PIT HIS WITS AGAINST THE CRUEL STATE BOARD(2002 A.D.)...

THE NIGHT OF HIS INITIATION...IT IS NOT THE FEAR OF THE RESULT THAT GRIPS HIM...JUST A HIGHTENED SENSE OF THINGS TO COME..THE RESULTS CIRCLE HIM...LIKE A WOLF READY TO TAKE ITS VICTIM..SAVOURING THE FAILURE TO COME...THE HERO DOESNT FLINCH..HE STRIKES SWIFT AND HARD..AND HE WINS HIS FIRST BATTLE (87%)...

HE RETURNS TO HIS PEOPLE A WINNER...A MONK!

OUR GREAT LEADER-LORD MONK

AAAAAUOOOOOOOO....(for those who didn't know its a spartan war cry)

ITS BEEN MORE THAN 5 YEARS SINCE THE WOLF AND THE STRIKE...A NEW ENEMY APPROACHES...JUST LIKE THE WOLF...SAVOURING THE MEAL TO COME...READY TO DEVOUR EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH..READY TO SNUFF OUT THE WORLD'S ONE LAST HOPE OF SALVATION...

THIS FOE IS MORE FORMIDABLE..SCORING AGAINST IT WOULD BE TOUGHER...ONCE AGAIN ITS NOT FEAR THAT GRIPS HIM..JUST THE DREAD THAT HE HASN'T STUDIED ANYTHING.....IT SEEMS JUST LIKE YESTERDAY WHEN THE GREAT LORD YELLED TO HIMSELF AND HIS FELLOW WARRIORS..GIVE THEM NOTHING BUT TAKE FROM THEM... EVERYTHING(MARKS)...


BATTLE FORMATIONS APPROACH.
Battle formations approach...framed by unrelenting paper setters..these are the real enemies...unforgiving..uncaring..The monk and his comrades stand side by side awaiting the formations..every second hightening their tension...

A Peacemaker approaches...he is the supervisor..the hand of the exam system himself...its his job to take away what little the warriors assembled have written and hand them over to the checkers for greater punishment...

He says "Students lay down your pens and hand me your answer booklets"....the threat instills a chill down the very spine of our warriors...they are many but the few who supervise them are stronger...faster...merciless...

But then out of the blue we all hear the monk's booming voice...he is the first roll number in his class..."SUPERVISORS...COME AND GET THEM"...

The war cry has been made...the battle has begun..questions charge wildly...compulsory or with options...but each one made to test every fibre in the young minds of the brave 7 lakh...

First up..the formidable accounts one paper..As the enemy approaches the Monk takes a glance sideways to his queen..shes right there right beside him..equally tense but ready...he says"easy girl"..then he turns to his fellow warriors..."this is where we hold them..this is where we tackle those question..this is where we solve them"...

DAY 1- OVERWHELMED

Losses were suffered..severe ones...papers were left incomplete..balance-sheets didn't tally..easy questions were lengthy..tough 1s were tougher...Our leader monk was still hopeful.."we have lost the battle we will not loose the war."

DAY 2 THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS

A glorious day..2day no examinee dies...recovering from the onslaught of the previous day our heroes were greeted with gladdening news..taxation assault will be postponed by more than 10 days...we rejoice as the enemy is struck down by zeus himself~!

DAY 3-DOMINATION!!
Dawn..whips crack...students moan..those awake yawn widely..those asleep..aah well sleep..we bear witness to the worst possible ratio test thrown at us..its like a wild rampaging beast charging at us...big clumsy beast..the monk's mind is sharper than the setters...he finishes it of in one go...DOMINATION..

Back at the home front the monk is confronted by his superiors..why did he wish for the tax brigade to be delayed...why hadn't he prepared for them..why had he delayed his preparations...The monk looks at his queen...then to his men...then he turns back to his superiors..."madness huh!...i don't think so..this is COMMERCE!"

DAY 4- THE IMMORTALS

STUDENTS-PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR ONE HELL OF A NIGHT...ECONOMICS APPROACH...FACELESS..LETHAL..DONT FORGET YOUR STATISTICS..TONIGHT THERE IS NO SLEEP JUST A WILD BORING NIGHT AHEAD...

Thr battle is fierce..its all about survival...those fortunate, complete their papers..the unfortunate rue their chances...after 3 hours of hand breaking speed the heroes finish their papers....immortals huh..the eco questions failed at the monk's wrists....

DAY 5- MAGIC

When everything else failed they resorted to magic and treachery...foolish exam setters..they failed to realise that the holiday had given the students enough time to prepare...

DAY 6- REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

ON A DAY riddled with losses on either side the warriors were enlightened with the news that re-inforcements arrived in the form of an easy computer paper...the day was ours...songs were sung of glorious deeds and of the fallen comrades...our monk allowed himself to get hopeful..hopeful of a distinction...but more good news was in store..the results of monk's previous battles were out..he scored a massive 114/120 in the TOEFL iBT exam

Day 7

Then all of a sudden after 10 days of cease fire a deathly calm spread over the war zone..people were delighted the surviving warriors celebrated..at last..it was over..