My kid's exams have started today and as was with me, despite my best efforts to have it otherwise, we have ended up with no revision except on the last day. Tomorrow is Hindi. I managed a distinction somehow in my exams, but exams being what they are, I am no less frightful of Hindi than one who failed.

For those of you who are concerned at this moment for my son, let my clarify that I am writing this after we have finished the revision.

So here I was, going through his notebook, which was mostly blank and I couldn't make out what he had studied. Then came the work book and indeed there we found some kind of work done by him. We started and then I came to one question which had me and then my family and then the neighbours in splits.

The question was, "You must have also gone through incidents of bravery like the one the "best postman" did. Describe one of these incidents."

There were about twelve lines on the page for the student to describe the, shall I say, "once in a life time" event of courage and bravery. What do I get? Four Words, in half a line. " Never happened to me."

I saw many dots in red color around the answer; it was the teacher contemplating what to do with it, and then a tick mark (a small one, just in case some one noticed) under the answer. I can imagine the teacher wondering what to do with this smart-ass answer and then finally giving the benefit of doubt to the youngster.

Me, I am not sure whether my son will learn Hindi or not, but I am sure he will manage and manage well.