Delhi University students stress, scramble and support yet unite to navigate through exam stress amid Indo-Pak tension
DU's exam season begins today, and the mood across the varsity is a blend of anxiety and determination as students resurface from the recent border tensions.
The recent cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan had a noticeable ripple effect on daily lives of especially those living near the border areas. With the situation going back to normal, the families are heaving a sigh of relief and so are the many youngsters from these families, who are students of Delhi University and gearing up for their end-semester examination that begins today (May 13).
When the chances of a war were at an all-time high, many outstation students had left Delhi — some for their preparatory leave whereas others to be with their families in high-risk border areas — but many others remained in the Capital and struggled with stress and anxiety as the situation unfolded. Ever since a ceasefire has been declared, the outstation students are returning to Delhi, just in time for the exams. Though the atmosphere on campus is a mixed one as students feel somewhat underprepared, due to the disruption. Witnessing a last-minute scramble and trying to catch up to the new normal, Gurnam, a final-year student of BA (Prog) at Sri Aurobindo College, says, “Most of my friends, including me, thought our exams would be postponed. But once the ceasefire was announced, I had to frantically search for tickets to get back. I finally reached Delhi last evening, and now, honestly, I’m panicking... My parents live in Amritsar, and things felt really fragile there, but I left Delhi to meet them without thinking twice because I wanted to be there for them.”
“I tried to study, but just couldn’t focus,” shares Digvijay Sulekh, a final-year student of BA (Hons) Economics at Motilal Nehru College. “Like most fellow citizens, I was glued to the news on the television and believe it or not, war anxiety does hit you. We couldn’t even arrange for group study sessions, which is our usual way of preparing. One of my closest friends in the study circle was stuck in Jammu, and the rest of us all were on calls and messages with her all day to check in on her well-being. She is still trying to get back to Delhi, hope she reaches on time for our first exam. We are all trying to help her till then, but there’s hardly any time to prepare properly for exams in such an atmosphere.”
Some of those who stayed back in the city, however, aren’t of the same opinion as they managed to stay focused despite the chaos. “I live in a hostel so had the right support system to help me stay focussed on my studies,” says Yashika Verma, a second-year student of BA (Hons) at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College. She adds, “We were certainly stressed, but talking to friends helped. I know that many of my batchmates wanted the exams to be postponed, but honestly that wouldn’t have been the right answer. We must believe in the strength of our Armed Forces, and trust that they are doing their job well just as we need to do ours and staying focused on our studies. This can be our way of showing trust in our soldiers!”
There are also some students who took creative liberty, in the midst of the chaos, to find ways to support each other in uncertain times. “We created a WhatsApp group with our friends and other students from the college,” says Kanika Uppal, a second-year student of BA (Prog) at Maitreyi College, adding further, “Anyone who was stuck in high-risk areas could reach out for help through this group and whoever was able to extend help would immediately take action whether it was through sharing notes or clearing doubts, or just providing access to extra study material. It really helped keep everyone on track with the exam prep. Thanks to everyone creating a support system, most of us now feel confident about appearing for the exams.”
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