- Didn’t have friends. Except for 1 or 2 people, I didn’t have friends in school. Having said that, I made some of the best friends when I joined IIT Bombay. It has been ~9 years of our friendship and the 5 – 6 of us make sure to connect once every alternate week. Having said that, I have a friend from school with whom my friendship began some 15 years ago and we are still the best friends.
- Didn’t attend family functions. Except for the house inauguration of one of my uncles, I didn’t attend any family function during the 2 years of JEE preparation. My mother forcefully took me to the uncle’s function :P. Many of my relatives complained that this was bad behavior on my part. However, as of today, the kids of most of these relatives are preparing for either JEE or some other competitive exams, so now, they are able to empathize with my situation. The good thing is that now I attend ALL the family functions because I have full control of my time.
- Didn’t use social media. On this, I’d say that during my JEE preparation time (2011 – 2013), social media wasn’t as popular as it is today. I am talking about those days when 2G internet cost Rs. 100 per GB per month. Having said that, as of today, I am active on all social media/networking platforms – Quora, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and sometimes on Facebook too.
- No movies. I didn’t watch a single movie during the JEE preparation period. Even today I don’t do that because I don’t like watching movies. I do watch specific series like Air Crash Investigation, and watch YouTube videos – big fan of Abhishek Upmanyu and other stand-up comedians!
- No girlfriend. Somehow I had a perception that a girlfriend would be a distraction. A typical JEE aspirant is 15 years old. So was I. And so, I personally feel that it is a little too early. I am sure there are people who are exceptions to this rule.
+91 9560939372
thedot.ind@gmail.com
