As i may have mentioned in my previous posts that i was selected at Block level (The Block Education Officer ask for some student names who can participate in a competitive exam. From our school few students were selected and i was one of them.
The day the exam took place our school teacher took us to the Education Officer first. This was a rare op posrtunity going for an exam away from school. The Education Officer welcomed us and asked us to sit. Later his family members brought breakfast to all the students and the teacher. When we saw the breakfast we were so happy looking at each other. After breakfast they Education Officer took us go the exam center. There were students from other schools already sitting in the exam hall. That was first competitive exam. It was i think two hours exam mostly asking about the geography, general knowledge etc. After the exam was over our teacher took us for lunch and later dropped us back in our village.
After a month or so a message came to our school teacher that I was one of the few students selected for attending the same exam at District level. That time our district was Srikakulam. All in the school and family were happy that i got selected as it was prestige for the school too. I cant remember the date but after two weeks or so I had to go along with few other students from Salur. Srikakulam i think is about 3 to 4 hours from Salur. So School side one teacher was allowed to take students to Srikakulam. So I need to pay my own bus ticket etc. It was .. tough arranging money… 20 rupees at that time means 500 to 800 rupees now. So in the house all were worried as to where to arrange that money. Finally my father went to meet village President to borrow 20 rupees and i was very happy that i was going to attend the exam and that too going to our district headquarters.
Gave the exam. not sure it was good or not as most of them are tricky questions and objective types though in some places large questions were also there. If i remember correct one question was ‘why the water in clay pot is cool in summer season’.
Evening our teacher took us to a telugu movie released just few days ago – the name of the movie was Gandhi Puttina Desam (a Land where Gandhiji took birth). Just checked google – the movie was released on 3rd December 1973… We enjoyed the movie, later we came back to Salur and probably we stayed that night in Srikakulam and next morning back to Salur then to Panchali – my village.
After a month or so results came and I got selected for State level exam and after that i was to join a Residential school. My family didnt want me to go out and study and also the exam was somewhere in Hyderabad. Hence decided not to go further.