Murphy and me

All of us know about Murphy’s Law: “If anything can possibly go wrong, it will.”

Well, in my case, this law tends to assert itself to telling effect a little too often. So, I know, when anything goes wrong, it is this ethereal force at work rather than my inadequacy. The following episode is a case in point.

I was to write the first year board examination in math that day. My day started typically: getting up very early and going through some leftover topics from the previous night. I scoured a few pages and quickly realized, I forgot most of what I had read on the previous day. (Predictably, for the first time.) Not exactly what I would call a great start to the day. I glanced at the clock. 5:00 a.m. I had about 3 hours to revise before I would start to college. I decided to leave 2 units for good. I knew I was taking a chance: I did not know Murphy’s law then. Come 8’o clock and I still had more than 1 unit to cover. The story dovetails with most of yours’ to this point.

Then the telephone rang, cutting into the tense atmosphere shrilly. It was my friend Kasturba*.( names changed to protect privacy). He was going to pick me up from my house at 8:30. I raced through the rest of the unit I was doing.

8:20. I still had 1 whole unit to finish. I decided to wait for my friend at the end of our lane and walked there. I flipped the pages of the unfinished unit as I waited.

8:30 – I nearly finished a fourth of the chapter. I watched eagerly as each Ambassador turned, only to return to my book again.

8:42 – I was getting edgy, trying to comprehend reasons for his not turning up. I was doing “Taylor’s theorem” then.

8:45 – To hell with Taylor’s theorem, I went and rang his home. “Hello, has Kasturba started ? He is supposed to pick me up.” And the reply - “ He just left after waiting for you here. I think you should make it on your own now.” Each of those words struck me like a dead man hearing the last nails being driven into his coffin.(Wonder what it’s like.)

Now, the journey from my home to College took an hour at the very least. So, I rushed back home. Meanwhile, my parents were originally scheduled to attend a wedding at 9.00. As luck would have it, they were already halfway to the venue. I ran to the telephone booth again and for the life of me, couldn’t remember my father’s mobile no.!!! Mercifully, after 2-3 attempts, I got it right. Shaking with nervous perspiration, I stammered some apology and managed to convey my predicament. My parents were back to pick me up in about 15 min.

We started toward the college. 9.10-- A scene straight from a thriller movie climax. My heart raced at double its normal speed and I could actually hear it beat. The left out part of Taylor’s theorem gnawed at my mind, but I couldn’t concentrate in the tension. So I decided to chuck it, hoping it wouldn’t be asked.

My father was coming to the College for the first time and between this indecision over Taylor’s theorem, I directed him to a wrong turn!!! After going some way, I realized that the shops on the kerb were unfamiliar and staring stupidly, I confessed that I had misled us and we had to retrace our path. My father gritted his teeth in seething ire, but thankfully, he refrained from saying anything. Perhaps he resigned to the fact that his son was a dumb oaf. ( I learned later that this wasn’t the case. I was to face a tirade of the choicest derogatory words on my return.)

9.45. The prospect of missing my exam and the unthinkable consequence of failing in the very first year of Engineering loomed threateningly before me. Only a miracle could now save me. I now fervently prayed to Lord Maruthi to bestow on our Maruthi his speed so that we could reach in time. By the by, the exam was to start at 10.15.

10.20—We were in college. I rushed to my room and mumbled apologetically to the invigilator. But to my horror, he turned out to be the strictest stickler to rules in our college and refused to permit me in. All my efforts at convincing him seemingly went in vain. I even tried crying, but the tears just wouldn’t come. It simply wasn’t my day. Desperate, I rushed back to the car and brought my mother to plead, hoping that the female angle would work. This was to be my wisest decision on that day. She successfully got me in, and left.

10.30—Inside the exam hall, I tried not to take notice of the stares from my classmates. But, I sheepishly grinned at everyone, earning another warning from the invigilator.

Then I read the question paper.

Question 1 for 16 marks: State and explain Taylor’s theorem…