The Life Game

"So, what's your plan, Oxford or Havard?"

"I think it's Harvard and not Havard"

"Whatever! It's like you knew about it before today's class!"

The daydreaming, ignorant younger version of herself wanted to go there ever since she was seven. And after a very inspiring first day with her new class teacher, she opened the laptop her parents were forced to buy her after the pandemic hit. It was the first and only PC in her home. She searched for the best universities in the world and how to get into them. A university called Harvard topped most of the ranking lists. Maryam wondered why she had not heard of it before. She put an end to the fantasy when she realised she didn't have the money or resources to even apply to most of these institutions. And now the case has been reconsidered after the career guidance session organised by Mr Das. He previously taught in an international school in Qatar where it was only ordinary for graduates to study abroad. Mr Das, like everyone else's, was Maryam's favourite teacher. Apart from the very insightful conversations in class, he was one of the two teachers who were not misogynistic and the only teacher who did not bring a cane to the class.

"Not to discourage you or anything but they are extremely difficult places to get into.''

"You know what I think, I just have to graduate high school and these schools will be waiting in line for me."

Nada was the most intelligent teenager she had ever met. But she had a very self-destructive sense of humour that Maryam hated. It was after their camaraderie Maryam started to love physics and maths the way she loved English and political science, so much that she was determined to learn the subjects for the rest of her life.

The rusty blue 'Anugraha' halted at Cheruvayal junction.

Anugraha - blessing

Where the commuters make you stand even if there's an empty seat because you pay one rupee for you have a student's pass and they pay twenty.

Cheruvayal - small meadow

A village filled with paddy fields where police took action against a farmer 'for converting agricultural land to residential land' when he build a bund and were guests in Shuhaib Sahib's housewarming in his bungalow constructed over an acre of grainfield.

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, where amongst Maryam's google searches that day. She needed a lot of money. Fast. Later that day, an ad to take a psychology survey for five dollars popped on her Instagram feed. To her surprise, it wasn't spamming and a notification from the bank appeared on the top of her phone screen saying ₹375 was credited to her account. The survey was long and started to bore her but distracted her from her problems. She didn't put much thought into the answers after the sixty-third question.

The next day Maryam was called into the headmaster's office. Mr Das revealed the big news that she was amongst the ten students in the country selected for ISRO's Junior Scientist Program. She had forgotten about taking the test a few months back. She and Nada officially declared it as the best test in the history of tests.

"You will have to stay in Bengaluru for some days." The smile on Maryam's face faded with those words.

"Sorry, sir! I won't be able to attend."