During MBA, while I do not recall the semester, but at some point we had a course on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). If I am not mistaken, there were two course on ERP: "Enterprise Resource Planning I" and "Enterprise Resource Planning II". I think they were divided across two semesters. I had zero clue why we had to study ERP. Twenty-three years later, I still don't.
I was not the only one clueless about the course. In fact, the majority of the batch was equally clueless, and that prompted a special arrangement for the exam. It was turned into an 'open book' exam. Each of us was supposed to sit in front of computers, search for the right answers in the ERP library, and write them down on the answer sheet.
That sounds simple and easy but, trust me, it was not. If I did not understand the questions, what chance did I have of finding the right answers?
A logistical issue came to my rescue.
Since there were more students than the number of computers in the IT Lab, we were divided into groups. I think each group was assigned a different examination slot. Yet, it would still have taken a lot of time because ours was a big batch. So, to optimize further, it was decided that students in each group would be divided into pairs, with each pair having access to one computer. That meant that I would not die alone on the battlefield!
I do not recall how the pairs were decided, but I got paired with Abhishek Mehta, one of the brightest students in our MBA batch. So, that meant I had the all-important responsibility of allowing Mehta to find the answers, confirm them with him, and then write them down on my answer sheet. But I was up for the challenge!
Next to us, my friends Vikas Khaitan and Pooja Wadhera were sitting. I had somehow done well in ERP I, and Khaitan had challenged me that he would outscore me in ERP II.
I was not nervous. I was confident....in Mehta's ability to find the answers.
However, during the exam, Mehta kept getting confused. He would find something, sound confident, and just before we wrote it down, he would start having second thoughts. This went on for a while. Long enough for me to lose all confidence and start shitting bricks.
This did not go unnoticed by my dear friends sitting at the next computer. While I was busy controlling my heart attack, Khaitan and Pooja were giggling like schoolgirls. Every now and then, they would intentionally shout, "Mil gaya!" to announce that they have found another answer. Khaitan kept telling me that I would flunk!
It was textbook sledging. The Australians would have been proud.
By the time they had filled 5-6 pages of the answer sheet, I had barely finished a single page! Apart from answers, their sheet was full of colorful diagrams and illustrations. In contrast, my sheet was mostly plain white.
With only 60 minutes left, I decided to twist and break the neck of my pride and beg to them to share the answers. They laughed and said no. I continued to beg.
With surgical precision, Khaitan waited until the moment when I had enough time to copy the answers but not enough time to copy the diagrams. And at that moment, he agreed to share the answers.
I was absolutely fine with that. I was no longer looking to pass with distinction. I just wanted to pass.
I am a slow writer, but I tried to copy everything within the given time. In the end, I was relieved that I had written enough to ensure that I would probably not fail.
Two people were ecstatic. Pooja and, especially, Khaitan were celebrating in the parking lot. He was dancing and teasing me, saying that they would score more than me because of the diagrams and illustrations. Khaitan celebrated as if he had just won the ERP II equivalent of the World Cup.
I smiled and let it go. I was thankful.
Few days later, the results were out.
Khaitan and Pooja, who had identical answer sheets, scored around 60 out of 100. They were happy. But happiness is a relative term.
They checked my score. I had got more than 80!
It was our Raju, Farhan and Rancho exam-results moment from 3 Idiots!
Khaitan was shocked. Pooja was surprised but was okay. I was surprised too...but pleasantly.
It was, however, my duty, like a good friend, to tease them. I told them that maybe they had not understood the diagrams and had put the wrong ones in their answer sheets. Or maybe the examiner was offended by their gaudy artwork. Or maybe the examiner had gone by the overall impression of the students.
Khaitan blamed it on my good handwriting.
To this day, I have no idea why I scored more than them. Maybe it was indeed my handwriting. Maybe the examiner appreciated minimalist answer sheets. Whatever the reason, it brought a smile then and still brings one now. 🙂
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