4 min readPuneJul 17, 2022 04:37 PM IST
First published on: Jul 16, 2022 at 10:11 AM IST
Standing out amidst a queue of 20-yr-olds who had come to write the Common Entrance University Test (CUET) at GH Raisoni College of Engineering, Wagholi on Friday, Keshav Khatri, a senior employee of Zensar Technologies shifted from one foot to another as he tried to blend in.
While most would have mistaken him for another parent who had come to drop their kids to the exam centre, Khatri whose daughter Ishika will be appearing for CUET too, wasn’t there as a parent — he was a candidate too.
Waiting to be frisked before entering the examination hall, he narrated the sequence of events which led him to an exam hall, 25 years after he completed his engineering from Kanpur University in 1997.
“I am giving this exam as moral support to my daughter who has enrolled for CUET, I told her I will become a part of her journey, all the way. Also as parents we tend to keep yelling at our children to study but we don’t understand their pain. They give so many exams these days, multiple entrances. I wanted to experience this struggle with her and for her,” he said.
The doting father recalled the exact incident which led him to ask his daughter to fill his exam form along with hers.
“One day I was passing by her room and I saw her chatting on her mobile. She was probably taking a break during her study hour. As parents usually do, I scolded her and accused her of not being serious about preparations. She got irritated and said, why dont you prepare with me and see how it goes? That’s when I told her to fill my form too and later I didn’t want to back out. Since there is no age limit here, we actually filled the form,” he said.
A UPSC aspirant who has her eyes set on a few colleges under the Delhi University, Ishika, said her father’s support and involvement throughout the whole process helped her gain more confidence.
“I myself found it surprising when he said he too wanted to give the exam. It was obviously new for both of us but we tried to prepare together for it as much as his schedule allowed beyond his office hours. It was fun studying with him and saying the same things he used to tell me while I used to study,” she said.
Though Ishika enrolled for online coaching for CUET, Keshav relied on NCERT textbooks for his preparation and admits most of it was last minute cramming due to his office schedule.
“Since my exam was scheduled before hers, I can share my experience with her. It was good learning for me too. In fact if I clear tests and office permits, I will want to pursue the same course as her too,” said Khatri.
CUET UG 2022: "I am giving this exam as moral support to my daughter who has enrolled for CUET," Keshav Khatri said. (Photo credits: Arul Horizon) 
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