NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 28: Friends and relatives have been externed, parties are a no-no, television is off-limits and stress levels are at an all-time high. For seven lakh teenagers and their families, lives have changed. The drastic, albeit temporary, change has been dictated by board exams, barely a week away.For Sumit Kapoor and his family, who is taking his 12th class boards in March, the day begins at 3 am. While the rest of the world is still sleeping, his grandmother comes and wakes him up and then begins a gruelling schedule. ``I study till 6.30 after which I take a small nap for half-an-hour. From 7 am to 10.30, I study some more and then take my bath and breakfast. The next break comes at around 2 pm for lunch and then I study till 6.30 in the evening. Another half-an-hour break is followed by a round of discussing the syllabus with my father. By 11 in the night I am tired and that is when I go off to sleep,'' says Sumit.Ruchika Seth, another student who is taking her 10th boards, also admits to being petrified. ``I am doing my best, putting in anything between 10-14 hours everyday. But since this is my first brush with the boards, I am scared. And since I am the eldest, everyone in the family is worried,'' she points out.Not all parents, however, are biting their nails, though they admit that lives have changed. Amita Ghosh has two daughters and both of them are taking their boards. ``My daughters are very responsible, which is nothing special. I think most youngsters these days know about the competition out there and work accordingly. But as parents, we are making sure that we are there for them. I have been turning down all invitations and are not really interacting with our friends. This month will be devoted to them, I guess,''she said.Prateek Khanna, however, is more upset with the fact that he does not have time to watch cricket. ``There is so much hype about the boards that if you are not studying that hard, everyone feels that there is something wrong with you. I have already studied everything and now I don't really feel like going through it again. I am aiming for around 85 per cent and I am sure that I will secure that much. And of course, the good part of having finished with the exams by April is that I shall get to watch the World Cup in peace,'' he grins.
