THE FAKE LIFE

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players. Though there is a higher and wider significance to life, of what value is our education if we never discover it? We may be highly educated, but if we are without deep integration of thought and feeling, our lives are incomplete, contradictory and torn with many fears; and as long as education does not cultivate an integrated outlook on life, it has very little significance.

I was alone in the centre of the table, hanging on to my mobile phone, a headphone in my head. A paper and pencil beneath me. A message in Whatsapp came from my Class tutor saying: "Students. Question paper would be uploaded within 15 minutes by 10:15 AM. Everyone get ready for the exam kindly."

As usual our class representative Shyam Keshavan said: "Ok sir." With a thumbs up expression of likes. While our Cost Accoumting madam said, "Ok friends. All the best. Do well."

10:15 AM:

Sharply at 10:15 AM, question paper was uploaded in Google Classroom and I took my papers to write the exam. After reading the question paper for 10 minutes, I logged into Google meet, where I was instructed to switch on the camera and we did as per the instructions.

After the attendance, we were asked to write the exam. Just as I finished the objectives, I saw a message from my friend: "Hey. Send me the objectives da."

I as usual replied: "Wait for a minute da. I will send you."

While, I finished off my 3 marks questions and continued to our official Whatsapp group, where I asked my friend: "Buddy. Kindly send me the answer for 11(a) da." I waited for 15 to 25 minutes. Yet the answer didn't come. So, I looked into my whatsapp, where I have realized that: "Instead of asking answers in the group, I rather asked my Class tutor to send the answers for my questions."

Finally, I managed to get the answers from my Whatsapp group and finished off my answers for the exams. The first online exam was successfully finished. Then, in the group, I saw my friend saying, "Friends. We have to write all these semester exams online. We are Corona Batch."

"Shut up and go offline, you idiot!" One of my friend said to him.

Even after finishing the exams, one of my friend have asked in the group for answers to which a guy asked him, "From where are you all coming da?" The question was sent as a sticker, tagging actor Surya.

For a joke, I said him: "1st floor, 108, C Block, Near Sowbhagiya Nagar, SITRA, Coimbatore-641014, Tamilnadu, India." I panickly went for some work as my father raised his voice for some help. A while later, tagging the image of Vadivelu one of my friend said: "You, Shameless fellow."

The next day, as usual we fulfilled the formalities of online exam by showing ID proof and Aadhar card. While writing, our invigilator suddenly raised her voice. She said, "Hey. Who are you? Show, what's beneath your sides?"

"Mam. Nothing mam. It's a blank paper mam." He tried to hide the paper somewhere. However, the teacher threatened to send him out of the meeting. As he begged by saying his innocence, the teacher said: "You are cheating yourselves by copying guys. Don't think that we are not watching you."

I was shell-shocked for a while. Since, I didn't prepare anything for my exams. I was moving here and there when writing my answers. It's not so easier for me to complete this exams.

It is here, I recalled a funny day in my school. After half-yearly examination and it's leaves, I and my friends came to school and during the distribution of Economics paper, our teacher read the answer paper of my friend Haswin saying, "What are the essentials and needs of economy? He have written like this see. The essential and needs of economy are water, air, fire and crackers. These play a vital role in the development of our economy. Besides these, things like plants, machineries, foods and industries also form a key part in the development." Hearing this, everyone laughed uncontrollably.

While our sir slapped him and said, "You doesn't even know the basic things of Economics. How will manage your college life da? You are grown only in height and weight. But, zero in intelligence and sense." The answer sheet was thrown in his face.

"Hey. It's so good scene da Sakthi. Let's take this as Scene 1 for our short film" said my director Tharani Dharan brother. All these while, I had been explaining about a scene to him in the Google meet.

Tharani brother then turned to Nithish and asked him, "Nithish. Do you have anything to say?"

"Yes brother. I like to say a comical event for our scene."

He says like this:

The guy proposes his love to the girl, creatively.

4 years from now, would you share a home with me?

5 years from now, would you cook me chicken at 3 AM when I have those late night cravings?

6 years from now, would you pick me up from office late at night when my car breaks down?

7 years from now, would you join me on a family vacation with both our parents?

8 years from now, would you let me fertilize your eggs? ;)

9 years from now, would you let me decide the color scheme of our child’s room?

10 years from now, would you please take care of the kid at night even when it's my turn, but I am too tired?

11 years from now, would you let me help our kid with potty training? You can trust me; I'll be really good at it.

She (Smiling with a hint of tears in her eyes)

He: I know it's difficult. Quite difficult. But,

60 Years from now, would you still kiss me as you do now?

She: Yes, Yes, and a thousand times, Yes.

**Flashback Out**

She (Smiling with a hint of tears in her eyes)

She looked behind and saw that he was on his knees.

He: I do not want you as my girlfriend anymore because I want you to be my better-half. Will you marry me?

She: No, I don’t.

He: But why?

She: You didn’t even kneel properly.

He: It’s my Armani trouser, mind you.

She: Still no! Where is the ring?

He: I was supposed to order today, but next week is Diwali, right? We will be getting 40% discount.

This time she had a smile along with her tears.

She: Okay, now get up.

She held his hand. They started walking in rain on the boulevard they used to walk.

She: Can you tell me how much you love me?

He: 99.56 %

She: Oh and what about that 0.44 %, is it for all those girls in your office that hit on you?

He: No.

She: Then.

He: That 0.44% is for the Quora.

"This is my scene brother." Hearing this, Tharani brother became angered and said, "You retch. I asked about online exams da."

"Sorry brother. I forgot." He now said these scenes to him: A discussion goes between the frienda in thw exam hall like this.

"Dei. Invigilator have started to come da."

"Dei. Who is this mam da?"

"It could be better, if she comes as our invigilator da."

Friend 2 : Dei. HOD Mam is coming da. If she comes, our chapter is close da.

Friend 3: God please god. What's wrong with you? You have made me to sit in the second bench. It could be better if the invigilator is lenient with us.

Friend 1 : Dei. I didn't even study anything da. It's okay. I will show you.

Girl 1 : Friend 1. Have you studied?

Friend 1 : Yeah. I have studied.

Girl 1: Will you show me?

Friend 1 : Hmm.

Hod enters room

All the students: Our chapter is close da.

Friend 3: Oh God! You have let me down till now. Atleast showcase the question paper easy. I will give you a hundreds of coconut as a gift, in return.

Now, Nithish explains the scenario of Online class:

Waiting for invigilator

Friend 2: Mother. One ghee roast please.

Friend 1 and girl 1 sighting moment going.

Friend 3: For writing the exam, paper and pen is ready. Even the ID card is kept ready in order to showcase it to the Invigilator. Hmm. Pencil alone is missing. Oh my god! Drawing related questions should not come.

Girl 2: Without any makeup, I look gorgeous, sexy and beautiful. However, none are looking at me and all are sighting that girl alone. Something is there with her, I think.

Impressed with this, Tharani Dharan said: "Ok guys. I am impressed with this. Let's cut that girl 2 scene alone. Since, it looks artificial. Not natural."

Nithish said, "Ok brother. Let's cut that. And what title can we keep for these comedies?"

"The Fake Life" said Tharani Dharan and he said, "We can alter your's and Sakthi's comedy scenes as 30 minutes video and will let you inform the rest tomorrow."

We left the meet. Closing my eyes and keeping my hands on right eyes I questioned god, "Why this fake life, my god?" That's because, my scenes were trimmed.

Not only it was trimmed, but also that they were altered due to some creative differences involved.

At this time, I realized the words of William Shakespeare from his poem: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players."