I was the nosy journalist kid of the university. The upkeep of the college blog was my job. Just as I was about to upload this sizzling news, the lights went off and I lost my wifi connectivity. "There was supposed to be a power backup", I thought to myself.
I gathered my belongings and stepped outside the library. I saw students and teachers coming out of their respective classrooms too. All looked perplexed.
This was the first time that everyone at this esteemed educational institute was experiencing an entire fifteen minutes power outage. But in my country, India, power cuts were never so worry-some.
I chuckled at this silly internal joke I made at my own expense only to turn around and see my friend Kunal running towards me like a crazy person.
"We are doomed Rudra! Miss Grey just scheduled this history paper for tomorrow." Kunal informed, gasping for air.
Honestly, I wasn't too shaken with this news for history was my strong suit. But I knew my classmates would have been devastated. This would also mean that they'd all be looking for me, trying to rope me in to share my study notes. I consoled Kunal and we started walking towards our hostel. Due to the power cut, all further classes were cancelled for the day.
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Kunal and I were roommates. We had a very strict demeanour towards studies. We instantly sat down with our books after lunch and completed more than half the syllabus by evening. He was somewhat struggling with the final chapters while I was through with all my notes.
I took a break and got up to get water. To my surprise, I found the hostel entirely empty. All our friends were out on the football field, having the time of their life. It seemed like they had forgotten all about the exam, or the long power cut, or the fact that it was a hot summer afternoon in Texas!
I envied them for having so much fun while I had to sit indoors and study.
Around 5 pm, Kunal jumped from his study table saying, "Rudra it's been 4 hours with no electricity and we have been studying ever since!"
I unlocked my phone to see that it had actually been 4 hours. To my horror, my phone was also about to die. We had no alternative power source either.
"Kunal do you think our friends are aware of the possibility that there can be no electricity for the entire night? This would mean no laptops, no mobile phone, or internet connectivity."
I left Kunal befuddled with this thought.
It was 8 pm, my roommate and I lit a bunch of candles and lightsabers which we purchased off Amazon. This was the time when our friends finally began to panic.
I could hear them knock-off things in the dark while trying to find charging slots for their phones. Some of the studious ones joined us to study. But by this time there was widespread confusion.
They figured that waiting for electricity was futile. So they gathered an emergency meeting in the common hall. The major concern of this meeting was to find a way out of giving the exam. But nobody was courageous enough to contact Miss Grey. Kunal and I quietly stood in the background when suddenly I blurted out a suggestion.
"Wouldn't it be wise to make the most of the time we have in hand, and not find ways to get out of giving the exam?"
Everyone in the hall turned to look at the nerdy boy who loved history. I was not ready to back down. "We can sit together and study is what I meant", I said, trying to expound on my initial statement.
"How can we possibly study without the internet Rudra?" asked Trixie.
I went to my room and brought my notebook.
"Here. We have these exhaustive notes. Kunal and I can help dictate these to you. We have been studying the entire day today. You can ask all your queries."
They seemed convinced by my proposal.
They all brought their mattresses to the common hall and settled down. Kunal and I began with the lecture. We explained all that we could.
Roughly around 2:00 p.m. we were done with our syllabus.
Everyone actually seemed confident with whatever they had studied.
The next morning we all went to the exam hall, beaming with pride and accomplishment. The questions were a piece of cake. Everything we had gone through last night in the group study session proved helpful.
The moment I stepped out of the exam hall everyone was waiting to thank me and Kunal for our efforts.
Some of our friends were extremely happy with the group learning session. They suggested holding a similar session every week. The idea was inspiring.
From that day onwards our friends began to join us every Thursday for group study discussions. We could track a steep rise in grades. Moreover, this group study idea brought some regularity to our haphazard student life.
Forming such groups with like-minded people who are equally inspired and enthusiastic as you can prove to be a great advantage. Being with people and growing together is seemingly more uplifting than learning in isolation. The same idea of community building and knowledge sharing have been incorporated in the unique online skill-sharing platform - Kool Stories. It's the best online community to learn and grow within a supportive and encouraging skill-sharing and upskilling community. Download Kool Stories now to enhance and amplify your skills.
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