Parents desire their children to be well settled. Some are lucky to see it happening straight. Others go through vicissitude before the lady luck strikes. I was deeply stressed when my son failed and am overjoyed now when he has succeeded.
SINCE LAST year, my son had been trying for admission to a post graduation course in dentistry (MDS), by appearing in various entrance examinations. This year he succeeded in the one conducted by Manipal University where he was placed at number two in the merit list. With much failure behind, the prospects of finding admission at Manipal brightened his face. However, it put me in a great difficulty.
I had to arrange a large sum of money to pay his fees. It was seven lakh rupees for the first year, six lakh for the second and another six lakh for the third. I gathered that to pay all these fees, my bank balance will exhaust; my provident fund will dry up, and my gratuity due at my retirement next year will also be used up. Nevertheless, I was ready to stake everything for the sake of my son’s career. In the meantime, my son cleared another entrance examination with sufficiently high rank. It was for admission to MDS seats in government dental colleges, which are much sought after by the MDS aspirants. As compared to fees payable at Manipal University, the fees payable to government dental colleges was a fraction. Manipal was dropped without a second thought. What a great relief it was for me.Earlier, I faced a crunch when paying fees for my son’s bachelor degree in dentistry (BDS). He was successful in the entrance examination conducted by Himachal Pradesh University but got a seat in an affiliated private dental college. The fees there were high, but somehow I managed to pay it. I had hoped that immediately after completing BDS my son would find a lucrative job. It was not to be so. I realized that there were hardly any jobs for BDS graduates. What I did not notice was that dental colleges had mushroomed all across the country, churning out a large number of graduates every year. There was no corresponding increase in jobs. Only five-percent dentists found employment in the government. The rest had to manage on their own by either starting a clinic or working in private clinics on paltry wages.My son had applied against a few junior resident posts advertised by government hospitals. The posts had a fixed tenure of one year only. I was surprised to see a large number of dental graduates vying for these posts. My son was not selected against any. I could not afford to set up a dental clinic for him. To me, his future appeared bleak.My son’s hopes were now pinned on his admission to MDS course, as there were better prospects for specialist dentists. However, seats in MDS course were limited and therefore, admission tough.My son joined a private coaching institute to prepare for his entrance examinations, but it did not help him much. He prepared hard at home, burning mid night oil, and the result was before us.The whole family, which appeared gloomy until yesterday, is rejoicing now.
