From grandma's almonds to Kerala's Shirodhara—anything karega for exams

AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: Between a tight schedule of cramming biology chapters and cracking arithmetic equations, Shishir Bhatt, a class XII student preparing for his board exams next month, takes time off for meditation and self-hypnotism to beat exam jitters.
Rushabh Shah of Ahmedabad, who will take the exam in the commerce stream, resorts to Shirodhara— the ancient Kerala technique of getting under a leaking pot of oil for half-an-hour to relax and calm his frayed nerves!
Nishant Maniar of Katargaam in Surat has deserted his parents to live with a couple who ensure that he and three others appearing for the class X exam follow a strict study regime and do not indulge in any other activities.
In Rajkot, Ritu Dhamecha of class XII practises meditation for half-an-hour and admits that it has helped inprove her concentration power.
The countdown to the SSC and HSC board exams has begun and students and their parents are trying everything under the sun to beat the exam blues and eliminate stress.
"I have given positive visualisation sessions to a half-a-dozen board students so far and helped them overcome their performance apprehensions and boost their confidence. Eight out of ten students appearing for board exams are stressed and nervous where parents are to blame", says Ahmedabad-based engineerturned-alternative healing therapist Khanjam Antani, who is busy providing relief to stressedout examinees.
Faced with a cut-throat competition where each mark matters, students and parents are also turning to homoeopathy and ayurveda to help students burn the midnight oil more effectively.
Ayurveda specialists say that brain tonics and memory enhancing Brahmi-based concoctions like Shankhpushpi and Jatamansi are selling like hot cakes this season.
"Many parents approach us two or three months before exams for these tonics known to improve concentration. Students prefer stress relievers like Ashwagandha to help them cope with long hours of studying," says ayurveda specialist Prerak Shah.
Boosted by this demand, stores have started selling a concoction called ‘exam pills''. "Parents and students buy these pills, a combination of two or three homoeopathy drugs", says Ahmedabadbased homoeopath Sandeep Mewada.
Hospitals in Vadodara are structuring customised stress-reversal programmes for board examinees. The Baroda Heart Institute and Research Centre (BHIRC) enrolled almost 300 students for a pep-up talk in the past one-and-a-half months. The hospital conducted three sessions for students belonging to leading schools of the city.
"We have under our reversal of depression programme customised plans for individual children with frequent bouts of exam depression which includes a combination of preksha meditation, dynamic meditation techniques and yogasanas. Besides, there are stress relaxation techniques and specific nutritional counselling for these children," says Padmavati, a member of the behavioural medicine department.
Vadodara-based psychologist Gautam Amin says, "I get at least five cases daily wherein parents want to increase mental abilities of their children overnight." This is in addition to good old grandma''s memory pills like almonds and Chavanprash.
Sandip Sharma of Krishna High School at Puna Gaon (Surat) arms himself with yogic techniques to combat the board exams. In Rajkot, Ranji Thomas, a class X student, has started taking tonics to enhance his memory. Psychiatrist Chetan Hansaliya of Rajkot says: "Not only students but also parents seek counselling."
(With inputs from Rajkot & Surat bureaux)