Day-Boarding for Ranvir

Ten-year-old Ranvir had been enjoying his holidays ever since his exams ended.

- Alka Jain

He spent his days playing games with friends and making the most of his free time.

But when the results came, Ranvir wasn’t happy. He had scored average marks in Maths and Science. Though he did well in other subjects, his father had given him a strict warning earlier: “If you don’t score well in Maths and Science, no more games for you—straight to tuitions.”

The very thought of tuitions sent a shiver down Ranvir’s spine. He wanted to avoid them at all costs, knowing they would take away his precious playtime with friends.

To his surprise, his father didn’t say anything about his marks, and Ranvir’s worries faded.

The new school session began, and luckily, he was in the same section as his friends Daksh, Pankaj and Binny. On April 1, as always, he successfully pranked his friends and parents with a fake spider, laughing all day at their reactions. After that, everything went back to normal, and Ranvir began studying with a little more focus on Maths and Science.

A few days passed. One evening, his father came home and said, “We didn’t discuss your results earlier because I was busy, but your Maths and Science marks were low. This can’t continue. I have to take strict action.”

Ranvir lowered his head, dreading what was coming. His mother stepped in, trying to handle the situation.

“Well, he didn’t fail in those subjects. He will do better this year,” she said, but his father wasn’t convinced.

That night, Ranvir overheard his parents discussing his future.

“We will have to send Ranvir to a day-boarding school. After school, he’ll attend tuition classes there and come home at night. No more games for him. He’ll only focus on his studies now,” his father was telling his mother.