There are newsmakers and there are newsmakers. But who would have imagined that the humble, cockroach would have grabbed headlines of our national and city newspapers over the past few weeks!

The student protests in Delhi supported and fuelled by the Cockroach Janata Party dominated the Indian Press in both prnt and television and more insidiously in Social Media powered by Gen Z, masters of the internet and AI. Eventually, their dogeddness proved no match for the stodgy establishment who had to give in to their demands.

The CJP itself was a spontaneous reaction to cock a snook at the archaic system that ran the country, provoked by a casual remark by our Chief Justice that likened unemployed, indolent youth to cockroaches.

And taking advantage of the growing frustration and resentment of the students grappling with paper leaks in the NEET, the CJP stepped in to support and fuel an uprising demanding a foolproof test that could withstand leaks. Slowly, a rumble turned into a full fledged rebellion ending only with the resignation of our Education Minister.

Undoubtedly, our education system needs a major overhaul but it was only this nationwide protest that managed to shake it all up.

But can there ever be a truly watertight, fair system? The NEET itself was designed to offer a level, playing field at a national level enabling students from the entire country to apply to medical colleges in any state.

This led to hundreds of crammer classes mushrooming up and a multi million rupee industry in parallel education. Several families spent a large amount of money sending their children to such institutes in the hope of their children clearing NEET.

However, what really needs to be addressed is accepting that it is ok to fail that becoming a doctor is not the ultimate prize. Year after year, students sit for this examination to repeatedly fail!

Even if the NEET were fair and faultlessly conducted, there will still be many who won’t qualify. Simply because of the disproportionate number of aspirants and seats available. Besides, not everyone has the aptitude to become a healthcare professional.

Scoring a perfect 10 doesn’t automatically make you a good doctor.

WAITER THERE’S A COCKROACH IN MY SOUP! ( well, not exactly)

Just when we thought that we were done with cockroaches, the insect turned up again. This time, it was found in the commercial kitchens of several high profile establishments in Mumbai thereby causing the newly appointed FDA commissioner to shut them down.

Naturally, this created quite a stir because suddenly many people were stranded with their food supply cut off. Many senior citizens found eating at Clubs more convenient than making food at home.

SALUT!

Thus it was that the humble cockroach Americana Periplaneta, the insect that is supposedly unchanged by evolution, made extraordinary news in the last month!

Ciao