I am sitting in the chair where I sat that evening. The evening my son Arjun came out of the Sainik School interview room with eyes and wet cheeks. He was really upset.
He did not say a word in the car. He just looked out the window. When we got home he went to his room. I heard him crying through the door. My wife looked at me. I did not know what to say.
That night I almost told him "It is okay Arjun. We will try year."
Thank God I did not say that. Because three months later his name was on the Sainik School selection list.
What Happened in the Interview Room
Let me go back a little.
My son Arjun had cleared the AISSEE written exam with a score. We were happy. We were relieved, actually. Arjun had worked hard for months. He had studied maths, general knowledge, English and reasoning. He had given it his all.
Then came the interview call.
Now here is the thing. We had prepared Arjun for the written exam well.. The interview we did not know much about it. We thought it would be casual like a school parent-teacher meeting. Maybe they would ask him his name, hobbies, a general knowledge questions.
We were wrong.
The Sainik School interview panel had three people. One was an officer. They asked Arjun about affairs. They asked him why he wanted to join Sainik School. They asked him what discipline means to him. One person asked him to describe a time when he failed at something.
Arjun froze. He told me later he forgot everything. His mind went blank. He mumbled an answers. He could not look the panel in the eye.
When he came out he thought it was over. He believed he had failed.. Honestly I thought so too.
The Long Painful Wait
After the interview there is an exam. Arjun passed that easily.. Then begins the worst part, the waiting.
No one tells you this. The gap between the interview and the final merit list is brutal. For us it was three months. Every day felt like a week.
Arjun stopped talking about Sainik School. He did not want to hear the word. He went back to his school and tried to act normal.. I could see it in his eyes. He was carrying that interview like a weight on his chest.
My wife and I decided not to bring it up. We did not want to give him hope. We did not want to make it worse
So we waited. Quietly.
The Morning Everything Changed
It was a Tuesday. I was getting ready for work. My phone buzzed. A message from another parent in our Sainik School coaching WhatsApp group.
"Merit list is out."
My hands started shaking. I opened the website. It took forever to load. I scrolled down. I searched for Arjuns roll number.
There it was. Arjuns name. On the list.
I ran to his room. He was getting ready for school. I could not speak properly. I just showed him the phone. He read it twice. Then he looked up at me. Said, "Papa, is this real?"
We hugged. My wife cried. Arjun cried again. This time for a completely different reason.
What I Learned From This Experience
I want to share a things with every parent going through this process right now.
The interview is not the end. That is the lesson. Arjun thought he ruined everything in that room. He did not. The written exam carries weight in the final merit. Arjuns strong AISSEE score saved him. The interview matters, yes.. It is one part of the whole picture. Do not let your child believe one bad moment defines the result.
Prepare for the interview separately. This is where we made a mistake. We focused much on the written exam that we forgot about interview preparation. Your child needs to practice speaking. They need interviews. They need someone to ask them questions. If your coaching center offers interview training take it seriously. Do not skip it like we did.
The wait is harder than the exam. Nobody prepares you for the silence after the interview. Those months are tough for the child and for the parents. Be patient. Do not keep asking your child "Did you check the result?" Just be there. Let them know you are proud no matter what happens.
Your child is stronger than you think. Arjun walked into that interview room as a 10-year-old. He walked out thinking he had failed.. His written score, his medical fitness and whatever he managed to say in that room it all added up. The panel saw something in Arjun that even he did not see in himself.
To Every Parent Waiting Right Now
If your child just gave the Sainik School interview and came home upset I understand. I have been where you are. That hollow feeling in your stomach. That urge to fix it but knowing you cannot.
Listen to me. Do not give up. Do not let your child give up.
The merit list has not come out yet. The story is not over. Sometimes the kids who walk out crying are the kids who get the call.
Arjun is, at Sainik School now. He made friends. He loves the routine. He tells me he wants to join the NDA after Class 12.
That boy who cried after the interview he is becoming an officer.
Yours can too.
