A year of keeping in Pace with PACE

God certainly must have been drinking cold coffee [for no particular reason] when he said “Jaa Rajat beta, PACE join kar.” And the obedient follower that I was, I obliged. It has been exactly one year since that day [God certainly must have finished his cold coffee by now] and I thank God for firstly creating cold coffee [if it isn’t man-made] and secondly for drinking it.
[Note: If anyone hasn’t heard of an institute named IIT, then please leave this text right here.]


PACE [an acronym for Professional Academy for Competitive Exams, a recent discovery of mine], the very name conjures up an image of a class teeming with students who have a firm belief in themselves, a belief that they can crack the JEE, a belief that they can get through the prestigious gates of the Indian Institute of Technology, a belief that they can become part of brand IIT. I believe that the name PACE has played a pivotal role in its journey of becoming the most reputed coaching institute in Mumbai and soon, in various other parts of India.


And does it live up to its name? This is the question that will be answered in the remainder of this text. Someone very wisely said, “First impressions are often the last impressions.” And I must confess that the first impression one will have of PACE is not exactly impressive. The classrooms are cramped most of the time, except when the supposedly sincere students bunk lectures. But PACE has me convinced by now that it is the cramped classrooms which evoke feelings of umm… team spirit and helpfulness. When one has to sit four, on a bench meant for three with one ass hanging out precariously, one can’t help but feel a certain affinity for the other three on the bench and the class in general who are risking their ass [quite literally] in the pursuit of knowledge.


Young and impressionable minds are emotionally and mentally bombarded with PJ’s [Pathetic/Poor jokes, for the highly reclusive] here, which often results in normally quiet guys bursting out in maniacal laughter leading to the development of something resembling a laughter club.


There comes a time in every student’s life when he/she has two paths to choose, the path of PJ’s and the path of non-PJ’s and I am proud to say that I took the path less trodden, the path of PJ’s. PACE, or more accurately the teachers of PACE have played an integral role [and not differential] in the development of the art of PJ’s often encouraging them to the point of straying away from the topic in question [just like I am doing right now]. I don’t know how Alok Sir, Praveen Sir manage to be legendary exponents of the PJ cult while simultaneously being arguably the best physics teachers in Mumbai. While many are opposed to it, I believe that PJ’s create a healthy atmosphere in the class encouraging creative thinking and discouraging involuntary drooping of eyes [also referred to as dozing]. After a year here, I can say that PACE has proved to all its detractors that first impressions are not the last impressions, that there is more to a book than just its cover.


Regardless of whether or not we get into IIT, all of us will be eternally indebted to PACE, our guru, for providing a wonderful experience which most of us will be unlikely to forget till the end of our lives. PACE has certainly lived up to its name.

P.S: I like cold coffee.