While most candidates in the local body polls had a tense day, looking at the polling percentages and calculating which we it would sway, Surya Heman had to deal with the twin pressures of polling and an all important examination.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the Cheruvakkal ward of the city Corporation was on Wednesday writing her online examination in MA Journalism from Amity University inside the counter set up by the party workers near one of the booths.
“It was one of my final year examinations on polling day. Since it was an open book examination, I could attend it from near the polling booth. The college has been very supportive all through my campaigning. They allowed extensions on assignment deadlines. But the examinations have to be taken on the scheduled day. I have an examination on the counting day too,” she says.
As part of the exam, she had to download the questions posted online, write her answers, scan and send it back.
Balancing campaigning commitments and studies has not been much of a challenge, she says, although her daily schedule over the past one month can appear daunting to most.
“The campaign work used to start early in the morning. I also used to distribute newspapers in a colony here. After finishing all the campaigning work, I would reach home by 11 p.m and study till 2 p.m. The next day, the routine would start at 6 a.m again,” she says.
A rank holder in BA journalism from the Mahatma Gandhi University, she has been freelancing with online publications for the past few years.
