NEET, the all-India medical entrance exam, has failed altogether. Mismanagement, paper leaks, unexplained grace marks, surprising cut-off increase, unusual number of perfect scores and many other flaws mar it. India has never witnessed a blunder of this extent in a competitive exam that decides the future of thousands of aspiring youth. The scarred system has now failed them all. Although irregularities and confusion have plagued NEET since its inception, the system has collapsed entirely this year, shattering the dreams of sincere, hard-working students who put everything at stake to clear this test. The poor and underprivileged are worst off as they struggle to study by themselves and score since they have no money and means to afford coaching classes.

Even as students were reeling from the news about the NEET, the NET-JRF exam, which had already been conducted, was declared cancelled, and the CSIR-NET was postponed in light of this. This was the year that PhD admissions were to be conducted through the JRF exam, thus leaving thousands of students uncertain about the possible loss of an academic year. While NEET-UG is gripped in this absolute uncertainty, NEET-PG was postponed just 11 hours before the commencement of the exam. This is being delayed for the third time this year. Thousands of students who had already travelled to faraway cities to appear for the test are left with lost hope and spirit to study again. The Prime Minister of India, often seen doing ‘pariksha pe charcha’ (discussion on exams), has failed to utter a word about this examination chaos. The student community now expects the government to intervene and ensure justice for all, but there has been no concrete action. There is now widespread doubt over the integrity of such exams.

The results of the Indian elections brought about a ray of hope as the people of India seemed to be on the path of rejecting the politics of hatred, reaffirming their faith in democracy and showing that there is potential for political change even while under the rule of a fascist government. The Prime Minister’s attempts to gain an anti-Muslim mandate from the voters did not materialise, while the smart voters chose to reject the ruling party’s polarising rhetoric. The expectations remain on the Opposition to actively take up questions of social justice, minorities, the poor, the working class and the marginalised, as lynchings of Muslim men and demolition politics have continued unabated in the past few weeks.

The new year of the Hijri calendar is about to bloom, unfolding hopes for new beginnings and aspirations. It comes with the reminder of the migration of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah with utmost faith in getting new opportunities and a favourable environment to spread the message of peace and justice to the world. The July issue of Aura presents a detailed account of this miraculous journey with glimpses of the spirit of sacrifice, courage and steadfastness shown by the people, with a special emphasis on the role of women in this courageous voyage. There is a beautiful lineup of various other topics of importance for our intrigued readers in this issue. As always, Aura anticipates its readers’ comments and feedback so they can learn and rise higher in pursuing excellence.

Aura wishes all its readers a happy and prosperous Hijri New Year.