A Grade 12 student in Bihar, India fainted at his board examinations — an A-level equivalent — and not because of the questions.
Manish Shankar Prasad, 17, from Allama Iqbal College, was at the Brilliant Convention School in Sundergarh to take his Mathematics exam.
However, once he realised that he was the only boy in a room full of 500 girls, Shankar blacked out, according to Asia News International (ANI), and multiple news outlets that covered the incident.
Shankar also developed a fever and was rushed to Sadar hospital, it was reported.
His condition was stable.
The incident reportedly occurred in early February.
In an interview with ANI, Shankar’s aunt explained that her nephew fainted out of “nervousness” after seeing that the room was full of girls.
The video of the interview has gone viral on Twitter, probably because of the awkward moment where it pans from the aunt’s cheery manner to the boy’s lifeless face drained of blood.
In other videos, the boy is seen being questioned about the incident, but he does not get a single word out even when asked multiple times.
He appeared to have been recovering from the trauma.
#BREAKING : A student fainted when he saw 500 girls in examination hall in Nalanda, Bihar.
प्रतीत होता है ज्यादा ही Pघल गया लड़का !#Bihar pic.twitter.com/vTbQDUGWk7
— 𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐮𝐥 🇮🇳 (@Rahulk123d) February 2, 2023
Reactions
Some commenters on the original video expressed sympathy for the “poor boy” who was clearly “still in shock” and wished him a speedy recovery.
Others had a different take on the situation, and a few were clearly jealous of what Shankar got to experience.
The second comment, in Hindi, means “too much happiness is dangerous”, when loosely translated into English.
Yet another commenter offered an explanation for why Shankar was so affected by the experience.
In India, gender segregation can be seen in some co-ed institutions where boys and girls, either willingly or compulsorily, sit separately in the classrooms.
Parents may also choose to send their children to all girls’ or all boys’ schools and colleges.
Top image via @Rahulk123d on Twitter / Unsplash
