Bagalkot: In a quiet neighbourhood of Bagalkot, a family's unconventional response to academic failure has struck a chord across India — not for its defiance of social norms, but for the compassion at its core.
Sixteen-year-old Abhishek Cholachagudda had just learned that he had failed his Class 10 SSLC board exams, scoring 200 out of 625, a result that would usually bring with it a storm of disappointment, reprimands, or worse. But instead of scolding him or sinking into despair, his family chose to do something special: they baked a cake and threw him a party.
The words "32%" were boldly iced across the cake — not to mock, but to mark the moment with love and dignity. "We are not celebrating the failure, but the effort and the journey," said his father, Yallappa Cholachagudda, a local photographer, speaking to reporters with unwavering calm. "If we don’t stand by him now, what’s the point of being parents?"
A video of the celebration, which shows Abhishek cutting the cake with a shy smile as his family claps and cheers, has gone viral, sparking a wave of online praise and introspection. The image of a child failing on paper but rising in confidence — surrounded by warmth and laughter — has been hailed as an antidote to the anxiety-inducing pressures of India's exam culture.
"This is the parenting India needs," commented one user on X. Another wrote, "If only every child had a family like this, we wouldn’t lose them to academic pressure."
Abhishek, meanwhile, has taken the message to heart. "I will study harder and pass next time," he told the media. "My parents believe in me — that’s all I need."
Mental health experts have also joined the chorus of approval. "This is a quiet revolution," said Dr Kavitha Ramesh, a child psychologist based in Bengaluru. "By celebrating the child and not the result, the family has restored self-worth where it was most at risk."
In a country where board exam results can determine not just academic pathways but self-esteem and social standing, Abhishek’s story offers an alternative script — one where failure is not feared, but faced with kindness, resilience, and a slice of cake.
In Bagalkot, as word spreads of this gesture, Abhishek has unwittingly become a symbol — not of poor performance, but of what can happen when love scores higher than marksheets.
