For Tanvi, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Postgraduate (PG) 2026 was more than a three-hour examination. As she sat for the test on August 30, she was also struggling with the painful uncertainty of not knowing where her parents were after floods in Nepal.
Tanvi later shared her experience on social media, revealing that she spent nearly half of the examination in tears. The emotional strain was so intense that she said there were moments when she found it difficult to read the questions clearly.
“Out of the three-hour exam, one and a half hours, I have spent crying,” Tanvi said.
A photo brought back painful memories
During the examination, Tanvi noticed her photograph displayed on the computer screen along with her admit card.
The photograph had been taken by her father, making the situation even more difficult for her.
“That photo was taken by my dad,” she recalled, adding that it made the NEET PG examination much harder emotionally.
Tanvi said she knew her father wanted her to appear for the examination, and that thought gave her the strength to continue.
“I just knew that my dad wants me to give this exam and I have to do it for him, I have to do it for my parents,” she said.
This time, there was no dahi shakkar
For Tanvi, one of the most painful parts of the day was the absence of a familiar family ritual.
Before important examinations, her mother would give her dahi shakkar — curd and sugar — as a traditional good-luck gesture.
“More than the exam, the most difficult part was, before the exam my mom would give me dahi shakkar. In this exam, that didn’t happen,” Tanvi said.
The simple memory highlighted how deeply she was missing her parents while trying to concentrate on one of the most important examinations of her career.
Parents remain untraced after Nepal floods
Tanvi had first spoken about the situation on August 29.
According to her, her parents, Venkatram Annamdevara and Anagha Annamdevara, were travelling on a Kailash Yatra with a group of 67 people.
She said her family had been unable to contact anyone from the tour group or the organisation managing the journey.
Tanvi said the group’s last known location was around the immigration centre and the Friendship Bridge.
As she waited for information about her parents, she still appeared for the NEET PG examination on August 30.
Hoping for her parents to return safely
Despite the emotional turmoil, Tanvi completed the examination, holding on to the hope that her parents and the others travelling with them are safe.
Her experience has since touched many people online, not only because of the examination she faced, but because of the emotional strength she showed while dealing with the uncertainty surrounding her family.
For Tanvi, the NEET PG exam was therefore not simply a test of medical knowledge. It became a deeply personal test of courage, as she tried to fulfil her parents’ wishes while waiting for news of their safety.