He said, “We will have to see what happens. Of course it is my fault, I should not have invited him. I carried the joke too far and risked your career. You may pass in all your written papers but if he fails you, your two years are wasted, and I will never be able to forgive myself.”

I said, “Don’t be worried at all. This is the first time he is encountering a real philosophy student. He will remember it his whole life.”

The examination began; I was called in. I came in…. Of course it is not expected that the professor, the vice-chancellor and the invited guest will stand up, but I came in and I remained standing.

My vice-chancellor asked, “You may sit down. Why are you standing?”

I said, “I am just looking at three gentlemen who don’t know any courtesy. If you cannot pay respect to a human being, you should not expect any respect in return.”

That visiting professor was shocked – hearing this from me, and hearing me talk this way to the vice-chancellor of the university. But the vice-chancellor knew me: he stood up; he said, “I am sorry.” My professor stood up; he said, “I am sorry.” When those two stood up, the invited guest thought, “It looks odd if I don’t stand up,” so he stood up and he said, “I am sorry.”

I said, “You are all forgiven. Now the real business can be started. But you must have understood what kind of man I am. I have heard much about you – that you are a hard guy – so please prove it, because I don’t see that you are a hard guy. You stood up for a student and apologized! You are almost feminine, you are not a man.”

My Professor Saxena started kicking me, saying,

“From the very beginning you are going off.”

I said, “Professor Saxena, this is not good, that underneath the table you are kicking my leg. This is an examination – you are not supposed to support me, help me, or in any way give me indications. You keep yourself in control.”

And I said to the vice-chancellor, “It is up to you to watch, because he loves me too much and he is kicking me so that I don’t go off the path. You keep an eye on him so that he does not disturb me, because I am determined to get the zero. This is my life’s goal.”

Before the examination began I told them everything: “This is my life’s goal – to attain to the state of zero. And Professor Saxena is trying hard that I should not get zero today, but I trust in the invited guest, that he will remain hard and he will do his best – that means he should do his worst.”

So I told my vice-chancellor, “You look at my professor and watch that he does not disturb me, and I will take care of the invited guest.” And I asked him, “Now you start. Why are you sitting silent? I am not here to examine you; only I am speaking – you start!”

He was almost having a nervous breakdown. He must have come prepared – what to ask, what not to ask – but he completely forgot. He simply asked me, “How can you explain the distinction between Eastern philosophy and Western philosophy?”