Although SLC should just be another exam, the reality is that it is not so. SLC ismore than "the culmination of ten years of study". It is not just about passing and failing. It is about the dreams of our parents, it is about how people think about us and it is about our opinion of ourselves. I am sure that all you have seen how life stops for about two three hours in the morning of the day SLC results are out. Old or young, man or women, the divisions and the percentages become the topic of morning tea chat.Covered as the top story in TV, fm, papers and what not, SLC for Nepali people is more than an exam. It really is. I know it should not be, but it is. It is in a sense a great celebration for those who passed it. It is a special event. And among all those who passed, ten people who scored the highest are the toppers. They are just ordinary students. Perhaps they worked a bit harder, perhaps they were a bit smarter. And surely they studied in good schools. But they end up being idols. Really do. I guess the problem in Nepal is that there are not enough idols. Gautam buddha was great, so were sita, janak and co. But they are all dead. And there is very little to relate to them. We don't have sport stars. Our movie stars are not of the staus of idols either. They don't represent much. But the topper represents what most of the people could not be, they represent the epitome of performance in an event as special as SLC. I think that's why we care about toppers. And we will continue following the life of the toppers. It's similar to how media traces the career of the first pick in NBA draft. Some fail, some succeed, but sure they will be traced. That not stupidity, that's not a unproductive attiude. In fact, that's curiosity, that's human nature.