When Organic Chemistry Met Bhojpuri Pop

In March 2022, a Bihar Board Class 12 chemistry examiner opened an answer booklet expecting redox equations and electrolysis diagrams — and found full Bhojpuri dance numbers instead.

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In March 2022, teachers gathered at a centralised evaluation centre in Chapra, Bihar, to grade thousands of Class 12 Intermediate science booklets for the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB).

One examiner, flipping through a Chemistry answer sheet, paused at a question asking candidates to define electrolysis and chemical bonding.

Neatly penned in fluent, rhythmic Hindi script below the printed question was not a single chemical formula, molecular orbital diagram, or ionic equation.

Instead, the candidate had transcribed the full, unedited lyrics of popular Bhojpuri romantic folk songs sung by Pawan Singh and Khesari Lal Yadav.

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"Page-Filling" Culture Reaches Peak Rhythm

In Indian state board examinations, there is an enduring, almost sacred student superstition: "Never leave a page blank. Evaluators are tired; they weigh the booklet by thickness and give marks for handwriting."

When faced with a chemistry syllabus they had evidently never opened, this student decided that if scientific knowledge was missing, local folk music would bridge the gap.

Across multiple pages:

• Questions on organic synthesis were answered with verses about village heartbreaks.
• Thermodynamics derivations were replaced with high-tempo Bhojpuri wedding lyrics.
• Every line was written with meticulous penmanship, complete with neat margins and underlined headings.

The evaluator, unable to contain his disbelief, pulled out a smartphone and filmed a quick 45-second walkthrough of the booklet, turning pages while reading the lyrics aloud against the chemistry questions.

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The Internet Remix

The video leaked onto Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts, instantly accumulating over 10 million views:

• Meme creators synced the audio of the actual Bhojpuri songs to the video, timing the bass drops to the examiner's red pen slashing giant zeroes across the ruled pages.
• Social media users applauded the handwriting while noting that the student had achieved a 100% score in cultural preservation and a 0% in chemistry.

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The Board's Verdict

BSEB headquarters in Patna was less amused. The board issued an official reminder to all evaluation centres that any non-academic content — whether film songs, poetry, or emotional appeals — must be awarded zero marks and flagged in the registry.

The student received a clean zero in the subject and had to retake the chemistry paper in the compartmental cycle.

Still, for one viral week in 2022, organic chemistry in Bihar had never sounded so musical.

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Timeline: INC-ABS-2022-BR-013

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Sources & Further Reading

1. "Bihar Board Exam 2022: Evaluators shocked to find Bhojpuri song lyrics in chemistry answer sheets" — ABP Live, 24 March 2022. abplive.com
2. "Student writes Bhojpuri song lyrics in Class 12 Chemistry exam; video goes viral" — India.com, 25 March 2022. india.com
3. "Viral video from Chapra shows Bhojpuri songs written in Inter exam copies" — ETV Bharat, 26 March 2022. etvbharat.com