I progressed to senior school in standard six where we were known to be the junior most students of the senior school. I was thrilled to become part of the league of big boys, as full trousers now became part of my school uniform.

One of the first things amongst many to attract my eyes in senior school was two metal pieces clinging to the shirt of a selected few students. They were the special 10 students of standards 11 and 12, the ‘School Office Bearers’, the people entrusted with the responsibility of managing the school’s discipline. The metal pieces had a special significance as it had the school’s name, it’s emblem and the student’s name as well, inscribed on it. My eyes were awestruck and immediately I too saw a dream of getting those metal prizes imprinted with my name.

On 2nd April, 2009 I resumed my school for standard 11 studies, fresh from standard 10’s board examinations. It was 4th April, a Saturday, and this time it was the week when all students of senior school were shown a movie in our 1600 seater school’s auditorium. Proceeding the movie, the school’s Vice Principal announced that a meeting of teaching staff would be held that day to elect the new school office bearers, and my heart skipped a beat. Then a documentary movie was shown, The Secret. The Secret had a lasting impression on me as I kept on thinking and repeating in my mind that I was one of the new school office bearers.

On Monday, the 6th April, the Vice Principal announced that the list of new school office bearers would be out by the afternoon. Hearing this my heart started beating like it it never did before. Later on, the school’s peon came to my classroom informing me that I had been summoned to the Vice Principal’s office. In those days, getting a call from his office meant only one thing, the student is in serious trouble for some mischief. But the fact that I wasn’t asked to carry my School Diary was a relief to me. I ran barefoot to his office and my eyes saw a group of students standing outside of his office. I was greeted with the words; ‘Congratulations, you are a school office bearer’! My joys knew no boundaries. The Vice Principal then summoned me for a private meeting where he greeted me with saying ‘Aakash, I and the teachers feel that you should be appointed as a school office bearer’. This was one of the best things my ears could hear in school.

This was certainly of the magic of The Secret, though I didn’t knew it would work so soon, but it did!!