It was a hot summer day when the Mathematics class was going on. I was never fascinated by the numbers, they always baffled me. Hence, I was sitting on the last bench with my friends playing 'Truth and Dare'. I knew when the bottle stopped spinning and was pointing straight towards me that something miserable was imminent. It was as anticipated; my friends dared me to volunteer to be the Head of Cleanliness Student Council. The post was always vacant for no student aspired to be held accountable for the littered campus. Though the school had dustbins, they appeared as if they were never used. Within two days, I was made the head of the Council. My spare time at school went into drafting novel measures to tempt or reprimand the students into throwing the trash in bins but nothing changed significantly.
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On the fourth day as the Head of the Cleanliness Department, I summoned all the janitors, cleaners and maintenance men and instructed them to work overtime, even after school hours and ensure that every packet strewn on the lobbies or ground are in the bins. They were not on cloud nine hearing this, however, they agreed. I stayed with them, supervising the work, and later in the evening retired to home. Honestly, I have never before seen my school in better condition. Nonetheless, the following day left me appalled. The fellow students did not even care to appreciate the clean campus for a minute. The lobbies and the classrooms were soon back to how they used to be- littered!
Exasperated, I returned to my classroom. I began to contemplate how the previous heads had acted. All of them failed to convince the students. How on earth was I supposed to persuade them? After the lunch break, I addressed the fellow students. Harangue won't work, I thought, as Jatin, the previous Head of Cleanliness Council, was expelled for aggressively yelling at the juniors; therefore, I went on with an emotional speech. I reminded them that school is a temple of Education, we must revere it, keeping it clean was the least we could do. I stated- LITTLE STROKES FELL GREAT OAKS. Our small effort to keep the campus clean will make the ambience more refreshing and apt for concentration. The speech went well. Every student was listening to my words intently. There was huge applause when I finished. The speech was expected to do wonders.
However, the next day, everyone seemed to have forgotten everything. It was not hard to notice that while I was going back to my class, the corridor was again strewn with candy packets. My friends told me that I have taken the duty very seriously. I was, nevertheless, not in a mood to answer. I did not eat lunch that day. Instead, I came up with another interesting idea. I, myself, started collecting the garbage during the lunch-break and after school. Initially, students made a mockery out of me. Some of them even threw garbage just to see me pick it. Nonetheless, I picked it up without retorting. Slowly the change could be seen. I knew what changed them. Earlier, I was commanding others to pick up the trash when I- the Head of the Council- never picked it up myself. Why will others pick the trash when the Head is himself ashamed to do so?
As Gandhiji said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I was at last extremely jubilant and jovial to see my campus clean. I am hopeful that my fellow companions would remain co-operative and ensure the tidiness of the campus.
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