Everyone seems to be jumping on to the bandwagon and saying that "First Impression is the Best Impression", but here is a story to contradict that and to prove that appearances can be deceptive. Or better still, my favourite translation of that "Everything is not what it seems to be like"
I told you about how I switched schools. And when I came here, there was a boy in my class, I will call him SK, who was the class leader. He was notorious, but well liked. He would stand in front of the class when the teacher was not there, and lead a general discussion. Mostly about movies, sometimes he would lead a game of antakshari with movie names. And when the general noise level would rise above a level he would revert to a basic command "stand up, raise your hands, fold your hands, sit down", and the class would quieten immediately. And if that didn't work, he'd proceed to get a scale and whip everyone on the hands.
And one day, I was on the receiving end of one such beating. I am not sure of what happened, but I think I started crying immediately after that. I was never beaten, and according to me, if I didn't do anything wrong, I would never be punished. That, coupled with the anger of the new school led to the waterworks, I think.
What happened next was unbelievable. SK came to me, and told me to go wash my face and come.
Then came an important part of the year, the class election. The teacher specially called me to the fore, and made me contest the four way contest, also featuring SK. SK got just one vote, and I felt as if he got just desserts. But the thing is, I won. I had been there for just a month or two, and I was the class leader. But I soon realised I never possessed the skill to keep a class under control, and so I quit barely week later, under the pretense that I was too new here.
And after that, he never bothered with the whipping on me again. I'd be a bit pissed of since he probably thought me a sissy and a cry baby, but I soon became his second in command. When he wanted to go out, I was in charge. I had to write down the names of who would talk. He gave me special instructions not to write the names of the new students.
As years passed by, SK shunned his leadership roles in the class. That onus came to fall on my shoulders, except when I shunned it as well. To be frank, SK and I were in the same class for 7 years, and I was leader for 4 of these years, and one year was rotational leadership. And in these 4 years, plus one time in 11th, as a leader, I learnt one important thing. I can't keep anyone from talking. It just wasn't humanly possible. So I started letting things slide. I told everyone in my class that they were free to talk, as long as they didn't make a fracas, or make too much noise. If the noise grew to a level, I'd whip out a piece of paper and start noting names, with a threat that it will be handed over to the class teacher or something like that. I can safely reveal that I never handed in a list ever.
SK ruled for just one year after I came, but I can honestly say that he is a better leader than I will ever be, and is one of the greatest human beings I have seen.
My first impression of him? Just the opposite. But that is real life.
And one day, I was on the receiving end of one such beating. I am not sure of what happened, but I think I started crying immediately after that. I was never beaten, and according to me, if I didn't do anything wrong, I would never be punished. That, coupled with the anger of the new school led to the waterworks, I think.
What happened next was unbelievable. SK came to me, and told me to go wash my face and come.
Then came an important part of the year, the class election. The teacher specially called me to the fore, and made me contest the four way contest, also featuring SK. SK got just one vote, and I felt as if he got just desserts. But the thing is, I won. I had been there for just a month or two, and I was the class leader. But I soon realised I never possessed the skill to keep a class under control, and so I quit barely week later, under the pretense that I was too new here.
And after that, he never bothered with the whipping on me again. I'd be a bit pissed of since he probably thought me a sissy and a cry baby, but I soon became his second in command. When he wanted to go out, I was in charge. I had to write down the names of who would talk. He gave me special instructions not to write the names of the new students.
As years passed by, SK shunned his leadership roles in the class. That onus came to fall on my shoulders, except when I shunned it as well. To be frank, SK and I were in the same class for 7 years, and I was leader for 4 of these years, and one year was rotational leadership. And in these 4 years, plus one time in 11th, as a leader, I learnt one important thing. I can't keep anyone from talking. It just wasn't humanly possible. So I started letting things slide. I told everyone in my class that they were free to talk, as long as they didn't make a fracas, or make too much noise. If the noise grew to a level, I'd whip out a piece of paper and start noting names, with a threat that it will be handed over to the class teacher or something like that. I can safely reveal that I never handed in a list ever.
SK ruled for just one year after I came, but I can honestly say that he is a better leader than I will ever be, and is one of the greatest human beings I have seen.
My first impression of him? Just the opposite. But that is real life.
