Like any college, mine also has certain norms and values which are to be respected and obeyed. Among one of those rules is to refrain from taking expensive mobile phones inside the college premise. But one day, I did. It was the first time I decided to take it to the college but I understand that it isn’t a valid excuse and I did break the rule.  

Unfortunately, that very day, the administration decided to carry out random checks. A group of teachers dashed into the classroom and urged us to show our cell phones, if we have any. When it was my turn, one of the teachers approached me and asked if I had a phone. “Yes,” I replied; I just couldn’t lie. It was swiftly confiscated and with the phone, I had to hand over my student card too.

“Even you, Rashmi!” my teacher remarked, which only made me feel worse. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t a big deal, but at that moment I felt like a thief who was caught red-handed.

For the rest of the class, I was numb. I literally could not concentrate on a single thing, even the class lecture was a blur to me. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel. It was my mistake after all!

As the school hour came to completion, I got back my mobile and identity card but I was still deeply scarred. I was a class representative and always made it a point to be the most diligent student in the class. And yet this incident made me feel that I was unworthy and undeserving. With disdainful looks from my teachers and classmates, my experience didn’t get any better.

Did I ever take my phone to the college again? No, I never carried it inside the college. Even when I had to carry it, it was silently dumped inside my bag. Even during my commuting time, I always preferred to read books than scroll through the touchscreen.

There are times we only make mistakes for the sake of making them. Sometimes, it is important to make mistakes as well.  We wouldn’t learn things otherwise. This may seem as a petty stuff to many people but it wasn’t for me. I was deeply moved but I didn’t have anyone to share my feelings with.

I have always been a happy-go-lucky person. But sometimes things as trivial as this bother me to my core. I feel like I’m the unluckiest person in this world. Nevertheless, I try to stay on my path and accomplish my goals. I want to tell my parents and my teachers that I acknowledge my mistakes and I am learning to be a better person every day. I do not value a piece of paper such as a ‘character certificate’, but it is important to me that my near and dear ones know that I care about their approval.

- Gautam is a grade 11 student at St. Xavier’s College