{The following is an old journal entry by Vishva}

A fine Sunday morning. All of us had put on our color dresses and moved to the mess for breakfast. The sergeants, Sgt Kashinath Leader and Sgt Bhuvan Leader were on the lookout for boys who had not worn a vest (since such an incident had occurred before). They prowled around the whole house and found out one such 10th Std boy (One-such-Boy). He was ignorent of the fault of his, and was shocked when they found him out.

Immediately after the mess, a roll call was called for. Sgt Kashinath Leader made everyone say “One-such-Boy did not wear a vest today”, and himself was made to say “I did not wear a vest today”. Soon after, everyone was made to get in to murga (a form of punishment) – except One-such-Boy!!! Anyone seeing this can think this is wrong; why should all except the mistake doer receive punishment.

Imagine the torture that One-such-Boy was going through. Because of him, his batchmates were getting punished. We were all going through some physical pain, but he was made to undergo mental agony!

This kind of punishment made me realize that I am not the only one here. I am responsible for both myself and for all our friends. Their mistakes will cost me, and my mistake will cost them. Henceforth, everyone ensured that everyone else was wearing a vest before leaving. I felt that I belong to this group. This beauty was revealed to me through this incident – “I will take responsibility for myself  and my batchmates, because every mistake that one commits will cost everyone”. Isn’t this true in war? One soldier’s mistake can cost others their lives. This attitude, this beauty of belonging, is instilled in us through these punishments.