The House Captain

Posted: 15 April 2009
*******************

I was made the House Captain for Takshashila house in my 12th standard. It wasnt that i deserved to be or I was some kind of deemed leader , but purely for the fact that when the time came to choose a captain, all the other eligible guys and girls in my class were already occupied in some other extra-curriculars or academic stuff.

So there I was sitting alone in the last bench and spitting out paper missiles and suddenly I was called to say that I was being chosen for the House Captain role.Hell i didnt even know at that time what a captain or a leader meant really, but since my Chemistry teacher was being good to me for the first time in 2 years, I said ofcourse , can I expect some grace marks in my chem tests as well to complement this so I can finally pass. ;P

Then we won the Sports trophy for the year.Again, no tangible contribution from my side in terms of any medal tally or any outstanding performance in any sport. But the experience of being considered a leader did leave some impression on me then.

One of the most distinct memories I have is while interacting with my House juniors casually during school time and during any events that took place.

I had realised that, with just the pre-requisite amount of substance a leader needs to have, being a leader is more about inspiring confidence than anything else. I remember still when there was supposed to be a march - past of all the houses, leading all the 5th to 9th standard kids, on a hot and humid day, selling the idea of march-past as fun and something through which they could get back to their teachers :), it became possible to get these guys to get the Left-Right march slogan going in the loudest and most energetic manner as though we were all graduating from the NDA. heh.

Or for that matter, when a junior team had their inter-house handball championship, I was the only house captain present to cheer them and after having registered my presence there , you could see how the intensity of my team changed (not to forget that when this happens,generally opponents morale goes in downward direction).

Anyways, im reading now what I've written above and it seems to me as if i'm answering one of the essay questions of some B-school application, so ill stop here.

Had hoped that after my last entry, i wouldnt take another 12 months to come back, hope as time passes by and with more frequency, ill write better and the content will be more meaningful and not just an application essay. :)