Stand Up Against Injustice

It was the very first day of the new academic year at Don Bosco School, Udaipur, Tripura. The students were buzzing with excitement and a bit of nervousness as they waited for their new teacher, Mr. Pulak, to enter the classroom.

Mr. Pulak walked in, his eyes scanning the room full of eager faces. Suddenly, his gaze stopped at a girl wearing a blue dress. He pointed at her and asked,"Blue dress, what is your name?"The girl, a bit startled, replied softly, "Sir, my name is Reshmi."Without warning, Mr. Pulak’s voice turned stern."Reshmi, leave the classroom right now! And I don’t want to see you in my class ever again."

The entire class fell silent. Reshmi was shocked."But..bu..t sir, I haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you sending me out?"Mr. Pulak raised his voice,"I don’t repeat myself. Leave the class immediately."

Confused and on the verge of tears, Reshmi packed her bag and left the classroom with her head down. The rest of the students sat frozen in disbelief, but no one dared to speak up.

After a moment, Mr. Pulak looked around and asked,"Can anyone tell me why laws are made?"

One student replied, "To maintain order in society."

Another said, "So that no one becomes a victim of injustice."

A third added, "To keep faith in the government."

A fourth said, "So that everyone gets fair justice."

Mr. Pulak nodded, "You’re right."He then asked,"Do you think what I did to Reshmi was unfair?"

The class was silent. No one had the courage to answer.Mr. Pulak continued,"Yes, I was clearly unjust to Reshmi. But the real question is, why did none of you say anything?"He paused, then said,"Because you thought, ‘It didn’t happen to me, so why should I get involved?’"

He spoke firmly,"This very attitude will one day put you in trouble. Today, you watched someone suffer in silence. Tomorrow, if you face injustice, no one will stand up for you either."

The class remained silent, heads bowed, unable to meet his eyes.

Mr. Pulak concluded,"Today I have taught you a lesson you might not learn in a thousand regular classes. Remember this for life: If you don’t protest against injustice, you become a part of it. Silence means approval. So, whenever you see injustice, no matter who it happens to, stand up against it."

Moral of the Story:

"Not protesting against injustice is the same as supporting it. True humanity lies in having the courage to stand up for what is right."