The Best Council Ever

Big B, Stickman, Loony Lawyer, Langra Tyagi, Mario

As a badge holder in high school, you’re expected to lead by example. You’re told to be on your best behavior around the clock. You’re reminded that people will follow your example to a T. But funnily enough, five young men weren’t made fully aware of that responsibility.

Five men, from very different backgrounds amalgamated into the student council at Don Bosco Park Circus: Goan, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, a little bit of Bengali, and a hint of Portuguese: it was all there.

Led by Big B - who famously had veto power - Langra Tyagi, Stickman, Loony Lawyer and Mario donned this responsibility daily. Four men, who had four different houses to lead every day, with one prefect to rule them all.

And that is where the fun began.

Fun: more so in the final year of our three year tenure, in Grade XII between 2010 and 2011. The last hurrah for high school students: made frightening by the impending board exams. Or so the authorities thought.

Exams were the last thing that we worried about. After all, there are plenty of opportunities to pass or fail exams in the future, there’s four years of college for all that. But there was only going to be one opportunity to enjoy life as a student council member.

“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”

Bosco Fest 2010 was looming, and it was our time to shine. After two years of seeing how it’s done, there was our chance to go one better. Like the Fest motto, we had a “Vision, Venture and a Victory.” Our motto as the council, I’d like to think, was simple: to have as much fun as possible, having fun while having fun!

Confused? Don’t be.

Picture five guys in uniform – shirts, trousers, ties, the whole nine yards – who hated the idea of sitting in class from more than 20 minutes at a stretch. Five guys who’d rather do something else. Anything! So when Bosco Fest drew near, we found our something else.

“Legalized bunking!”

Yes folks, six hours or more (lunch break not included) spent in the school library working. On occasion, it was six hours or more loitering around the school corridors, looking important.

What work you ask?

"Work"

Time spent online mostly. A facebook status here, a YouTube video there. A little bit of twitter, and a lot of Reddit. Of course when push came to shove, we got stuff done. School representative profiles, fest content, event descriptions, judges, invitations, banners and websites – everything you need to put on a successful show. We had a tech team to do most of the designing, but you know; what’s a tech team without supervisors?

“Welcome to class, staying for long?”

Arguably the best phrase we’d heard during our tenure as the student council. Such was our reputation. We were never in class, yet somehow got our school work done on time.

"I maintain, we may not have been the flashiest or statistically, the most successful council ever, but we sure as hell were the funniest," words from the great Langra Tyagi while reminiscing over a famed ‘phone’ incident in the Vice Principal’s office.   

Call me Maybe?

Nothing serious – just something that brings a chuckle to our faces, even to this day.

"Hello father. Oh, it's you boys!" - Utter that phrase to any one of us - Langra Tyagi, Loony Lawyer or Mario in particular - and I guarantee, you'll get a laugh out of us.

There was this other event that still makes us smile. It was in grade XI. Ruskin Bond, the famed Indian author of British origin, was at school to address students between grades VI and VII.

Of course, being the famous council that we were, all fifteen of us, volunteered to maintain the crowd during this two hour tête-à-tête. Fifteen guys patrolling the middle schoolers like shepherds tending their flocks, all for a chance to meet Mr. Bond.

Upstairs in our respective classes physics, math, and commerce was being taught, with not one care in the world from us. We had our priorities.

Other priorities.

Priorities

Such was our life in high school. We were self-appointed benevolent kings. High school was our reign, Don Bosco was our kingdom. 

Another memory that still lingers fresh, involves our insatiable appetite for adventure. We were those guys who ordered pizzas to the school. Customer name: 'The Council.' Address: 'Don Bosco Park Circus.' If you're wondering whether Dominos delivers to high schools, wonder no more. They do. Or at least they did. That was some experience - pepperoni, olives, mushrooms - the works.

Delivered Hot and Fresh in 30 minutes

Now almost three years since we called time on our reign, the memories are fond and satisfying.

Did we have fun? You bet.

Would we go back and relive those days? In a heartbeat.

Such was our love to the school, we’d gained a reputation. A reputation that we would somehow be able to work magic and get people out of trouble.

For instance, and I won’t go naming names, we had to somehow get ‘class skipping’ leave sanctioned, on multiple occasions, hours after the skipping in question had occurred. And yes, in case you’re wondering, we succeeded - every single time.

In fact, trying to get week long written leave for ourselves sanctioned by our vice principal was a topic of discussion, to 'save paper.' It didn’t work, but golly we still got our daily leave sanctioned, promptly before 9 o'clock. Sanctioned to the degree where the phrase "Allow the Five Musketeers to Work in the Library" was used on one instance.

Yes folks, our vice principal called us musketeers. It was the greatest thing ever.

A picture is worth a thousand words

So now as I look back on those glorious days, I can’t help but want to relive them over again. College and life has plenty to offer us, but nothing matches the exuberance that high school had to offer. We were young, we were carefree. 

But more importantly, we were family.

We had each others backs and we battled against each other for the House Cup. In the end Stickman walked away with the House Cup. Langra Tyagi walked away with the sports trophy.

But in truth, we were all winners.

When sports day came around, we were among the lucky group of council members who got a chance to march with the school flags. That was the icing on the cake. Sports days occurred every other year, so there were council members who never got the chance to march with the school flags.

But not us.

You’d think we had a tough job as council members, it was quite the opposite. Being part of a fantastic batch of students that graduated in 2011 was the real reason for our success. Quizzers, debaters, athletes, musicians, dancers – we had a talented bunch all around with plenty of reserves.

So it was no surprise when Don Bosco romped to victories in various city-school fests: Xuberance, Odyssey, Boscotsav, the Jubilee Quiz, Bosco Fest, Concord, even the prestigious Frank Anthony Memorial All India Debate – it was a combined team effort and when push came to shove, we gave it all for our school.

“And the first place trophy goes to… Don Bosco School, Park Circus.”

The Spoils of War

Off the field and in the class room it was no different.  To this day, the Class of 2011 still holds the highest aggregate scores both in the ICSE and the ISC exams between 1997 and 2013 – 85.87% in the ISCE and a little over 88% in the ISC. Yes, we truly were a talented bunch, now spread all over the country, spread across the world. 

As a council member, it was an honour to lead and be led by this group.

I could have asked for a lot more in life, but couldn't have asked for a better group of guys to graduate alongside. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, remember, Don Bosco Park Circus Class of 2011: “We were a class apart!”

“Let it roll, baby, roll 

Let it roll, all night long”

Etched Forever