Everyone in my new class was afraid of Bittu, the school bully. Whatever he asked, it was done without question. He often made children do humiliating tasks, like carrying his shoes to the playground or fetching his lunch from the staff room. Once, he even asked the class monitor, during lunch break, to bring water for him to wash his hands and the poor boy obeyed!

Hearing these stories made me nervous. I wondered what I would do if he asked me to do something small but demeaning. Things got so tense that one day, my father asked me, “Son, is something bothering you?”

I looked at him and said, “Dad, if someone very powerful asked you to do something you didn’t want to do, would you do it?” His answer was immediate: “Never!”

“But what if the person is very strong or important?” I asked.

“My son,” said Dad, “listen carefully. No one is so powerful that they can force you to do something against your will. You have to believe that and build inner strength to face the consequences. Being timid will get you nowhere.” Then he told me how Gandhiji kept burning the hated registration cards in South Africa, even though the police kept beating him. His words gave me courage and confidence.

From that moment, I decided I would say ‘no’ to Bittu, even though I knew he might try to hit me. I was certain, however, that I would not give in to his bullying.

Finally, the day came. Bittu asked me to carry his shoes to the playground. Politely, I told him that I had homework to finish and could not do it. His face turned red with anger and the classroom went completely silent. He started moving toward me aggressively. I stood firm and said, “Bittu, you cannot get everything in life by hurting others. Some things must be done on your own. We are your friends, not your servants.”

Bittu froze. The word ‘friends’ seemed to reach him. Slowly, he extended his hand and said, “Friends?” I shook his hand and said, “Yes, friends.” A smile appeared on his face and the tension in the class melted away. Everyone cheered. From that day on, Bittu never bullied anyone again. And believe it or not, we became the best of friends.