The Missing Library Book: A Small Mistake, A Big Lesson

                       “ Sunday Stories: The Success Secrets of Extraordinary”

Twelve-year-old Nikita loved the school library. Every Friday, she’d borrow a book and dive into its pages like it was another world. Her friends teased her sometimes—“Bookworm Nikita!”—but she didn’t mind.

One day, she borrowed a brand-new mystery novel: The Secret of the Old Fort. It had just arrived, and only a few students had seen it.

That weekend, her cousins came over to stay. In the excitement—playing carrom, eating pani puri, and watching movies—Nikita forgot about the book. By Sunday evening, she couldn’t find it anywhere.

She searched the whole house—under the bed, in the kitchen, in her schoolbag, even inside the laundry basket. Nothing.

Panic hit her.

It wasn’t just any book—it had a barcode, the library stamp, and her name on the record sheet. She’d have to tell Mrs. Kelkar, the librarian, known for her strict rules.

“Just say you returned it. Maybe she lost track,” her cousin whispered. “How will she know?”

The idea tempted Nikita. Just one lie. One small lie to avoid punishment.

That Monday, when Mrs. Kelkar asked, “Where’s the book, Nikita?”

She mumbled, “I returned it on Friday, ma’am.”

Mrs. Kelkar frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t see it here.”

Nikita nodded, eyes on her shoes.

A week passed. Every day, Nikita avoided eye contact with the librarian. Her stomach felt heavy, and she no longer enjoyed being in the library.

Then came Thursday morning.

“Class,” Mrs. Kelkar said during Library Period, “we’re missing one book: The Secret of the Old Fort. Until it’s found, borrowing is paused for everyone.”

The whole class groaned.

“Who took it last?” someone asked.
Mrs. Kelkar read from the register. “Nikita Deshmukh.”

Now all eyes turned to her.

Nikita’s face burned. She wanted to sink into the floor. Her best friend whispered, “Hey... did you lose it?”

That evening, Nikita sat on the swing in her balcony. The lie had seemed like an escape—but now it had trapped her. Her love for books was being overshadowed by guilt.

The next morning, she walked to the library—heart pounding.

“Ma’am,” she said, voice shaking, “I lied. I didn’t return the book. I lost it at home. I’m so sorry.”

Mrs. Kelkar was silent for a moment. Then she nodded. “Thank you for telling the truth. I’m disappointed that you lied—but proud that you chose to fix it.”

Together, they wrote a letter to the principal, and Nikita’s parents agreed to replace the lost book.

The best part?

That weekend, while helping her mother clean behind the fridge, Nikita found a plastic bag. Inside it—dusty, bent, and slightly greasy—was The Secret of the Old Fort.

She laughed, half in relief, half in disbelief.

On Monday, she returned the book, apologised again, and taped a note inside the cover:

“If you ever lose your way—be honest. It’s the best way back.”
– Nikita D.”

From then on, she wasn’t just known as “Bookworm Nikita”—but also as the girl who had the courage to make things right.

Know Your Why?: A Journey to the Heart of Purpose, Before the Climb of Success

                      “ Sunday Stories: The Success Secrets of Extraordinary”

In the bustling city of Pune , where ambition ran as fast as the metro trains and dreams glowed brighter than the skyline, lived a 15-year-old boy named Ishaan Verma. He was known for his sharp mind, impressive grades, and an ever-expanding list of achievements. Medals adorned his wall, certificates filled his drawer, but something vital was missing — a sense of direction.

Everyone assumed Ishaan would become an engineer like his father or a data scientist like his cousin. After all, he was smart. 

But deep inside, Ishaan felt like he was running on a treadmill — moving fast but going nowhere.

One evening, during a school seminar, a guest speaker named Dr. Aria Sen, a mountaineer and psychologist, shared her story. She spoke not about conquering peaks, but about why she climbed them. “When I was 15, I wrote a goal: Climb Everest by 30. But I failed. Twice. Not because I wasn't skilled, but because I hadn’t figured out why I even wanted it. It wasn’t until I found my ‘why’— My Why was to inspire inner strength in girls from mountain villages— after that I truly began to climb. I had longing to meet, interact, guide and inspire the girls lived there.”

Her words pierced through Ishaan’s thoughts like lightning. That night, he wrote a question in his diary: Why do I want what I want?

Days turned into weeks. Ishaan began to question every goal he had listed — getting into a top university, winning competitions, making money. Why? Why? Why?

His friends mocked him. “Dude, don’t over think! Just go for it!” But Ishaan persisted.

One day, while volunteering at a Local Reading Center for underprivileged kids, he noticed something. A 8-year-old girl named Mahi, who struggled with reading, lit up when he explained stories using drawings and voice modulations. Every week, she waited just for Ishaan. Slowly, more kids joined. Ishaan began enjoying the process of teaching, storytelling, and connecting.

That’s when it struck him — his why wasn’t just success or prestige. It was to awaken curiosity and confidence in young minds through storytelling and creative teaching.

From that day, Ishaan’s goals changed. He still aimed high and worked as CEO of leading company. Simultaneously kept his passion alive by starting a podcast for teen learning, writing short stories — but now with purpose as his compass, not pressure as his whip.

Years later, when he was invited to speak at that same seminar as Dr. Sen once had, he began with one sentence:

“The wrong goal with the wrong ‘why’ can climb you up the wrong mountain — make sure your heart packs the compass before your feet take the path.”

                                                

Moral:

“Don’t set your goals just because they’re expected — set them because they’re connected to who you truly are. 

Your ‘why’ is your inner compass. Without it, achievement feels empty.”

Ink your Introspection -Journaling Joy: How One Girl Found Her Voice, One Page at a Time

                         “ Sunday Stories: The Success Secrets of Extraordinary”

In a quiet village near Nashik, lived 13-year-old Kamal, a quiet girl who always had a storm of thoughts swirling inside her. Her parents were loving but busy with their farm and household chores. Her classmates talked a lot—but Kamal never really felt heard.

She often sat alone during lunch, beneath an old Neem tree near the school boundary wall. The leaves whispered to her in the wind, and she found comfort in its shade. But no one knew that every day, Kamal  carried with her a plain brown notebook—her “Thought Friend,” as she secretly called it.

At first, she only scribbled her day:

“Ma scolded me for no reason.”

“I didn’t get picked for the dance team.”

“Why do I feel like crying when I haven’t hurt anyone?”

But soon, her pages began to fill with dreams, doodles, questions, and hopes. She wrote poems when it rained. She made lists of things that made her smile. She drew mehendi designs & created mandal designs when she was bored.

Over time, something amazing happened—Kamal  started noticing patterns in her feelings. She realised she felt better after writing. She stopped bottling up her anger. And she started thinking of solutions, not just complaints.

One day, when her best friend Priya was upset after failing in Math, Kamal  shared a simple idea:
"Why don’t you try writing what you feel and what confused you everyday? Writing helps to find solution. Start thinking on paper. It helped me."

Priya tried. Then another classmate. Then another. Eventually, the headmistress heard about it and asked Kamal to speak in assembly. Nervous but proud, she shared:
"When I started journaling, I didn’t know I’d start understanding myself. I didn’t know I’d become my own best friend."

Soon, the school launched a new activity: “Neem-Tree Journaling Hour.” Once a week, children would sit with their notebooks under that very tree and write without judgement, just honesty.

Aarti’s One More Step : A Story That Teaches The Power of Tiny Efforts

       “ Sunday Stories: The Success Secrets of Extraordinary”

Aarti lived in the quiet village of Kalipura, where green fields danced in the breeze and everyone knew each other’s name. She was known for her big dreams and even bigger smile. Her dream? To win the district-level long jump championship.

She had a scrapbook where she’d pasted pictures of great athletes, and in bold letters across the cover she had written:

“Even slow progress is progress—Don’t stop.”

🚶‍♀️ “You don’t climb mountains in a leap—just one sure step at a time.”

Every morning before school, she trained herself. She marked a line in the dust and jumped over it again and again. Her coach, Master Chintan, a retired athlete with kind eyes and a serious moustache, always said the same thing:

“Aarti, don’t worry about jumping the farthest. Just jump a little farther than yesterday. One more step every day.”

Some days Aarti felt tired. Some days the line barely moved. But she still pushed herself: one extra jump, one deeper breath, one more step.

Her friends didn’t always understand.

“Why don’t you take Sundays off?” Meena asked.

“Because the finish line doesn’t rest,” Aarti replied, smiling.

When the competition came, her heart raced. The field was packed with students from bigger schools, with fancy shoes and flashy uniforms. Aarti wore her old sneakers and her lucky red hairband.

She closed her eyes and whispered, “One more step.”

She ran..... She leapt.....

And she soared.

Not just farther than the others—but farther than she ever had.

She won the gold medal. But more than the medal, what stayed with her was what Master Chintan whispered as he held back tears:

“You didn’t jump far today, Aarti. You jumped far every day before today. This was just where it all added up.”