The limit of honesty can be guessed by the special book shop running without a salesman at Bhagat Puran Singh Memorial Senior Secondary School and Girls College at Rajewal town in Ludhiana District of Punjab.

The shop is being run without any owner to motivate honest practices among students. Interested student comes to the shop and buy the required book or stationery items. Payments are put honestly by the students in the box placed on a table outside the door.

“Unlike other schools, we have started an honesty shop here. We want to inculcate the sense of honesty in them, so that they should be true in their practical life,” said J S Brar, Principal of Bhagat Puran Singh Memorial Senior Secondary School and Girls College, Rajewal.

In case, the student has not enough money at that time, there is a provision to leave a paper slip with his/her neme ans class written on it. The particular student can give the payment later and can take away the deposited slip from the separate box placed for slip submission only.

We want to prepare the new generation which has to take over the reigns of this country once they grow up, but at first they must be honest. Once they are honest, they can be great asset to the nation. With this motto we have started this honesty shop. There is no salesman sitting in the shop. Everything is lying open,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, patron of the school and President, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Punjab unit).

“Students are expected to mention their names, roll numbers, class on a slip and put it in another box. After three to four days, when they have money, they take out slip and put the money. We have never found any discrepancy in the cash,” said Rajewal informed.

The institution relies solely on donations from well-wishers and has never sought any assistance from the Government. Each member of the 21-members of the management committee donates rupees 1,100 at the beginning of every year. Recently each one of them contributed Rs 20,000 to buy a school bus also.

Students are also very happy with such an initiative to develop their faith in honesty. The notebooks are provided to the students at concession to over a thousand students of Bhagat Puran Singh Memorial Senior Secondary School and Girls College.

“It’s very useful in our life. We learn to be honest in life, which is very important for us. A truthful man is always successful in his life. So, we should be honest,” said Ramandeep Singh, one of the students.

Students from 82 villages in its periphery come to this school-cum-college. Around 60 percent of the students avail the free-ship education extended by the management.

The live example of honesty leaves the youngsters silent which rejects the thought that “honesty pays”.