Yaar, aaj kal yeh Education Ministry waali baatein sun ke mera mann karta hai ki mere gaon ke primary school ke ek teacher ko yaad karoon — woh scratch card pe bachhon ko English vowels sikhata tha, aur hum sab kehte the ki kya ukhad lega? Phir usi ne meri behen ko free mein typing sikhayi, nahi toh woh nursing ki fees bhi nahi bhar paati. Lekin ab jab wohi school bandh hone waala hai kyunki "minimum attendance" nahi hai, toh mujhe lagta hai yeh log zameen par utar ke dekhein ki jo bachcha roz subah 3 km paidal chalta hai seedha woh school, uska kya hoga? Meri Boxer ka puncture waala sadak us school ke saamne hi milta hai aur roj uske chaar bachon ko tuition pada karta hai — usaari baat, improvement nahi toh funding kaat do? Zara socho, gareeb ka ek rupaiya bachane ke liye woh uska ek note kaat rahe hain.

The stream near my village has a little patch of mud where the village kids practice kushti with an old tyre tube—no mats, no coach, just their lungis and a dream. When I hear about Haryana’s akharas sending kids to national podiums, I wonder how many more villages like mine are left with only the tyre tube. The state builds stadiums for those who already have a road to them; the real question is who gets left behind when the bus doesn’t stop.