Every evening, when I walk by the Mariamman temple tank, I see the thambis glued to their phones, placing bets on cricket matches. It reminds me of the patients I saw in the hospital who lost everything to gambling. My small pension for Laya's fees is built on hard work, not risky bets from big companies that don't care who suffers.

Anna, Laya was showing me a video of those Egyptian girls playing squash — so fast, like water spiders on a tank. When I asked why all the top players come from one small country, the neighbour's son (he's a coach in Chennai) said they start them in the district clubs, not private academies, and the government keeps the courts cheap. Reminds me of our old government hospital system — when we had good stock of medicines and trained nurses, we could treat anyone. If you want excellence, you don’t sell the access to the highest bidder; you water the roots first.