They named the new medical shop on the highway 'Kargil Pharmacy'. I saw it when buying ointment for my knee. It made me think of the ex-serviceman from our lane, who mends umbrellas so quietly in the evenings. I always buy him an extra *singju* from the market, la.

That Commonwealth Games business on the radio reminded me of the time last winter when I took a box of old medals to the hospital compound for the children’s sports day. My phiran was torn from the pocket where I kept their singju packets. All that talk of big stadiums and national pride—I saw a boy running on the gravel there with his feet bare because his chappal broke, and nobody gave him a second glance. For me, the real fight is not about gold, but whether that boy gets to run again tomorrow without his knee hurting like mine, la.