Sunday, December 07, 2014

The Dropouts

Have you ever seen the angst he hides
As into his wrist a blade he slides?
The girl on that 7th floor sill,
Crying, "No more, no more", in a voice shrill,
Have you seen the tears
That even then to shed she fears?

What systems we breed
That make kids bleed?
What is this greed
That only marks can feed?
What is this creed
That blots out any other need?

No fun and games.
No leisurely days.
No patience for mistakes.
Are these really childhood days?

School, tuitions, classes even
Oh! So very carefully chosen,
Each adding to the 'value' of a person,
That will aid to secure some deemed admission.

Then a good job, then a better pay,
Then a better lifestyle, then a place to stay,
Then a family to make, then kids to entertain,
Then all these to maintain.
When, who will stop this train?
When will from blindly following 'success' we refrain?

Dropouts! I salute you for taking a stand
For your attempt to follow your heart, not the lay of the land,
For inspiring a few more to follow your lead,
For spreading the syndrome of a 'bad seed'.
'Be happy' - your sucess mantra,
Thank you for showing the blade boy and the sill girl a new vista!

Bravo!

- Written on 7 December 2014
- Irritated by multiple conversations in the past week about tuitions, marks, resume profiles. Even NGO work is done for an SOP, not society!!!
- And yes, dedicated to Karthik too.
- BTW, so many students approach so many a time (at least it seems that way to - frustrated with my helplessness - me). How does one help them, how does one counsel thwir families, for they often are the ones in need of a reality check, how does one change the system - one admires, promotes the intrepid daredevils.

Salaam!


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