Chalk Dust and Stardust

Amidst the chaos of chalk and dreams deferred, We ask ourselves, where can we find the spark In this labyrinth of rote and rigid words? The burden we bear, a future stark We've trudged through dusty classrooms, yearning For wisdom beyond the printed page We've learned that silence isn't always learning And the norms of what education should be Aren't always nurturing or expanding Yet the dawn of change is ours Before we knew it, somehow we do it Somehow we've witnessed and weathered A system that isn't broken, but simply unfinished We, the heirs of Tagore and Kalam, Where a village girl from the remotest corner Can dream of coding satellites and stars, Finding purpose beyond textbook and soil And yes, we are far from perfect Far from world-class, but that doesn't mean We aren't striving to form an education That is relevant, inclusive, and keen To compose a curriculum committed to all Cultures, languages, skills, and aspirations of man So we lift our gazes not to what stands between us But what stands before us – a future bright and grand We bridge the digital divide We close the gap between rural and urban, Between genders, castes, and economic lines Because we know, to put our future first We must first put our differences aside We lay down our textbooks So we can reach out our minds to one another We seek not to compete, but to collaborate Let the world, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we struggled, we innovated That even as we lagged, we leapt That even as we copied, we created That we'll forever be tied together, victorious Not because we will never again know failure But because we will never again sow mediocrity Our ancient texts tell us to envision A world where knowledge flows like the Ganges Where every child sits under their own banyan tree, Learning without fear, growing with joy, Their minds and spirits are equally free If we're to live up to our potential Then success won't lie in marks alone But in the minds, we've freed, the curiosity we've sown That is the promised land The hill we climb, if only we dare It's because being Indian is more than a heritage we inherit It's the future we step into and how we prepare for it We've seen forces that would keep us divided, Rather than unite in our diversity Would stifle our growth if it meant maintaining the status quo And this inertia nearly succeeded But while progress can be periodically delayed It can never be permanently defeated In this truth, in this faith we trust For a while we have our eyes on global rankings History has its eyes on us This is the era of just transformation We feared at its inception We did not feel prepared to overhaul Such a mammoth, age-old system But within it, we found the power To author a new chapter To offer hope and skills to ourselves So once we asked, How could we possibly reform this behemoth? Now we assert, How could stagnation possibly prevail over our resolve? We will not march back to what was But move to what shall be A system that is challenged but dynamic, Rooted but revolutionary, Traditional yet transformative We will not be turned around Or interrupted by intimidation Because we know our inaction and complacency Will be the inheritance of the next generation Our flaws become their fetters But one thing is certain: If we merge compassion with rigour, And access with excellence, If we blend our ancient wisdom with modern insight, And insight into innovation, Then learning becomes our legacy And creativity is our children's birthright So let us leave behind an education Better than the one we were left with Every breath from our diverse tongues, We will raise this exam-driven system into a thought-provoking one We will rise from the tech hubs of Bangalore, We will rise from the classrooms of Kerala, Where literacy first flourished We will rise from the rural schools of the heartland, We will rise from the bustling coaching centres of the north We will reimagine, reinvent, and revitalise And every state of our nation, Every child is called our future, Our students diverse and curious will emerge, Challenged and changed, empowered and inspired When the day comes, we step out of the shadow of rote, Into a future bright and unafraid The new dawn of education blooms as we nurture it For there is always a better way, If only we're brave enough to see it If only we're brave enough to be it