From the day I was born
Up to my youth’s thrill
Just one thing has kept me on
“Why should I? Others will”
On the road I’ve seen the begging child
Whose single glance reminds of all my bills
His pleading eyes drive me wild
But I say “why should I? Others will”
Not a few steps ahead, I have seen
A young boy like me, lying still
With a pool of blood and people watching keen
But I say “why should I? Others will”
Not far, I usually see hungry homeless people
Bound to the road, unaware of heat & chill
Even imagining their life’s roughness isn’t simple
But I move on –“why should I? Others will”
One day, through that daily dump as I rode
A car thrashed me searching its daily kill
Because that day was my turn to lie on the road
The frightened me thought- “Now who will?”
Lying dead, I screamed with eyes looking up
But what happened next made my eyes fill
A young boy like me came close, held me up
And said-“If not me, who will!”
His words pierced my heart like a knife
Destroyed my mind’s coward and selfish hill
That day a new turn came in my life
Because finally I realized- “If not me, then no one will”
For how long will we neglect our responsibility
And put the burden on others to do the social drills
It’s the high time to change our mentality
And say with a determined voice- “Yes, I will…I will…”
– Aakash Ravgotra, IIT ROPAR
