Nation Of Questions? Poem by AAHAN VARMA

The Nation of Questions

'Stay quiet, ' they whisper,
'Don't question, don't see.'

For questions are dangerous
To those who fear the free.

A journalist writes,
A teacher speaks,
A student protests,
And suddenly power feels weak.

Some are called traitors,
Some anti-national overnight,
Not because they hate their country—
But because they question what's right.

A mother sells her dreams,
A father borrows to pay the fee,
Then another paper leaks,
And another future ceases to be.

It's not just an exam that's stolen,
It's trust that bleeds away,
Years of sacrifice and effort
Sold in a single day.

Students break under pressure,
Parents drown in fear,
While promises of reform
Return every year.

Schools teach yesterday,
While tomorrow races ahead,
Young minds chase coaching centres,
Their classrooms left unfed.

Taxes rise like mountains,
Services crawl like dust,
Roads crack, systems fail,
And citizens lose trust.

When protests fill the streets,
Barricades appear in rows,
Yet where was that urgency
When cheating networks rose?

Then comes politics—

Religion on one stage,
Secularism on another,
Communities become vote banks,
Neighbor against neighbor.

Real problems disappear,
Education, jobs, healthcare too,
While endless political battles
Divide me and you.

The media grows louder,
But answers grow thin,
Noise wins the headlines,
While truth struggles to begin.

We reached the Moon,
And celebrated with pride,
Yet millions still search
For quality education denied.

You praise Japan,
You praise Korea's way,
But when will our children
See that future someday?

We are not for power,
Nor against it by default,
We're simply asking questions
About every visible fault.

Because love for a nation
Is not silent applause,
It's having the courage
To challenge its flaws.

For patriotism is not obedience,
And criticism is not a crime,

A stronger nation grows
When questions survive time.

And the day questions disappear,
Leaving only cheers and praise,

A democracy may keep elections—

But slowly lose its soul.

-AAHAN VARMA