The Silence Of Kota Poem by AAHAN VARMA

A child left home one day,

Carrying dreams in his eyes.

His mother kissed his forehead,

His father spoke of brighter skies.

'Just work a little harder, '

They said with hopeful smiles.

'Your success will make

Every sacrifice worthwhile.'

Then the race began.

A test in the morning.

A test at night.

Another score.

Another fight.

Slowly friends became ranks.

Smiles became numbers.

And life became something

Measured by marks and wonders.

One student lost sleep.

Another lost joy.

Another forgot how to laugh.

Another stopped being a boy.

The question isn't

Why students work so hard.

The question is—

Why they carry such heavy scars.

The question isn't

Why dreams grow high.

The question is—

Why so many feel they must suffer to try.

Behind every report card

Lives a story untold.

Not of marks and percentages—

But of pressure taking hold.

We're not against ambition.

We're not against success.

We're against a system

That turns childhood into stress.

Because every student

Is more than a score.

And when a child loses hope—

Society loses something more.