Why Not Us? Poem by AAHAN VARMA

As a child he looked at maps,

And wondered every time—

How do some nations grow so fast,

While we stand waiting in line?

The people there aren't magical.

The children aren't born ahead.

They wake up.

They study.

They dream beneath the same sky overhead.

A student here studies all night,

Chasing marks and chasing hope.

Yet after years of hard work,

He's still learning how to cope.

A teacher wants to inspire.

A scientist wants to create.

But too often their biggest battle

Is the system they navigate.

Some countries build laboratories.

Some build classrooms first.

Some invest in ideas.

Some leave potential unrehearsed.

The question isn't

Why they're ahead today.

The question is—

Why we lost our way.

The question isn't

Whether talent exists.

The question is—

Why talent struggles like this.

If ability were the problem,

We wouldn't reach the moon.

If intelligence were missing,

We wouldn't rise so soon.

The problem isn't people.

The problem isn't dreams.

The problem is what happens

Between plans and reality's seams.

We don't compare out of jealousy.

We compare because we care.

Because every child deserves a chance,

No matter where.

Developed nations aren't accidents.

They aren't built overnight.

They're built when education,

Research, and vision unite.

So we're not asking—

'Why is Japan so strong? '

We're asking—

'What are we doing wrong? '

Because if our children have the potential,

And our youth have the fire,

Then what's stopping the system

From helping them climb higher?