Abdul, I Don’t Know You

 

Abdul, I don’t know you

But, we the people of India.

I only know
that you lost your father—
killed in broad daylight.

And yet,
you did not lose hope.

You held on to a dream
that millions of us carry:
hope for our country,
hope in our Constitution,
hope in the traditions
that have survived thousands of years.

Abdul,
you were asking for better schools,
better education,
a better future.

I know, Abdul—
you were being selfish.

Selfish enough to ask
for what every child deserves.

Selfish enough to believe
that education is not a privilege,
but a right.

Selfish enough to imagine
a country where
no child has to inherit
the darkness of his father's fate.

Abdul,
you were not asking only for yourself.

You were asking for all of us.

And perhaps that is
the highest form of national service.