Member-only story
I have read somewhere that the reason why kids were sent at a very young age (4rth grade at first, and then at 6th grade during my time) to Sainik Schools in India was because someone in the Govt. had reached the conclusion that the only way to root out casteism from the next generation was to keep kids away from their parents from a young age — because they learnt these ideas from home.
This was true to some extent. But sometimes it did raise its ugly head from time to time.
Then I remember the middle-aged man pulling a cart. The attached image is an approximation. The load was not that large, however there were only two wheels, so he was in effect pulling it up, then moving forward — which can be more difficult, especially when the “tires” are smaller & made of wood (not rubber for sure).
It was a sunny afternoon in a southern state where even in December you can observe temperatures as high as 98 degrees Fahrenheit.
He was struggling to move the cart forward, because of an incline in the road. And it was clear that he had reached the end of his rope & looking around for help.
I should have been in the 7th or 8th grade. We were a group of kids walking on the road not far away from him. We could see his predicament.
