Kalpana’s poem explores privilege and inequality in her hometown, where Lala, a rickshaw puller, drives her to school, exclusively for Different Truths.
Hurry, hurry! Lala, my Rikshawala hollers. He takes me to school. Barefoot in winter, he pedals fast, but the wheel of time has its own pace. I tuck my icy hands under my arms. The blue cardigan knit by my mother keeps me warm. I have books to read and lunch in a tiffin box. I’m privileged. Lala isn't. He knows why. I don’t.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
By
By
By
By