Cruelty or the Duality

Today, while waiting in line at a small general store, I witnessed a moment that quietly said more about India than any policy paper ever could.

A young boy in a crisp school uniform stood at the counter, bargaining for a candy. Behind the counter was another boy roughly the same age, maybe seven or eight managing the shop with remarkable confidence.

The child in uniform barely understood what he was negotiating for. The other, uneducated and probably never formally schooled, reasoned with him explaining, almost mathematically, why the bargain wasn’t fair. His clarity, logic, and quick thinking were sharper than many students years ahead of him.

It struck me deeply how the boy who has everything might not recognize it, while the boy with nothing has already learned to survive, calculate, and reason with the world.

In India, this duality is everywhere.
The man selling shoes often wears none.
The woman selling rice often skips a meal.
The child selling candy reasons like an adult, while the one buying it still learns how to think.

Moments like these remind me that intelligence isn’t born from privilege it’s born from necessity.
And that empathy, awareness, and gratitude are forms of education too ones no school can teach.