The Silent 4:00 AM Tea Stall Beside the Testing Center

Waiting Outside Gate No. 2

At 4:00 AM outside the government polytechnic center, thirty fathers sat on overturned wooden crates. None of them had slept. Most had traveled on unreserved train coaches from districts six hours away, carrying plastic folders containing original caste certificates, admit cards with affixed postcards, and two passport photos with white backgrounds.

Nobody discusses ranks or mock test scores. They share thermoses of lukewarm tea and speak in low murmurs about bus schedules and whether the afternoon train back home will have standing room.