The Lost Rider

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is the sole gateway to medical education in India. Its credibility is therefore not merely an administrative concern. It determines who will one day become the doctors entrusted with treating and saving lives. Equally important, it assures millions of students that they compete on a level playing field.

When that trust is breached, the damage extends far beyond a single examination. A paper leak does not merely give a few candidates an unfair advantage; it weakens faith in the institution itself. It also raises uncomfortable questions about the standards expected of those who eventually emerge from a system compromised at its entry point.

NEET-UG witnessed major paper leak controversies in both 2024 and 2026. On both occasions, Dharmendra Pradhan served as the Union Minister for Education. Students protested after the 2024 controversy, yet the recurrence of similar allegations two years later has deepened public frustration. Mistakes can happen. Repeating the same mistakes after knowing where the vulnerabilities lie is far harder to defend.

Social reformer Sonam Wangchuk has now joined the calls demanding the Education Minister’s resignation, arguing that accountability must accompany repeated institutional failure.

The illustration is built around that idea.

The bicycle represents the education system itself. Its wheels are no longer wheels at all—they have collapsed under neglect, their spokes replaced by cobwebs, symbols of institutions left unattended. Yet the rider blames the thin stream of water on the road for losing balance.

Standing ahead is Sonam Wangchuk, rendered as a fragile glacier slowly melting into the road. He represents the public conscience—calm, frail, and asking uncomfortable questions. The irony is deliberate. The bicycle was never fit to ride. The water merely revealed what was already broken.

A broken bicycle demands repair, not excuses.