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Now, let’s read about a little boy, Hamid, and his selfless act of love towards his poor
and old grandmother. SDG 1 no poverty

A full thirty days after Ramadan comes Eid. How wonderful and beautiful is the morning
of Eid! The trees look greener, the field more festive, the sky has a lovely pink glow. Look
at the sun! It comes up brighter and more dazzling than before to wish the world a very

happy Eid. The village is agog with excitement. Everyone is up early to go to the Eidgah
mosque. It is a good three miles from the village. There will also be hundreds of people to
greet and chat with; they would certainly not be finished before midday.

The boys are more excited than the others. Some of them kept only one fast—and that
only till noon. Some didn’t even do that. But no one can deny them the joy of going to the
Eidgah. Fasting is for the grown-ups and the aged. For the boys it is only the day of Eid.
They have been talking about it all the time. At long last the day has come. And now they

are impatient with people for not hurrying up. They have no concern with things that
have to be done.

The happiest of the boys is Hamid. He is only four; poorly dressed, thin and famished
looking. His father died last year of cholera. Then his mother wasted away and, without
anyone finding out what had ailed her she also died. Now Hamid sleeps in Granny
Ameena’s lap and is as happy as a lark. She tells him that his father has gone to earn

money and will return with sack loads of silver. And that his mother has gone to Allah
to get lovely gifts for him. This makes Hamid very happy. It is great to live on hope; for
a child there is nothing like hope. A child’s imagination can turn a mustard seed into
a mountain. Hamid has no shoes on his feet; the cap on his head is soiled and tattered;
its gold thread has turned black. Nevertheless Hamid is happy. He knows that when his
father comes back with sacks full of silver and his mother with gifts from Allah he will

be able to fulfil all his heart’s desires. Then he will have more than Mahmood, Mohsin,
Noorey and Sammi.

In her hovel the unfortunate Ameena sheds bitter tears. It is Eid and she does not have
even a handful of grain. Only if her Abid were there, it would have been a different kind
of Eid!

Hamid goes to his grandmother and says, ‘Granny, don’t you fret

over me! I will be the first to get back. Don’t worry!’’ Do you think
Ameena’s fears are
Ameena is sad. Other boys are going out with their fathers. She justified?
Just a Minute!
is the only ‘father’ Hamid has. How can she let him go to the fair
all by himself? What if he gets lost in the crowd? No, she must
not lose her precious little soul! How can he walk three miles? He
doesn’t even have a pair of shoes. He will get blisters on his feet. agog: very eager
If she went along with him she could pick him up now and then. hovel: a small and simple
dwelling

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