and she does not have a grain of food in the house. But what about Hamid? He is not concerned with the harsh realities of life. In his heart, there is brightness; in his mind, there is hope.
Hamid enters the hut and tells his grandmother, “You must not worry, Amma. I’ll come back before anyone else. Don’t be afraid of me.” Amina feels a tightening around her heart. Other children in the village are all going with their fathers.
The only father Hamid has is Amina. How can she send him alone to the crowded fair? If he gets lost, who will help him? No, Amina would not let him go alone.
Unit- - Activity - - - Poor little soul! Three miles of walking! He has no shoes on his feet. He will get blisters.
If she were to go with him, she would pick him up every now and then, but then, three paise in Hamid’s pocket, five in Amina’s pouch. This was all there was, it is the festival of Id. The villagers start for the fair. Hamid is walking along with the children.
Sometimes they run ahead of the others, then sit under a tree and wait impatiently for the others. Suddenly they could see the Idgah. These villagers wash their hands and feet and line up behind the others. A hundred thousand heads bow together in prayer!
The prayers are over. Men embrace each other. Then they descend on the sweet shops and toy vendors like an army moving for an assault. Hamid stands at some distance.
He has only three paise. He cannot waste one- third of his treasure on any of these. After the toys, it is the sweets. One buys rewri, another gulabjamun, a third sohan halwa.
They eat with great relish. Hamid remains aloof. The poor fellow has only three paise. After the sweet shops, there are some hardware shops and metal shops.
There is no attraction for the boys here. They all walk on ahead except Hamid who stops outside a metal shop. He sees a pile