Never have I been so emotional while writing a post as I am today because I have witnessed something today which could melt any stone heart. Today, as I rushed to get ready for the Friday prayers, my younger brother raced across the house carrying a weird looking gadget. I would not have given it a second thought-or look for that matter (I have grown up with my brother's idiosyncrasies) but when my brother screamed at the top of his voice that it was a miniature motor boat that his newly made friend had made. Expecting the typical childish hodgepodge, I asked him to show me the boat. When I saw the boat, to say that I was amazed would be an understatement. I was stunned. The boat was a perfect miniaturization of its normal counterpart-everything from the realistic wood-like paint-job to the intricately designed mast, was immaculately done. However, my amazement on seeing the boat was not solely due to its aesthetics. The simple yet elegant engineering involved was even more brilliant-from aerodynamically cut propeller to carefully hoisted battery,everything looked perfect.
And the surprises did not stop here. I asked my brother to introduce me to such a genius friend of his (I has yet to meet this new friend of his), he told me the most amazing thing of all. His friend was only five years ols and was studying in 1st grade. His family is extremely poor-so much that his family has to skip lunch because they simply can not afford it. He reminded me that once my mother made lunch for both of them and his friend was overjoyed because he got to ate three meals in a day after such a long time. His friend had actually sold that boat to me so
What I felt after that can hardly ever be described in words. The magnitude of the grief that I felt for the abject conditions of this wunderkid is just beyond words. Tears actually welled up in my eyes when I thought about how this genius might be wasted because of poverty. I always thought that I was considerably disadvantaged (I can not say that I had to skip lunches but yes, I can talk about many other things which would definitely be classified as financial hardship) but my problems seem trivial when compared to this kid. I have been thinking about this kid thw whole day.
This event is not something strange. Our country is brimming with talent but the many problems we face have hindered our intellectual and personal growth. It is high time for us to realize that we have to solve our problems not only for our own sake but more importantly, for gems like my brother's friend who, if nurtured and mentored, could be a valuable asset for Pakistan.