She stood near the window,
behind the chair. She wore blue frock over jeans and rolled the dupatta in her
neck. It was a sunny day, besides a cool breeze was blowing outside touched her
face. She had pretty, innocent face, grayish-brown eyes having charm in it;
brown hairs neither too long nor too short and was flying with the breeze and
came to her face. In short, she was attractive. “Umeed where were you? Umeed was
so lost in her thoughts that she had not heard Ayesha. Ayesha was her best
friend since her childhood and was totally different from Umeed. She is lively
and hilarious too.
I was finding you in the whole university, started with the library, basement,
garden and all the left places for half an hour and why you didn’t reply to my
text?” “I have not seen them, sorry!” “It’s alright but now you have to come
with me to the cafe. I am hungry and I want to eat something, you misanthropic
girl; it was really spot on and totally relatable”. “I’m not a misanthropic”.
“Yes, my dear! You are”. “Let it be, by the way I’m not”. “What do you want to
eat”? “Nothing, just bring me a one cup of coffee please”. “Okay, I will bring”.
Umeed was walking here and there. She was constantly thinking of something and
looked little disturb and was stunned also; as something hurts her but she had
no words to define it. At dawn she offered “Fajr” prayer and then moved towards
the breakfast table. Father asked: “Umeed, how were your studies going on”?
“Well, it’s fine dad. Ayesha and she were doing her bachelor’s in the subject
“an organizational behavior” from the Punjab University Lahore”. Mother scolded
her, “I have seen you for some days; you don’t eat well. What’s the problem
Umeed? You’re looking feeble day by day”. “No, mom I eat well according to the
capacity of my stomach”, and she smiled after. “Tell me, are you on diet”? “No,
mom what has happened to you”? I don’t need any diet. It’s just your
assumptions”. Okay, fine! Eat well! And after that take this cup of milk and
finished it”. “In a meanwhile, a grandpa came to the breakfast table. “Why your
mother scolded you”, he asked Umeed. “She don’t eat well and looks feeble”,
mother replied. “She is right you should eat well! You’re a student; to boost
your potential and to fulfil your energy requirements, you need a proper diet,
so that you perform well!” O, grandpa you too are with mom”. Yes, my daughter,
she’s right.
She was sitting in the garden area of the university and making her assignment,
meanwhile, Ayesha came and sat beside her. “Have you done an assignment of
psychology”? “Yes it’s almost done”. “Liston, Umeed do my assignment as well,
please my cutie pie!” “No, do it by yourself”. “Look at the people, how mean
they are”. “O, drama queen stop be dramatic!” “Okay, I will do but some of the
points are not clear to me, at least help me in it”. “Sure, why not”. “Thank
God”, replied Ayesha and smiled in naughtiness.
In the evening, she went straight to the grandpa’s room. He offered his“Isha”
prayer and was reciting the verses of “the Holy Quran”, surah Rahman. She sat
behind him in the left corner with the wall. She was listening to him very
deeply as the words filled sweetness of honey in her ears and her heart was
delighted by each single word he recited.
After he recited the surah, without looking behind; asked her, “What’s the
matter, my child”? “How would you know grandpa”? “My dear princess, I’m your
grandpa, the father of your father; so how would I don’t know that something
troubles you”. “I want to share something with you grandpa, may I”? “Yes dear!
Anytime, you don’t need to take permission from me. You are free to ask and say
anything to me, now say what you want to”. “Grandpa, I hated my country because
of the illegal, immoral activities, increased crime rate, the worst political
and economical conditions and due to corruption as well. I have developed a
negative thinking just by looking these sides. I thought nothing good has
happened to our country and people living there are also corrupt even, but I am
the citizen of it too! And due to others we have to face this calumny; too,
outside our country and majority living in foreign lands, outside “Pakistan”
faced it too. I was ashamed to be a citizen of Pakistan but now I felt guilty of
accusing it and there is a reason behind it. I saw on the road, a week before,
some students of college were helping others along with other people as well.
They provide water to the people who need it, guide the way to the other’s who
don’t know and helped old people while crossing road and helped poor and
destitute as well. I was much impressed by this all and felt ashamed too about
myself that I was just complaining and complaining but never play my part for
the development of my beloved country “the land of sacrifice”. At that time,
several questions arose in my mind that why we are not portraying the good sides
of our country in and outside it? Why we are not presenting it in a good way,
internationally? And after watching and analyzing this I by myself also realized
that I was mistaken first”. “Listen my dear; I’m happy that you realized that
our state is having its beautiful aspects also and it’s not only the place of
junk only. You don’t need to be guilty it happened to us most of the time that
we get frustrated by the things, got annoyed and react. But listen to my words
carefully we have two ways i-e either to accept reality and to live with it and
other is that might help you in all matters of your life as well. “Change will
not come by screaming and asked others to change you; it starts with yourself,
to implement some certain changes to you”. “The only thing you need to do is “a
little effort” by your side, the part you contribute towards the better change.
It might helps you to portray a better image of your country first in and then
outside “Pakistan”. After that the things will automatically go into the right
direction and you sensed it too. Just believe that you have the ability to do so
and show respect to your motherland so others may respect it, don’t let anyone
to disrespect it, but not by your words but by your actions, my dear”. “O,
grandpa, I feel light hearted after having this great discussion with you and
your views about it made me more energetic to do “a little effort”. “Now go
dear, offered your bed time prayer, sleep well because you have to go university
tomorrow”. “Good night grandpa”. “Good night dear!”
A week ago, Umeed was coming from the university she saw traffic was out of
order and there was only traffic police there and it became difficult for him to
handle it all. She came out of the car and went towards the traffic police and
said I can help you sir! He wonders, for a while but she permits her to deal
this along with him. Umeed managed it in an organized way and helped the traffic
police as he was much impressed by her sense of proportion. “You, have done well
girl. I appreciate your wit. She replied Sir! I have just done “a little effort”
by my side”. She smiled and went towards the car.