“Oh my gosh! Just look at this dress, exactly what my heart has been yearning for,” exclaimed Zara delightfully.

“I will look so beautiful in this purple dress and will be the centre of attraction of the Eid party,” thought Zara as she envisaged herself in that dress.

She scrolled the webpage for a couple of minutes more until she had made up her mind that she would buy that dress anyhow. She was about to hit the ‘Add to cart’ button when her eyes landed on the price of the dress.

“That’s way too exorbitant and I don’t think I have that much money,” muttered Zara as she jumped up, scanned her wallet and dumped its contents on her bed, revealing a few crumpled currency notes that surely were not sufficient for her purchase.

“But I won’t give up,” she reminded herself.

With a sigh, she plopped onto the couch and began thinking of all the sources she could tap into to fulfil her desire. She had already borrowed money from her elder sister that month, which meant she could not pester her. Mum was already complaining about the expenses outstretching her budget, which meant she couldn’t nag her too. Baba was quite tied up in repaying for their house instalments, which implied that she couldn’t disturb him too. Now, the only person left was daadi.

“Yes, daadi,” the very thought made her eyes gleam with excitement. But how will she convince her? She knew Daadi was a tough one, persuading her and making her agree on something was a daunting task. But Zara too was stubborn, once she had her mind made on something, it was unlikely that she would change her decision.

“I will surely find a way out to make daadi help me buy this outfit,” whispered Zara defiantly.

That entire afternoon her mind was occupied scheming how to lure daadi part with some money for her dress. In the evening, she hovered around the kitchen to help daadi prepare the batter for her scrumptious pakora.

The sudden change in Zara’s behaviour did not go unnoticed by daadi, however, she kept quiet. Finally, it was time for the Asr prayer and daadi made her way to perform the ablution. Zara also brought her prayer mat and laid it next to hers. After the prayer, daadi pulled Zara towards her, and hugged and lovingly stroked her hair.

“It seems to me that you want to talk to me about something. Come on now, tell me what is on your mind, my child,” said daadi softly.

Taken aback, Zara wondered how daadi came to know that she had to discuss something with her. Stuttering, Zara spoke softly to daadi about how badly she wanted to buy an outfit on Eid, but didn’t have enough money to buy it.

“Just a minute, you stay here, I will bring my phone to show you the dress, you surely will also second my selection,” Zara said and dashed as fast as a lightning to her room, and returned excitedly with the phone clutching in her hand. She then sat next to daadi, zooming the image of the dress in and out for daadi to seefrom all angles.

“So, umm ... what do you say daadi, isn’t it lovely?” enquired Zara.

“It surely is beautiful, Zara and I am certain that you will look very pretty in it. For me, nothing is more precious than my daughter’s happiness.”

Folding the prayer mat neatly, she rose and headed towards her old chestnut drawers. She returned with a handful of currency notes in her hand.

“There you go my child,” said daadi affectionately while handing in the amount to Zara.

“You are just the best grandmother in the entire universe! How can I ever thank you?” exclaimed Zara joyfully as she embraced her lovingly.

Daadi smiled radiantly, whilst her white hair shone with streaks of ember as the sun rays fell onto them.

“Zara do you know the true meaning of Eid?” probed daadi while clearing her throat.

“Eid is not about wearing new clothes and shoes, or making a show of designer apparel or jewellery. It is an occasion of festivity in which we celebrate togetherness, spread happiness and thank Allah for the unlimited blessings and bounties He has bestowed upon us.

“Eid can be celebrated in old clothes and shoes, but real goodness and joy comes when we are the source of smiles for people around us and have made efforts to uplift the problems of the needy. The essence of Eid is reaching out to people, sharing your happiness and promoting positivity everywhere.

“You can use this amount to buy the dress you want, but just think how wonderful it would be if you were the source of smiles for those who look upon you and possess far less than you. What a great deal of contentment you will derive by pleasing both Allah and His creations. Think about it Zara,” concluded daadi as she patted her gently.

Zara half-heartedly nodded, looking all confused, and made her way to join the rest for breaking the fast. Later that evening, lying in her bed, Zara pondered over daadi’s words.

“I really want to buy that dress, but I can’t deny the importance of helping out others,” she debated with herself. Lost in her thoughts she went to sleep.

In the morning, she woke up with a lot of zeal as if she knew what needed to be done. She asked her mother if she could go shopping with her in the afternoon, to which mother agreed. So with the amount daadi had handed to Zara and what she had in her wallet, the two of them went shopping for clothes, shoes, candies and toys. Exhausted, yet exhilarated, they finally stopped over at a girls’ orphanage.

Zara helped her mum carry the shopping bags inside, where they distributed the items among girls of various ages. The gratitude and affection with which they looked upon Zara was immeasurable. Looking at their beaming faces Zara knew that she had made the right decision.

Zara had finally understood that the true significance of Eid lies in spreading happiness and joy around!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 6th, 2024