The summer break had started. Bilal, a teenager, was excited to finally have the free time to enjoy playing video games on his PlayStation and endlessly scrolling on the phone.

His parents were tired of always trying to stop him, constantly telling him that spending so much time online and on social media wasn’t good for his physical health. But Bilal never listened, he was very addicted to the e-world.

One day, after getting fed up, his mother discussed it with his grandparents.

“Is there any way we can get him away from this internet world?” she asked.

His grandfather replied, “Yes, there is a way. I am planning to visit our village for a week. I am thinking of taking Bilal along, it will be a new experience for him to see a simple lifestyle. Besides, the internet signals are very bad there, so he won’t be able to stay online very often.”

His mother was happy to hear this. “That’s a very good idea,” she replied.

She excitedly went and shared it with Bilal, hoping he would be happy about going with his grandparents, but he refused, saying the trip would be boring without internet.

“How would I spend my days?” he complained.

Just then his grandmother entered the room and explained calmly to him that it would be an exciting trip and he wouldn’t be alone, because his cousin Rahim was also coming. After thinking for a bit, Bilal agreed to go with them.

Two days later, they started their journey. Bilal didn’t bring his laptop because he knew there would be no proper internet service. Initially, he was very tense, but his grandparents began telling Rahim and Bilal stories about their past and how they spent their lives in the village. Bilal finally started to show some interest. As their train passed through high mountains and flowing rivers, the views were pleasing and beautiful. He took deep breaths of fresh air, appreciating the serene morning.

Bilal had never seen such beauty up close in his life. He was awestruck and wondered what kind of world it was. The experience was surreal for both Rahim and Bilal. They travelled through fields of wheat, corn and cotton. It took them one whole day to reach their destination.

At their village, they went to their ancestral home, which was large and open. They had dinner with their relatives, and his grandmother told the kids that they would go to the fields the next day to see how farmers worked and harvested the crops.

Bilal felt excitement and, for the first time in many years, he was so engrossed in this new experience that he didn’t even miss not playing video games.

The next morning, they went to the fields. The farmers knew Bilal’s grandfather and greeted him warmly. They roamed around the fields full of beautiful flowers and fruit trees. Bilal ate some fresh fruits and explored the cotton fields, learning how farmers harvest the crops. He also participated in the process, finding it very exciting and new.

Bilal didn’t even think about the internet during this time. The next day, he made friends with the village children and played outdoor games like hopscotch, kabaddi and gilli-danda. Rahim and Bilal were having a lot of fun in the village, and their grandparents were satisfied to see this.

There was also a lake in the village where they went fishing. It was Bilal’s first time fishing, and he enjoyed it a lot. Later that evening, they made dinner with the fish they caught, with the help of their grandparents.

Cooking in the village was itself a task because there was no gas stove, so they cooked it on firewood. The meal turned out to be delicious.

A week passed swiftly and it was time to return. Both Rahim and Bilal didn’t want to leave because they had started enjoying the simple village life that brought them many new enriching experiences. But, of course, they had to go back.

Their grandparents assured them, “Now that you like the place, we will visit every year, or when you get long school breaks.”

On the journey back, Bilal thought that coming to the village was the best thing to have happened to him. He had experienced a new lifestyle, had quality time and made good memories — that too without internet!

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 28th, 2024