At Eid, we can’t wait to have our bowls full of sheer khurma and wear our new clothes, shoes, accessories and of course, those glittering bangles for the girls. We also excitedly look forward to meeting our family and friends. After all, this is the time for celebration and partying! Another thing that increases our excitement level is the eidi. I mean all of us love to have those new and crispy banknotes in our hands, don’t we? I remember that as a child I would always wish to collect Eidi from everyone, including my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. The very sight of those colourful envelopes gave me sheer joy and I am quite sure that you feel the same and are thrilled for the day.

all of us love to have those new and crispy banknotes in our hands, don’t we? I remember that as a child I would always wish to collect eidi from everyone, including my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. The very sight of those colourful envelopes gave me sheer joy and I am quite sure that you feel the same and are thrilled for yourself.

So what do you do with your eidi every year? Do you spend it all as soon as you get it, or do you save it, or at least some of it? Well, I think that whatever you have been doing with it till now was not as useful and effective as you can make it this year. You may have been spending it or saving it, but how about spending it wisely and productively? Why not spend it in a way that benefits not only you, but also those around you in the long run? Let’s look at a few ways in which you can make this happen and create a difference this year.

First of all, spend some of your eidi for planting trees. It does not take much time or money, so it will not make you feel burdened. But it has numerous advantages associated with it.

You are well aware that temperatures are increasing every year, heat waves have become common and people are dying due to heat stroke. This has a lot to do with the reckless chopping down of trees in the recent years.

The importance of arboriculture can never be stressed enough and in this scenario, it becomes all the more important that we plant as many trees as possible and save our environment.

You can buy the seeds or saplings of trees that are native to our soil, and plant them at many places. For instance, in or around your own house, your school, a park or some other appropriate place in the neighbourhood.

Another thing that you can do with your eidi is to buy books. The famous nineteenth century American writer Mark Twain said, “Those who don’t read good books have no advantage over those who can’t.”

Reading is an extremely constructive and beneficial activity, and we should always be in the search of good books. It is also far better than wasting our time on social media or playing video games. Reading gives a boost to our imagination, increases our vocabulary, improves our understanding of various issues and enhances not only our reading skills, but more importantly, our writing skills. Thus, a person has an edge over other people when one is an avid reader.

As you are still enjoying your school holidays, you have plenty of time to read some good titles. And if you already have books that you are planning to read this summer, get your hands on a good dictionary. A dictionary is also a very important language learning tool because it not only provides the meaning of a word, but also its pronunciation, usage and word class.

Apart from this, another very important thing is to share your eidi with the underprivileged. You can buy something for a poor child and gift it to them. Usually, we give away our used stuff and old items to needy individuals or charities, but those second-hand things can never be as good as something brand new.

There are many people out there who cannot make both ends meet but they also have desires. A beautifully wrapped gift is as appealing to them as it is to the rest of us.

You can buy a new book, a box of colour pencils, a bag, a water bottle, a dress, a pair of shoes, or anything worthwhile, and gift it to a poor child. This can be a kid of your domestic workers or a poor child who is a worker at some place. By doing this, you will not only bring a smile to their face but you will also feel a lot of happiness and satisfaction. Try this and you will realise that the joy of buying something for your own self is nothing compared to when you gift it to a needy person.

Lastly, if possible, also try to save some of your eidi. The amount does not matter, but saving it surely does. In fact, you must make it a habit to save at least a portion of your eidi or pocket money, as it will help you to learn to manage your expenses and spend your money in a wise and balanced manner when you grow up and start earning. Moreover, you will be able to buy something valuable for yourself when you have saved enough. So even if you drop just one coin in your money box every day, eventually it will turn into a decent sum.

These are the various ideas with regards to using your eidi sensibly this year. But if you come up with other ways to achieve the same purpose, go ahead! After all, everyone is innovative in their own way. The goal is to learn moderation and avoid both stinginess and excess.

So this Eid, be smart, be creative and be different!

Eid Mubarak!

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 1st, 2019