HAMID: THE PERSONIFICATION OF UNSELFISH LOVE

 Eidgah

     Eidgah, translated as ‘TheFestival of Eid’, is a very popular story by Munshi Premchand, one of India’s most influential Hindi writers of the last century. Written in 1938, the story is a sensitive account of a poor boy’s adventures at a village fair on the day of the Eid festival. The central character of the story is Hamid, a four-year-old boy who lives with his aged grandmother; having lost both his parents the previous year. 

     The story begins with an excited group of boys getting ready to accompany their elders to the Eidgah (prayer grounds) three miles away, on the long-awaited festival morning. Among them is little Hamid, who is described as thin and famished-looking and poorly dressed – he has no shoes on his feet, and wears a soiled, tattered cap whose golden thread has turned black.

     In contrast to his companions, who are from rich families and have plenty of pocket money to blow up on goodies at the Eid fair, he has just three coins in his pocket. However, he is the happiest of the boys. With all the innocence of childhood, he implicitly believes what his grandmother has told him about his parents – that his father has gone to earn money and will return with sack loads of silver and that his mother has gone to Allah to get lovely gifts for him. He is eagerly awaiting their return, so that he can then fulfil all his heart’s desires and have more than his insensitive companions, who are constantly teasing and tantalising him with their toys. 

     Despite his childish innocence, Hamid on several occasions also displays a maturity and sensitivity beyond his years. For instance, realising that his grandmother is distressed about letting him go to the Eidgah unescorted (while the other boys have their fathers with them), he consoles her with the assurance that he will be the first to get back. 

     At the Eid fair, due to lack of money, he can only stand and watch, while his companions enjoy swing and roundabout rides, buy attractive clay toys, and gorge on sweets to their hearts’ content. Naturally, like any other child, he also longs for these things; however, he finds consolation by telling himself that sweets are bad for health and the flimsy toys are a waste of money that give only momentary pleasure. 

     A noteworthy feature of Hamid’s character is his lack of vindictiveness. His natural tendency is to return good for evil. Even after the other boys have mocked and humiliated him, his reaction is to tell himself that when his parents have returned with riches, he will give each of his tormentors a basket full of toys to teach them how to treat friends. 

     Overcoming temptations, Hamid eventually opts to spend his precious three coins not on sweets or toys for himself, but on a pair of tongs for his grandmother, as he remembers how she burns her fingers on the griddle while baking rotis everyday. The other boys tease Hamid for his purchase, extolling the virtues of their toys over his tongs. 

     We now get to see Hamid’s intelligence as he comes up with quick-witted retorts about the superiority of his iron tongs over their clay toys. His arguments are so convincing that the boys soon believe that Hamid has had the best bargain, and even offer to exchange their items for his – which he refuses. The story ends on a touching note as his grandmother, on receiving the gift, is so overwhelmed with emotion, that she bursts into tears and invokes Allah’s blessings on her grandchild. 

     Little Hamid, with his selfless and caring nature and his gift of imagination that keeps him happy even in the midst of poverty, is one of Premchand’s most loveable creations.

15th June is observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness day to raise awareness about the mistreatment and neglect of older adults and promote the importance of their well-being and dignity. Let us all be sensitive and caring towards elderly people in the family and around us.