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The Joys of Innocence

Fairs were a happy place for me as a child! The rides on the ferris wheel, the merry-go-round with its model animals, pink cotton candy on a stick, the fun never seemed to end. I thought that fairs were the best way to bring out the child in everyone, young and old alike.

Fairs were fun for the whole family.

Happiness was a day at the fair.

Adventures awaited me at the fair.

As a little girl I looked forward to fairs!

Ignorance is indeed easy on one’s conscience! Then one day, I read a story by Munshi Premchand and I began viewing fairs differently.

A Day at the Fair

Eid (Hari Raya in Singapore) comes after thirty days of fasting in the month of Ramzan (Ramadan). Everyone looked forward to the morning of Eid, especially children. 

There indeed was rejoicing all over.

The children especially looked forward to the fair that happened every year on Eid. Without a care in the world, they thronged the fair. When they headed home late in the afternoon, they knew steaming hot vermicelli pudding would be waiting for them. Their pockets were filled with coins and they pulled the coins out of their pockets and counted and recounted them. One little boy had 10 pice (a former monetary unit of undivided India), another little girl squealed that she had 15 pice. From that money they would buy innumerable things: sweets, toys, kites, balls, and much more. 

Little Hamid seemed the happiest amongst them. He was poorly dressed, emaciated, he did not have shoes nor a cap to keep the heat away. His parents were dead, and his grandmother, Ameena looked after him. Ameena told him that his father had gone to faraway lands and would soon return with lovely gifts for him and that his mother had gone to Allah and would shower down blessings upon him and then he would be able to fulfil all his desires. Hearing that made Hamid happy! His life hinged on hope.

Ameena was sad, all the other children were going to the fair with their father but she was the only father Hamid had. Ameena was concerned for Hamid’s safety. He didn’t even have shoes and she was afraid his feet would get scorched in the heat. 

Ameena worried, “Will he be safe?” It was a long walk to the fair. She had earned a small amount by stitching a dress, but then the milkmaid had demanded to be paid. She gave three pice to Hamid to spend at the fair, and she was left with eight pice to buy some sugar, milk, vermicelli to make vermicelli pudding. How could she deprive her precious little one of that? Eid came but once a year.

The villagers left together, and Hamid was with them and that was a relief to Ameena. The kids ran ahead of the elders; they got impatient with the slow pace of the grownups because it was a long walk to the fair.

They reached the suburbs and on both sides of the road there were beautiful mansions, and the gardens had mango and lychee trees. The kids indulged in light banter as they made their way to the fair. Some kids threw stones to try and bring down a mango or two. 

Soon they were at the fair. They were mesmerised by the sights and sounds there. The colourful stalls selling pinwheels, wooden toys, sweets, and other knickknacks beckoned them with a wink and a whistle. 

Soon the grounds were crowded, people were pouring in from different directions and each one seemed better dressed than the other. People arrived in horse-carts, motorcars, bursting with excitement. 

The village bumpkins seemed a calm, contented lot and were not bothered about the riches. Children from villages found everything in the big towns fascinating. They stared wide eyed at everything with wonder. 

Children rushed towards attractions at a roundabout! There were swings, a Ferris wheel, and a merry-go-round. “Pay a pice and enjoy riding up to the skies and then plummeting down to the ground!”  Some kids rushed towards the swings, yet others ran to the merry-go-round, it was one pice for 25 rounds. Wooden horses, camels, elephants descended from iron rods. The kids enjoyed the rides except for Hamid, he could not waste one third of his treasure on a ride. 

The children then rushed to the toy stalls. Rows upon rows of clay figurines lined the tables, policemen, milkmaids, doctors, lawyers, kings, and much more. They were so beautiful, so life-like. All the kids bought a figurine each and indulged in imaginary games. Little Hamid clutched on to his money. He consoled himself and said, “What use are the toys, if they fall, they will break. A little water and the colour will run.”

Next, they rushed to the sweet stalls. There were ‘gulab-jamuns’ (an Indian dessert of deep-fried dough balls that are soaked in a sweet, sticky sugary syrup) sesame ‘revdis’ (sesame brittles) and so many more colourful, mouth-watering sweets. Hamid did not buy any sweets; he only had three pice! One of the boys offered him a piece of revdi, When Hamid extended his hand, the boy quickly put it into his own mouth. The other children clapped and laughed gleefully. Hamid was crestfallen. Children being children teasing seemed integral to their existence. They continued their teasing and Hamid told them that his granny had told him that sweets were not good for one’s health.

The children replied, “Why don’t you admit you have no money?”

They walked on and passed by some stalls selling trinkets, things made of metal, artificial jewellery. The boys had no interest in them and hence they walked on. Hamid stopped at the stall selling metal things, he saw a pair of tongs. He thought of his granny and how every time she made rotis (an Indian bread made with wheat flour) her fingers got singed as she did not have a pair of tongs. His little, loving mind wandered. He thought, “What use were toys? One only wasted money on them, and they gave pleasure for a short while and then it was completely forgotten and left to gather dust or get broken. On the other hand, a pair of tongs would be so useful, one can hold a roti and bake it. If someone needed a piece of burning coal, one could lift it with the tongs. Granny had no time to come to the fair or market. Besides when would she ever have money for a pair of tongs?”

With those thoughts uppermost in his mind, Little Hamid approached the man selling those tongs and asked the price of the tongs. The shopkeeper hesitated. Hamid looked too young to be buying a pair of tongs, then he told him, “Six pice” Hamid’s heart sank. “Tell me truly. Will you take three pice? Its all I have.”

Hamid fearing an angry retort from the shopkeeper began to walk away but then the shopkeeper called him back and handed him the tongs. 

Hamid proudly placed it on his shoulder as if it were a rifle and joined his companions with pride and joy written large on his tiny little face. He guessed he would be criticised and teased again, but he was ready to face the criticisms. 

Sure enough, as soon as they saw him, the other children began laughing and said, “What use is a pair of tongs? It’s not a toy. You are such a fool! They are of no use to you.” 

Hamid threw the tongs on the ground and said, “You try and do that with your toys! They will break into smithereens. Is it not a toy? I had kept it on my shoulder, and it was a rifle. It can make clanging sounds like a pair of cymbals, storytellers could use it for their storytelling.” If I wished, I could with one stroke of my tongs destroy all your toys. My pair of tongs can stand against fire and water. These tongs are as brave as a mighty tiger!” 

His companions now wanted a pair of tongs too. They all begged of Hamid to exchange it for their toy, they were far away from the fair and besides they had no money left. One of them retorted, “That is the reason why Hamid hadn’t spent his money, he was a rascal.”

They argued back and forth on the benefits of a pair of tongs versus the rest of the bric-a-brac bought by the others. Clearly little Hamid’s tongs won! Hamid was happy! He was not a victim any longer, he was a victor! 

On reaching their village, family members came running out of their homes. Many of the figurines exchanged hands for inspection and fell and broke. Knowing looks were exchanged.

When Ameena heard the commotion, she came running out of her hut and lovingly lifted little Hamid up into her arms, she then noticed the pair of tongs and asked him where he got it from. Hamid said he had bought it from the fair for three pice.

Ameena lamented, “It is nearly noon, and you must be hungry, why didn’t you get yourself something to eat, my precious?” 

Hamid said, “Grandma, your fingers get burnt when you cook, so I bought the tongs.” Tears welled up in Ameena’s eyes. She thought, “How kind and caring he is. He is such a little boy, how did he restrain himself from all the other temptations at the fair and think of me? 

She then fell on her knees, opened her palms, looked upward, and begged for blessings for Hamid and all the little orphans of the world.