Dr. Arifa Syeda Zehra says, “On one Eid, I told my mother that I would wear a navy blue taffeta gown with a light yellow chiffon dupatta. My mother lovingly and fondly made that outfit for me and I was very happy wearing it on Eid. In our culture, Eid breakfast is a big celebration. After we finished breakfast, I told my mother that we were going to play. She opened her arms and hugged me tightly, asking if I liked my outfit. I said yes, it was exactly how I wanted it to be. Then my mother said, “Beta (child), this outfit is for you, right?” I said yes. Then my mother said, “When you go out to play now, many children will not have an outfit like this. So, if you have another outfit that you have already worn and it looks good, wear that and go play.”
At that time, playing was more important to me than wearing a pair of shoes. I said, “Okay, I’ll change my shoes and wear the other pair.” We were having a lot of fun playing at that time, but much later in life, I realized what my mother had taught me. She said, “People win like people, and I like the pride of a tailor, the shirt of a George, the dupatta of a chunri, but all of this should not be good because someone else sees it and feels sad that they couldn’t wear such shoes on Eid day.” People don’t think like that now.
At that time, knowledge was a big thing for you, but now wealth is a big thing for you! 💔
