THE NECESSITY OF PELF
　
(Short Story)
　
By: Maqsood Hasni
Translated By: Najam
　
　
　
I remember it very well that he contented after giving me the bread of his share. He had been toiling for money broth future day and night. Whenever I got ill, he not only called for doctors but also prayed to God for my recovery. Without any exaggeration, he loved me very much and could not deny his love and hind ness.
Parent’s affection for their children is pure in view of all negative aspects. Parents yearn to see their offspring with higher status. They regard, there is nothing like their children for them in the world. It is a fact that even thief and wicked are considered to be gentleman and innocent by their parents. They also ignored my evil deeds and loved me at heart and kept on giving me all the things I needed. I thought that it was their high-headedness. Every poor father should be aware of the activities of his son.
Whenever I demanded for money, my father happily fulfilled my necessities. In this way, I became selfish because I did not care for the necessities of others. I passed my times in frivolous pursuits instead of going to school. But my father has started depending on me.
After a long time, he came to know my profligacy and tried his best to amend my educational weakness he provided me with a tutor but I could not make use of the tutor. Sometimes, he treated hardly to refine me but the time had passed. He could not prove himself to be self-willed because he was loving person. His hopes were shaken and he decided to make me a technical hand. I worked at some places to learn some art but I could not acquire knowledge and my childhood came to an end. Our necessities increased and, secondly, my father got ill that resulted in condensing income.
His (Father’s) health had been declining day by days and he advised me to work time and again. he went to the extent of saying that I should be at least self-dependent. He was right and I must work now.
But misfortune let us free and my father got seriously ill and there was no any source of income now. Due to curing my father, our expenses had enhanced. First of all, my mother wisely handled this situation by spending the safe money, but, after that, we had to sell the household things. At last , all the articles were sold and we were forced to borrow money. But the fact is that people do not offer loan to mere a pepper. Likewise, no one was giving us charity they considered themselves more deserving than us. Along with that, the family with a young boy could not be declared us deserving in this connection.
Now it was quite necessary to provide the father with medicine rather than food. We used ten rupees daily for his pills and it was our responsibilities to provide him with medicine daily. In this context, my mother performed her duty in an excellent way. But when she was quite penniless, she requested people for ten rupees but nobody helped her and even the doctor refused to give her medicine without money.
I accepted that I had ten rupees and it was necessary to buy medicine for him. But I had two grounds for not spending money on his treatment. His death was inevitable because everyone had rejected the miserable requests of my mother. So, it was an open folly to spend ten rupees, and I did not bear with any stupidity in the case of money. The other thing was that I could not help smoking. If I spent this money on the treatment, how would I lead that day. I am of the view that love and need are two different things and they should not be mingled with other. So, my father died due to the non availability of medicine and it was Divine will. In fact, he was to die but I saved my ten rupees in a prudent way.
POVERTY AND DAUGHTER
Poverty was not strange for him because his ancestors had come of a poor family. His particular surroundings had the clear-cut reflection of poverty and penury, and they were leading a life of total mercy. So, the truth was that he got poverty in his bequest. Sometimes, the feelings of poverty became conspicuous, in the beginning but, the particular way of thinking became all the more prominent when his daughter, Zobee had become young. As she was now adult, her life became vexatious. He had to encounter many hardships and deprivations everyday and on account of that, his entity broke into pieces. But the necessities of life again urged him to do something.
The thought of poverty disturbed his wife a lot when she chanced to hear about the marriage of Zobee any coeval. Fozee zealously and wildly described the marriage ceremonies and wept on her lot and then, finally declared him slothful and good-for-nothing. These ill-words increased the intensity of his grief. He thought, he had endeavored his level best but, unluckily, dearness had proved a foe for him and had effected all his utter plans. Secondly, appetite went on increasing due to the age factor of his children. So he had to buy but more clothes to hide the bodies of his off springs. To be true, all his attempts were futile and, in this way, dearness overcome hunger and other necessities of his life.
His wife, Fozee, was quarrelling with him due to Zobee’s advancement in years. In fact Fozee was not wrong in her approach because her daughter, Zobee, was now twenty two years old. But, on the other hand, they were unable to give her even a penny as a dowry Either she should have got married or her parents should have collected the articles of her dowry according to the customs of the society but the pity was that they were empty-handed. But the time was passing very swiftly. When someone came to propose Zobee, she was rejected due to non availabality of an attractive dowry. His better half recurrently stressed the point that their daughter was quickly marching towards old age. So, he ought to do something and pay his first attention to his daughter because milk and daughter were closely connected to each other and they both were in dependable
If their daughter got astray and adopt a wrong and unscrupulous way, they would not be able to face tragedy and this world. She uttered a lot of other things that day and he tolerated her heart rending blames very patiently. He also knew it very well but he was not in position to do any thing because he was just like a pauper. After saying these harsh words, Fozee went away and he got drowned in profound.
Luck favored him for a short time when he found a bag on the way. He opened it and got currency and very costly gold jewellery. He was extremely jubilant and cast a glance at the ornaments and thought that Zobee would appear very attractive as a bride in this jewellery. Zobee’s friends would envy him and owing to these ornaments, her in-law would be proud of her. Then he saw the currency notes which could fulfill the requirements of the dowry. Suddenly, he found a piece of paper which was placed with the other articles. This was piece of paper contained this writing:
1- Borrowed from provident Fund Rs: 40,000/-
2- Borrowed from sister Hajhra Rs: 20,000/-
3- Money received by mortgaging house Rs: 25,000/-
4- Money to be paid to the goldsmith Rs. 7,000/-
Dear son, I hope you would easily arrange the wedding ceremony of your sister with the help of this money and would buy the articles regarding dowry you should not worry because I would reach very soon. (name and address were also written)
After reading this letter, he was shaken from top to toe and changed his mind. Now he had once again become a humanitarian. He thought the haves did not lose their anything because they had their money in the banks. They had also very reliable sources to protect their wealth an fortune never deceived them at any step. It is very difficult for their money and jewellery to get lost. On the other hand, they have not always yearned for wealth and, if they found something, it is quite temporary. Firstly, the underdogs are quite ignorant of its importance and are deprived of the ability to handle it. They are totally unconscious of the method of increasing it. So the wealth goes the people who are aware of its significant and know the art of maneuvering it.
He as mentally anguished and reached the state of indecision. He thought his daughter could be married with this money but the daughter of the other needy person would not be able to have red dress. What should be done now? Honesty demands that it should be return to its original owners. But what would become of his own daughter. Both these girls belonged to a poor family.
This bag could not be conducive for him and he could not use the wealth for the wedding of his daughter. He came out of the labyrinths of indecision at long last.