Festival of Eid: Premchand Story For Kids

Festival of Eid: Premchand Story [3]

“Jinns are never short of money,” replied Mohsin. “They can get into any treasury they want. Mister, don’t you know no iron bars can stop them? They have all the diamonds and rubies they want. If they are pleased with anyone they will give him baskets full of diamonds. They are here one moment and five minutes later they can be in Calcutta.”

Hamid asks again, “Are these Jinns very big?”

“Each one is as big as the sky,” asserts Mohsin. “He has his feet on the ground, his head touches the sky. But if he so wanted, he could get into a tiny brass pot.”

“How do people make Jinns happy?” asks Hamid. “If anyone taught me the secret, I would make at least one Jinn happy with me.”

“I do not know,” replies Mohsin, “but the Chaudhri Sahib has a lot of Jinns under his control. If anything is stolen, he can trace it and even tell you the name of the thief. Jinns tell him everything that is going on in the world.”

Hamid understands how Chaudhri Sahib has come by his wealth and why people hold him in so much respect.

It begins to get crowded. Parties heading for the Eidgah are coming into town from different sides – each one dressed better than the other. Some on tongas and ekkas; some in motor-cars. All wearing perfume; all bursting with excitement. Our small party of village rustics is not bothered about the poor show they make. They are a calm, contented lot.

For village children everything in the town is strange. Whatever catches their eye, they stand and gape at it with wonder. Cars hoot frantically to get them out of the way, but they couldn’t care less. Hamid is nearly run over by a car.

At long last the Eidgah comes in view. Above it are massive tamarind trees casting their shade on the cemented floor on which carpets have been spread. And there are row upon row of worshippers as far as the eye can see, spilling well beyond the mosque courtyard. Newcomers line themselves behind the others. Here neither wealth nor status matter because in the eyes of Islam all men are equal. Our villagers wash their hands and feet and make their own line behind the others. What a beautiful, heart-moving sight it is! What perfect coordination of movements! A hundred thousand heads bow together in prayer! And then all together they stand erect; bow down and sit on their knees! Many times they repeat these movements- exactly as if a hundred thousand electric bulbs were switched on and off at the same time again and again. What a wonderful spectacle it is!