IT was a rather bumpy landing on Sunday for an intrepid young man’s dream. Mohammed Fayyaz had constructed a mini aeroplane for whose maiden flight he used a link road as a runway.

Watched by a 500-strong crowd at a location in central Punjab, the aircraft reportedly took several rounds in the air before touching down on the improvised landing strip.

The local police arrested Fayyaz when he was unable to produce a government-issued permit for his flying machine, which they also took into custody along with its paraphernalia. An FIR was filed for negligent conduct with respect to combustible material and machinery.

The court on Monday slapped him with a fine of Rs3,000 as permitted under the law and ordered that he be released.

While it is fortunate the audacious fellow did not have to do any jail time, the context of his foiled endeavour adds real pathos to the story.

Fayyaz told local media later that he belongs to a poor family and had to discontinue his studies after matriculation, which put paid to his aspirations to join the air force.

To make ends meet, he now works two jobs — running a popcorn stall during the day and serving as a guard at night. It makes one wonder how many bright young sparks like Fayyaz never get to fulfil their potential in a country that invests so little in its people.

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An education based on rote-learning, in a society that values conformity over individuality, can only stunt the imagination and stifle the creative instinct.

Many individuals on the cusp of life have to confront the bitter reality that by and large, neither intelligence nor merit can compensate for a lack of financial resources and connections. Most end up in dead-end, tedious jobs to support their families.

Fayyaz’s tenacity in the face of such odds is remarkable and one hopes he continues to innovate. Pakistani youth should not have to fight such uphill battles for their dreams to take flight.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2019