July 24, 2004

Ahmed Akmal loved the sea. Even at the tender age of ten, he nurtured a passion for the waves and the waters of the beach. But his circumstances did not allow him to pursue his obsession. Ahmed was his parents’ only child. Mr Akmal was a rich business executive and his only interest was to provide his son with the best of everything. Mr Akmal had Ahmed enrolled in one of the finest schools of Karachi, with children from rich families to match his financial status. But Ahmed was not happy. All his classmates were interested in were computers or cars or trains or airplanes etc. Not one of them shared Ahmed’s passion for the sea.

Yet, Ahmed could not complain to his father because he knew that he only believed in economic status. The only guests he entertained were his business colleagues and the only thing common among them was their large bank balance. But Ahmed yearned for a companion with whom he could share his obsession of the wild waters of nature.

One day he met his companion and friend. Hassan was a servant boy in Ahmed’s house. After talking to each other for only a few minutes, the boys recognized a mutual interest among themselves — the sea. Both the boys had a passion for the rushing waves, and so began a secret friendship, regardless of the economic difference between them.

Hassan brought and showed Ahmed the seashells he had collected by the seaside and told him about his fishing experiences with his father. Ahmed listened to these tales in awe, craving to experience them himself.

One day, when Mr Akmal came back from work, he could not find Ahmed anywhere. The whole house was searched and all the servants were questioned. Yet no one knew anything of Ahmed’s whereabouts. The police were summoned and an investigation was immediately launched, but something kept nagging Mr Akmal. He could sense that Ahmed was far away from him. Panicked, he began to think of where he could have gone. Then he remembered Ahmed’s association with Hassan. Soon, Hassan’s father was questioned, and he also said that he had not seen his son since morning.

Mr Akmal made a connection and understood where both the boys had gone. He immediately drove off to the beach where, surely, he found both boys merrily playing together and building sandcastles. Mr Akmal was surprised to see Ahmed so happy in the company of a poor, illiterate boy. He had always believed that a relationship could only exist within an economical circle. But now, looking at his son playing away in pure bliss, he understood that birds of a feather do flock together. He realized that friendship is a bond clean of any monetary or racial segregations.

Today, if ever you find two boys happily playing at the seaside with a man cheering them on, don’t hesitate to ask whether they are Ahmed and Hassan.

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