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Point to ponder
“Oh no! Electricity has gone again,” 13-year-old Siddique spoke softly in anger. A class eight student, hard work and dedication towards his studies were his only goals in life but due to frequent electricity breakdowns his studies were being badly affected. His father was an employee in an Auto shop. Despite being low-paid labourer, he was equipping his son with education.
“Is there anyone who could bring a candle to my room?” Siddique asked. Soon his mother entered with a lit candle in her hand and started cursing the electric supply authorities for undue load shedding, “God will take these unkind people to task for this act.” Siddique took the candle from his mother’s hand and placed it on the table and asked his mother to stop cursing them. “Mom, cursing them is going to do nothing, so please calm down”.
“Tomorrow you have an exam, what if your preparation is not complete?” Siddique’s mother said. “Mom, please let me concentrate otherwise I will not be able to prepare.” Siddique said softly. Siddique kept studying till two in the morning when his parents told him to get some sleep so that he could wake up in the morning on time. He went to bed but sleeping without electricity was impossible. He kept twisting and turning but he could not sleep. Academic tests were not so difficult for him but that night without electricity was a nightmare. The hot weather was problem already and the power breakdown had created another trial.
Suddenly some voices started echoing in the dark, quiet night. Perhaps they were slogans raised by the local people. It was the unbearable recurrent electricity breakdowns that drove people to the street to hold protests and vent their anger which consequently became the cause of destruction of public property and peace. Peeping out of the window, Siddique could see for himself how young boys were setting on fire vehicles belonging to those who had nothing to do with the electricity breakdown.
Seeing him next to the window, his father cautioned him to shut the window because enraged protesters were throwing stones in different directions. “No doubt we are facing much hardship due to this breakdown but is that the way to deal with it?” Siddique asked his father innocently. “You are right my child, there is no tolerance,” his father said while analyzing the situation outside through the window. “Father, can you tell me why the electricity shortage is increasing?” Siddique questioned his father.
Before his father would say anything, his mother began making angry comments. “There isn’t any shortage, they are just playing with our lives.” Father calmed his wife down and said, “Dear son, there are resources but every resource has its limitations. If anything is used more than its capacity, it will cause some shortage.”
Siddique interrupted his father to say, “But we use electricity in moderation, don’t we?” Father smiled and answered, “Yes, but don’t you see the increase in the population? As the population increases, demand for electricity also increases and when demand increases it creates a shortage.” Siddique listened to his father with full attention, “You mean the population needs to be controlled?”
“Of course, the population is the core issue. When it increases rapidly, it adversely affects every segment of life”.
This made it clear to Siddique that in order to make Pakistan progress, the population should be kept in check.
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