A Rupee (Aik Rupaya)

A few days ago I saw a photo of a Pakistani Rupee. This was it:

Looking at this, memories of old days came streaming into my mind. I remembered how we utilized one Rupee or five Rupees or (if we were lucky enough to have it) a 10 Rupee note.


The problem was (now I do not believe it should be a problem for children but you never know since the days of childhood are mad days and characterized with 'not-understanding' ) that my parents did not believe in giving us notes (like many other parents of that time or even of today for that matter). They packed us lunch and advised us to eat all of it.

When our parents did provide us with a few rupees that was only for two reasons. Firstly, This money was given so that we might bye some snacks as to have something extra to eat with the lunch. Secondly it was to prevent us from ogling at what other children bought and stop us from thinking that while other class fellows bought form canteen why WE did not?


I do remember what I used to bye. Mainly it were a few 'pet' things that I used to bye (I do not remember what my younger brother used to spend his money on). I was very keen on Nice biscuits, Butter Scotch (a 'toffee') and of the drinks I loved to have a Mirinda. Another thing that I was always thinking of 'eating' was  a bubble gum. Do not remember the name but it used to come in colourful wrappers and inside it also had a sticker with the pictures of cars, toys and birds etc.


One thing that stands in marked contrast with those days of old (well, come back, not SO old by the way) is the quality of the things that the children of today eat. These days bubble gums, toffees and biscuits are not good enough to be consumed by children yet their consumption by this innocent creature has increased many fold. It is the responsibility of parents and of teachers to keep children away form such 'garbage' and bring them up on healthy things and make them take healthy eating habits into their grown-up years. This will be one of the worthiest things that we can give them.