Recently I had been on a tour. The tour was not some going out of your-country type but just out of the city.

We ended up going to Swat. A city snuggled in between mountains.

One day we were out visiting this stream not far from our hotel, and this kid came up to my dad with eager and hopeful eyes and made an innocent request. I was busy taking pictures and paid zero attention to the kid while my father struggled to understand his words.

After a while of miscommunication, I went to the kid and asked him to repeat. He got nervous for a second but repeated his words, which were once again not fully understood by me.

So to cater to him and make him feel included, I took a picture of him.

And started walking away. But as soon as I turned away from him he called out to me again.

I turned to face him and he made his innocent request:

“Meray paisai?” (My money?)

And I was shocked. I asked the kid:

“Itni dair sai tum paisai mang rahay thay?” (Since all this time you were asking for money?)

And he said:

“Or nahi tou kiya?” (Obviously)

He said it in a manner that I felt absolutely dumb, and ended up asking him how much did he want?

He said:

“50 rupay” (50 rupees)

Now, fifty rupees wasn’t much but I could see his friends were creeping up to me too and I knew they would be setting up the same rate. Therefore I ended up bargaining with him, settling on 20 rupees. As soon as I paid him and his friends, he went away with his kiddy gang.

This made me realize that not all of us are blessed in a way some of us are.

I will not say that I am from a poor or undeveloped country because I am not. Even though Pakistan is seen as one.

In Pakistan where there is less money and people are not that wealthy in monetary value, they are wealthy in a very different way. They are wealthy in their hearts, extremely welcoming and loving.

People will treat you like their own and make you feel at home. They will give you whatever best thing they have and not loose their smiles.

This shows how money is not everything but just a sideline necessity of life.