Stories from the Streets

This city is filled with people and their stories. While an old tale vanishes, a new one adds to the list. In the case of Dhaka, however, new stories are adding up faster than ever, especially when it comes to the month of Ramadan.

22-year-old Mosammat Nasreen has her own spot near the Gulshan 2 signal. She begs for a living. It took her quite some time to get that space. She had to compete with the veterans, the newbies and a few from other areas. But she made it finally, and is now content with her achievement. "I make around 500 takas on a normal day," she says, in return for a chicken roll. "On a Friday I make much more. But on Ramadan, my income increases much more,"

Photo: Rashed Shumon

Nasreen lives in Gazipur with her brother, sister-in-law and their children. While her brother is a day labourer, her sister-in-law works around in nearby homes for daily meals. "I don't like to beg for money but what to do," says Nasreen, chomping on her roll. "I need to look out for myself as well. For how long will I depend on my brother for food and clothes?"

Every year in Ramadan, trains, launches and buses enter the capital, filled with people looking for work. Many stay back till Eid al Azha, earn what they can, eventually returning home. Some decide to stay back to work and survive, hoping for a better life. Mohammad Anwar is a 65-year-old who can hardly walk without wheezing and coughing. A nephew of his has been kind enough to give him a spot in Eskaton, where he sits and begs the whole day. "I had come 3 years ago from Dinajpur," he says. "My nephew and his children live in Dhaka. I had come to earn money to pay for my daughter's marriage. She is married now, and my wife passed away shortly. I don't know where my son is; he was working in a mill in Mymensingh, but he now missing. Hence, I decided to stay back in Dhaka."

The month of Ramadan is a different ball game for people all over the country. Not only is this a month of positive change, giving more, prayers and earning sawab – it is also a month cleverly manoeuvred by the corporates, businessmen, shoppers and food lovers - to get what they want. People like Mosammat Nasreen and Mohammad Anwar - trying to survive in the streets - have also become an integral part of the whole circle.