Patna: What Ramzan, ask the poor

PATNA: With mosques shut and no streetside feasting this Ramzan, poor Muslims, who live from hand to mouth, are finding it difficult to break their fast with a sumptuous meal every evening. Many of them were dependent on other well-to-do families, but cannot step out of their houses amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
Affording food for a family of seven is a major challenge for 48-year-old Mohd Imtiyaz, who lives in the Kamla Nehru slum of the city. A rickshaw-puller by profession, he earned approximately Rs 400 every day before the lockdown.
“Earlier, during the holy month of Ramzan, many volunteers would provide food to us, but things have changed. Now, I have to use my savings to feed my family. We manage to break our fast with ‘chana’ in the evening,” Imtiyaz claimed.
A large number of Muslims in the Kamla Nehru area, who are mostly daily wagers, are also struggling to make ends meet.
37-year-old Firozi Khatoon, who sells utensils for a living, burst into tears while narrating the problems her family was facing. She asked, “What Ramzan? We have nothing to eat. Due to the fear of being infected with coronavirus, many people have stopped donating food grains to us.”
Another utensil seller, Mohd Asif, rued that he had no other source of income. The 45-year-old told this newspaper, “I have nothing to do now because people avoid letting me in. Even cops stop me from roaming around.”
With 22 family members, including five kids, Asif has asked his wife to cook ‘chana’ with gravy and bottle gourd fritters.
Like Asif, quadragenarian Mohd Islam has no job amid the lockdown. His wife cooks only one heavy meal for five family members every evening.
39-year-old Uresha Khatoon is using half-stale spinach, cabbage and brinjal to make soup or fritters for her family these days. “I are saving dry ration for emergency,” she said.