SRIINAGAR: Under a rickety wooden electric pole, Suhail Ahmad (name changed) tries to emulate his favorite cricketer and hit a ball over the top. A yell of delight fills the air as he punishes the ball. However, behind the joviality of the 12-year-old lies the burden of poverty and the heroic battle to support a family of seven, including his bedridden father.
A class VI student, he doubles up as a street hawker and rag picker. Despite his struggles, he does not give up and shoulders the burden with ease. His innocence and way of talking are enough to melt many hearts on Srinagar streets as he tries to sell semolina this Ramadan.
Ahmad has become an unlikely hero in Kashmir, given his tribulations, struggles, and daily fights. Orginally hailing from Kupwara, Ahmad’s family migrated to Srinagar some eight years back in search of livelihood. His father worked as a laborer until he had an accident that left him bedridden.
Lone brother among four siblings, Ahmad took it upon himself to sustain his family. From rag-picking after school to hawking grocery items, Ahmad earns peanuts just to ensure that the family does not go to bed empty stomach. His mother, too, has started working as part-time domestic help to support the family.
“I had a chance meeting with him. I was driving when he sought a lift in old city. During chitchat, I found this boy very cultured. He had a bag in which he was carrying four semolina packs to sell. When he narrated his story, I could not hold my tears. I named him `fighter’ for his struggles,” said Faisal Nazir, a philanthropist and social media influencer.
Moved by his story, Faisal uploaded the video on his social media handles without showing his face. Minutes later, his timeline was flooded with requests to share his contact number and account number for help.
“You cannot imagine, I received messages and calls through the night. It was an emotional moment for me, too. Such is his innocence that he was not able to name his locality. Since people wanted to help him, I strolled through the entire old city to find his home. And rest is history,” he said.
Crisscrossing through narrow by lanes of the old city, a single dimly lit room houses seven members of the family. Living under sub-human conditions, the family is trying hard to make ends meet.
For Ahmad, every day comes with new challenges. “I buy semolina packets at Rs 20 and sell it for Rs 60. Sometimes I go to Nawhatta, sometimes I hawk in Lal Chowk. I started it during Ramadan. I return home at 9 pm after selling the merchandise,” Ahmad said.
Like other boys, he too has dreams and aspirations, but the financial crisis is making it difficult. “My father needs Rs 1000 for treatment. I have saved Rs 600. When my father will recover, I will buy a cell phone,” said Ahmad with an eerie innocence on his face.