Eid gifts can’t wipe away the tears
Sandhya Khatun, a student of Class 7, had come along with her mother Neela Begum. Neela accepted the Eid gifts on behalf of her daughter. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Eid gifts during corona times were distributed among students on Friday at the Rajshahi Alor Pathshala grounds at the initiative of Prothom Alo Trust. Several parents accompanied the students to the event.
Neela was happy to receive the gifts, so why the tears? She said, we hardly have any food. This Eid gift won’t last till Eid. We will finish the food before that. We have no choice.
The gifts were distributed at the initiative of Prothom Alo with assistance from Summit Group. The gift pack included polao rice, regular rice, sugar, semai, and soybean oil. A total of 140 students received the gifts.
Nila is from Charkhidirpur of Poba upazila, Rajshahi. Her husband Shaheed Ghosh buys milk from the char and sells it in Rajshahi city. But his business had been hit hard by the pandemic. But now, with his family of six including four daughters, he is in a fix. His daughter will get the gift pack from Alor Pathshala and so he has sent his wife along too.
Mobasshera Khatun is a Class 7 student and her brother is the only earning member of the family. He is a boatman on the river Padma and runs the family with his earnings. Mobasshera said that no one comes for boat rides during this pandemic and so her brother has no business. They are struggling. They couldn’t afford to buy sugar or semai this Eid and so her mother would be happy with this gift.
Nur Mohammed is student of Class 8 at Alor Pathshala but also works as a carpenter. He too tells a tale of struggle. His father would work in the fields but has no work now. Their four-member family is going through difficult times. He said this gift from the pathshala will see them through Eid.
The gifts were distributed at an event which took place at 11:00am at the Alor Pathshala grounds in the Taninagar Shaheed Minar area of Rajshahi city. Present on the occasion were councillor of the city’s ward no. 24 Md Arman Ali, Prothom Alo’s Rajshahi staff correspondent Abul Kalam Muhammad Azad, president of the Alor Pathshala management committee Masud Rana, headmistress of the school Rezina Khatun, assistant headmaster Ripon Mahmud and other teachers, Prothom Alo’s Rajshahi Bondhushava president Belal Hossain, general secretary Jabed Hasan, Prothom Alo’s Rajshahi Bondhushava’s members Sultana, Farhad Hossain, Sultan Sheikh, local guardian Gazi Sheikh and others.
Councillor Arman Alo hailed this initiative of Prothom Alo and said by providing these Eid gifts to the destitute students, they were setting an example of both education and standing by the people in times of need.