Still, they would not complain, because they have had worse days this Ramadan when they broke their fast only with a glass of water.

Ratna, a cleaner, lives in a rented two-room shanty at the City Palli slum of Dhalpur with her parents. Her father had a makeshift shop selling betel leaves and cigarettes but it was razed down by the authorities last year, leaving him unemployed.

Ratna is now the only breadwinner of the family and struggling to put food on the table. She does not dream about celebrating Eid as she has fallen behind on her rent payments for two months.

The government imposed a weeklong lockdown on Apr 5 to limit the spread of the coronavirus infection and later extended it. Public transports were banned and other restrictions were enforced on markets, hotels and restaurants. These restrictions took a toll on the people living on a low wage as their earnings dropped amid the pandemic.

“Usually I earn around Tk 6,000 a month working as a cleaner. But I don’t have work all the time. My mother can’t work at anyone’s house. She’s sick. A few days ago, my father borrowed Tk 500 from someone and we bought rice with the money. We had no special arrangements to celebrate Eid for the past year. This year the situation has gone from bad to worse,” Ratna said.

She had only primary education and so can't get a job.

Irin Akhter, another resident of the City Palli slum, lost her job in a garment factory in Maniknagar three months ago. She now works as a janitor in different buildings to feed her two children.

“My husband died from a liver disease two years ago. Since then, I do whatever I get to run my family. These days no one wants us to work for them due to the coronavirus situation. How shall we celebrate Eid?” Irin said.

“Earlier, I used to buy my children new clothes and cook some delicacies to make them happy. Gone are those days. We've no preparation for Eid.”

Anjira Begum runs her family by selling scraps like plastic bottles and polythene that she collects. She had burn injuries when her home caught fire a few years ago. It has caused her hearing impairment to some extent. Anjira lives with her two children and mother while her husband left her. She could not collect any scrap as the lockdown left all the streets empty. Anjira had to beg for alms for the past days to feed her family.

For them, Eid has no meaning as they starve most of the time, Anjira said when asked about Eid preparations.

“We break our fast with water only and get to eat once a day. Where do you see Eid in all these?”

Moktar Ahmed, who worked in a private company lost his job five months ago. Failing to get another job, he opted for earning by working as a driver in Pathao ride-sharing service.

The government ordered to halt ride-sharing services on Mar 31, which resumed on last Thursday.

“My father used to be a teacher in a primary school. It’s me and my sister who took the responsibility to run the family after he retired. She sells clothes online. I was totally unemployed for a month when the ride-sharing service was halted. It was my sister’s earnings that we lived on. This year we can’t afford any celebration on Eid. We can’t even share what our family is going through. There’s no joy on Eid for us,” Moktar said.

Transport workers, especially those with a low income, have been affected badly as public transports were banned during the lockdown. It resumed last Thursday, while the inter-district buses are still barred from running their service.

Shahed Alam works as a helper in a three-wheeler passenger carrier, locally known as Laguna, on the Goran-Gulistan route. Shahed shared his plight, as well as his preparation for the upcoming Eid.

"Now they started to run the Laguna, but as it is Ramadan, our earnings have dropped like anything. We're in a severe crisis. I bought a saree for my mother with my savings, but couldn’t buy anything for others,” he said.

The pandemic has also hit hard the hawkers selling goods in Dhaka’s public buses.

One of them, Mahbub Alam was found selling sundry items, including toothbrushes, combs and other things on a bus in Shahbagh. “We make a living if the public transports are operating. I couldn’t earn anything when the local buses were not running. Somehow I managed to run the house with some savings I had. I also borrowed Tk 5,000 from someone. This year, there’s no Eid for us,” he said.

A fellow hawker, Jobayer Hasan sells household items like a vegetable peeler, cutter, crockery. His sales dropped from Tk 1,000 to Tk 200 per day. In Jobayer’s words, it would be a ‘luxury’ to celebrate Eid this time.

“Hawkers are going through a tough time once the public transports were shut. I did something which I never did in my life to survive these days; I worked as a rickshaw puller for four days. I had no experience of pulling it before. I had only ridden a bike in my village,” he said.

Badshah Mia, a vendor selling tea and cigarette at Suhrawardy Udyan, is facing trouble as the number of visitors dropped there once the lockdown was imposed.

“I have to discard half of it if I make tea filling a flask. How will I earn and how will I celebrate Eid?” a frustrated Badshah said.

Lovely Begum, a domestic help works in three households in  Basabo and Madertek. Her husband was a rickshaw puller. He became unemployed when his engine run rickshaw was dumped, leaving Lovely to be the sole breadwinner.

“I’m burdened with a huge loan. I married off my daughter a few days ago and borrowed a large sum at that time. My income is limited to Tk 4,000 per month after I work in three houses. We live with that meagre amount. The house owner is a good soul and allowed us to stay despite I couldn’t pay the rent for the last two months.”

“I couldn't invite my daughter and son-in-law for a day, nor could I buy anyone new clothes for Eid. Never before have I experienced poverty like I'm this time. Last year, people helped us with food and cash. This year, we've no Eid or the joy of Eid,” she said.

[Written in English by Sabrina Karim Murshed]