Standing in front Of the huge gate on nortliern side of New Market are two big. red. strange looking devices that tell the weight of a person. These are certainly not our usual weighing scales, and they have an interesting way of sWnving the Weight Two old men stand next to these ma- bines and oper ate them. Each customer has to pay Tk 2 to get a chartce to stand on the pedestal of the machine. The operator then puts four 50 pais., coins tnto a slpt in the machine. Immediately.

from another slot. outcomes a small card with the weight written on it in lbs and kgs.

The old men operating these machines are not the owners, -they are the,employ ees of one Nizam a tradesman. ant! theV receive small salaries for the jobs they do SpeakingdO one of the inert. Abul KalMn. I learned that the^e weigh^ ♦ng machine?? have been there for what teems

put in. his daily wages remain small, about Tk 43. and this amounts to just under Tk 1300 a month. Unfortunately, this is not enough lor the poor man to support his family of five children, and he has to depend on ‘the hariw and kindness of the custdtners

like a long time —

the pre-Bapgladea*years. Abul Kalani him self has be#! working at that yery spot for Hie last eteyen years and claims proudly that everyone, knows and respects him as Chai limin'. In spite of the long years he has

to see him through. The profits go to°the owner. (so even after ' working twelve to fourteen hours a day. he has only his meagre salary to fall back on. Everyday is a str-uggle tor him, but Still he never loses faitli. in Allah, always believing that the Almighty W11 see him through.

Abul’Kalatn is jus* another one of the countless poverty-stricken citizens of Dhaka city, managing barely to eke out ap existence, not knowing where he will end up. One can’t help wondering whether he. like million others of bls kind will ever know a better life, a better future? Perhaps the next time any of us go to the New Market, w^can

take a minute oil from our busy schedules to drop in on these two gentle old men. and help them, by using the weighing-machines: if not for any other reason, then just out of the kindness of our hearts.