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homeless people who have taken refuge there.

His father died three years ago. His mother later remarried and left him behind, forcing the boy to grow up under the care of his elderly, ailing grandparents.

His grandfather, Nasir Uddin, once kept the family going by working as a barber, somehow managing to keep food on the table. But about 10 months ago, illness forced him to stop working.

His grandmother, Rabeya Khatun, tried to keep the family afloat by working as a day labourer. But illness eventually forced her to stop as well.

From that point on, the burden of supporting the family fell on Al Amin’s small shoulders.

By day, he attends school. By evening, he wanders the city streets selling popcorn. He keeps going until around 9:00 or 10:00 at night, and when he finally returns home, exhausted, he sits with his school books and finishes his homework.

Al Amin says, “If I don’t sell for even a day, we can’t buy food. My grandparents are ill, and I have to buy their medicines.”

Each day, he sells around Tk 450-500 worth of popcorn, keeping around Tk 180-200 after expenses. It’s a small income, but it somehow feeds three mouths, albeit barely.

Yet even under the burden of responsibilities far beyond his years, Al Amin has held on to the courage to dream.

“I will not give up my studies. No matter how hard life becomes, I will keep going. One day, I will stand on my own feet -- that is my dream,” he says with quiet determination.

But beneath that resolve, his sorrow is impossible to miss. “My father is gone, my mother is someplace else, and my grandparents are ill. Still, I have to keep smiling. Otherwise, no one will buy my popcorn.”

His grandmother, Rabeya Khatun, speaks with a mix of helplessness and pride. “At his age, he should be playing and studying. Instead, he has become our only support.”

“I fry the popcorn, and his grandfather packs it. In the evening, Al Amin goes out to sell it. Then, after returning home at night, he sits down to study,” she adds.

His grandfather, Nasir Uddin, struggles to hold back his emotions while speaking about the boy.

“He is not just our grandson -- he is our walking stick, our only support. The way he remains devoted to his studies leaves me in awe.”

Ferdous Joy, a local resident from the Town Hall area, says, “Many know the boy, but very few know the tragic story behind his smile. We buy popcorn from him because of his smile, but how many of us ever pause to ask why a child has to wander the streets at night?”

Nahid Hossain Khondkar, director of Zoom Bangladesh School, said every student there comes from an underprivileged background.

“We teach from grade one to four and currently have 97 students. There are several children like Al Amin who come to school during the day and work at night. We try to support them with books, notebooks, and pens on our own initiative so as to encourage them to come to school at least,” he said.

Al Amin’s story is not just about one child. It mirrors the lives of thousands of children forced to fight poverty every day.

And yet, through all the hardship, a faint smile never leaves Al Amin’s face. He knows that his smile is his means of survival, and his dream is what gives him the strength to endure.

Those wishing to assist Al Amin may reach out to Nahid Hossain Khondkar, director of Zoom Bangladesh School, at 01729813133.