S DILIP ROY, Lalmonirhat

A smile on his face. Tenderness in his eyes. A quiet plea in his voice: “Sir, please buy a pack of popcorn…”

As dusk settles over Rangpur city, and crowds gather at busy points like July Chattar, Town Hall and Shapla Chattar, this 9-year-old boy weaves through the passersby, clutching packets of popcorn in his small hands.

During the day, Al Amin is a fourth-grade student at Zoom Bangladesh School, a small private initiative in Rangpur’s Muslimpara area.

After school, however, he becomes the only earning member of his family.

He lives with his grandparents at the abandoned railway staff quarters near Rangpur station. The dilapidated building shelters destitute and His His

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