During Ramadan, veiled and masked women accompanied by minor children are seen begging for alms at busy commercial and traffic points in Dhaka.
Some appear shy, while others seem anxious.
The influx of shoppers into Dhaka-based shopping malls indicates a significant flow of money into the Eid market economy.
Consequently, many working poor individuals, often referred to as seasonal beggars, are drawn to the city in search of extra income under the pretext of zakat and fitra.
Experts studying poverty do not view the presence of seasonal beggars as a sign of acute economic crisis.
Instead, they see the Eid economy as an opportunity for the working poor. However, the additional beggars intensify competition for alms among those who are genuinely in need.
Recently, a housemaid named Mina Begum, along with a group of working-class individuals, was spotted on the Begunbari footpath by Hatirjheel, eagerly awaiting charity.
Mina introduced herself as unemployed. However, an elderly woman revealed her true profession.
When asked, Mina stated, "I am not a beggar. Like my neighbours, I stand on the footpath every evening. Wealthy individuals in cars sometimes donate clothes, money, and food [iftar] to us."
Mina, a 23-year-old mother of two, resides in a makeshift workers' colony nearby.
Her family relies on her monthly income and the earnings of her waste collector husband, Joynal.
Speaking to Bangladesh First, Professor Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddique, an economics teacher at Dhaka University, said, “In recent years, some seasonal beggars have emerged during Ramadan. Previously, groups of poor individuals, mostly men, came to Dhaka to earn extra money for the Eid festival by preferably working in informal sectors rather than begging.”
"Although they are not extremely poor, they fall between the low-income and ultra-poor segments. They view Ramadan as an opportunity as affluent Muslims feel compelled to do charity at that time. Targeting the spiritual elevation of the elite, they anticipate receiving more zakat and fitra in major cities than they could in their villages," Shahadat said.
Some beggars, carrying children on their laps, have been observed collecting alms in various places, including bus stops and busy intersections, taking advantage of Ramadan as an opportunity for additional earnings.
Mid-aged Marium Begum was among them, begging for alms at the Bangla Motor intersection on the 27th day of Ramadan.
She and her four-member family reside in a Dhaka slum in the Madhubagh area.
Marium said her husband Rashid drives a battery-run rickshaw along the Moghbazar-Madhubagh area.
There was also Rishi, a hijra or third-gender individual.
"All 15 members of our hijra group reside in the Shamoly area. During the day, we scatter throughout the city. Some of us collect fitra from business hubs, while others do the same at road intersections," Rishi said while taking a break at Bangla Motor.
At the same location, a 50-year-old Noor Banu appeared exhausted from competing with seasonal beggars like Marium and Rishi.
Noor used to work as a housemaid at a residence in Moghbazar. Last year, she quit her job due to frequent illnesses, becoming dependent on her married daughter's family.
"I cannot move quickly when the vehicles start moving immediately after the signal changes. I prefer to stay on the safe side. Therefore, I cannot collect as much money as they [comparatively young beggars] do," Noor said.
Physically challenged beggar Khidmat Ali shared a similar experience.
Major cities, including Dhaka and Chattogram, typically see an influx of seasonal beggars during Ramadan.
"The seasonal beggars make it very competitive, depriving existing local beggars of incremental alms that they instinctively expect during Ramadan," Professor Shahadat said.
In this scenario, experts in poverty studies recommend expanding social safety net coverage, particularly in poor-dominated localities in cities and villages.
However, Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, Director-General of the Department of Social Services (DSS), has a different perspective.
Based on his previous experiences, Kamal suggested that some nomad beggars never find social safety allowances and free accommodations in shelters ‘comfortable’ for living.
"Instead, proper rehabilitation with more income-generating opportunities for urban beggars could change the situation. The government is implementing such projects," Kamal told Bangladesh First.
Although there is no official survey on beggars in Bangladesh, a study estimated over 700,000 beggars in the country in 2021, with 40,000 of them residing in Dhaka.
During the 2022-23 fiscal year, the Department of Social Services rehabilitated only 3,003 beggars in 63 districts, spending Tk1,146.554 lakh.
The department aims to rehabilitate an additional 3,000 beggars in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to its website.
