‘Life is Too Much with Some’

Shan daringly facing bitter realities of life

Muhammad Shan, 70 has been selling sells soft drink (Jam-e-sheerein) as vendor near Lal Masjid in the busy place of Islamabad from last 40 years. He has 9 children -- 3 sons and 6 daughters; four of them are married. Muhammad Shan has been living at Waris Khan, Rawalpindi for the last 12 years in a rented house for Rs 6000 a month.

He puts up soft drink for sale and for survival his children. He makes so sweet a soft drink through sugar and maintains its taste with Jam-e-sheerein, which is a great drink in this scorching heat and help a lot in beating the hot weather. “I come here in the morning and go back home after the sunset but only manage to earn few hundred rupees a day and being the only bread winner in my family, there is neither hope nor any chance of relief,” he complained.

Shan further said talking to INFN, “Honey bees come on my soft drink coolers however, I consider these bees as my guest as they are not a source of spreading diseases like the flies.”

He buys sugar and ice from market and brings water from nearby water coolers and makes his soft drink for thirsty people in this hot summer weather.

“I afraid of high gas and electric city bills which reach about Rs 5000 a month. I sell my soft drinks nearly Rs 700 to 800 in a day after the investment of Rs 600, saving just Rs 100. How could I run my house, death is better than depressing life,” he regretted while wiping tears from his hopeless, old face.

He further said, “My sons have also left me alone after their marriages in this old age and now I am living with my younger son on a rented house, I have so many desires about my 2 sons and 4 daughters who live with me. How will I get my daughters married in these ‘hard time’?” he wondered.

“I shifted from Kashmir to Rawalpindi with the hope that I would change my worthless life into a joyful experience, but not getting anything, and no one for relief in my despondent condition have shattered all my hopes of the good times coming,” he remarked desperately.