PESHAWAR, Dec 3: As Eid is just round the corner, the busy Arbab Road in the cantonment area bustles with a fleet of brand new cars, presenting a striking difference between the “haves and the have-nots”, with those who have fortunes and those who toil the whole day to make both ends meet.

Amid this deafening activity, 10-year-old Kamran is selling balloons to the children visiting the bazaar for Eid-shopping with their parents.

Kamran, a student of the fourth grade, gets up early in the morning to attend a school. He comes to Saddar almost everyday after attending the classes and sells balloons to the children of his own age. He finishes selling balloons and goes home almost by the midnight. Like many others, he is also toiling to earn his living .

He has so far fasted for 14 days and is eagerly waiting for “Eid” because for him it means freedom from drudgery. “I am waiting for the Eid because on that day I am going to take a day- off perhaps I will go to my village, Mardan,” Kamran, who seemed dead tired from the day’s work, said.

A 14-year-old Adil is selling socks and hairpins in Gora Bazaar. Adil, studying in seventh standard has continued his studies with the job, irrespective of adverse conditions. He works in the evening and runs here and there till midnight after the shoppers to sell the socks. He is working hard because these days he will be able to earn more than the normal days. Nowadays, he is able to earn nearly 100 rupees per day.

“No way! I’m not going to work on the Eid day. I will take a holiday and sleep all day long at home,” Adil told about his plans on the Eid day.

According to a survey conducted by Dawn, most of the boys selling socks, pins, balloons, flowers are under-aged and working in the evening because of poverty. There are many boys who are doing jobs at the shops and stalls of bangles as helpers.

These young vendors are happy because they are able to earn more these days. Kamran is able to sell more balloons but as the price of one balloon is only two rupees so he is able to earn at the most Rs50 a day.

A four-year old helper, Ahad, at a bangles’ stall is working because he belongs to a poor family. “I’m feeling so happy to see so many customers coming to our stall and buying bangles,” Ahad said. According to the survey, almost 15,000 bangles are sold every day with prices ranging from Rs10 to Rs 200 a set.

People of the upper class are spending lavishly, whereas the children from the poor class are working till late at night to earn so that they can also be part of the festivity on the Eid day.