The watermelon divers of Kirtankhola

Like the kingfisher dive-bombs into rivers to prey on small fish, these boys plunge into the Kirtankhola to collect stray watermelons every day of the season.

Flowing from the west bank of Barishal city, Kirtankhola plays host to watermelon traders from all around the region. Every day, hundreds of trawlers from Bhola, Patuakhali, and Barguna anchor at Port Road's watermelon trade hub.

The trawlers are filled to the brim before they set sail, and it's almost expected that a few of the green-goodness will be lost to the river. This is where our boys come in.

Jasim (12) and Ibrahim (10) are siblings from nearby Rasulpur slum area. They go to a local primary school, to fifth and fourth grades respectively. Their father is a daywage worker and mother works as a house help.

During watermelon season, the boys get to work at noon. Like other children of the Rasulpur slum, the brothers know how to swim, and they're not afraid to take on the waves. They get on their styrofoam rafts and pick-up stray watermelons, even if they are floating in the middle of the river. They have done this for so long that they might have really developed kingfisher like scoping abilities -- they say nothing escapes their eyes!

Although the coronavirus shutdown is negatively affecting almost everyone else's lives, for the boys, the leisure is but an opportunity to grab even more.

Watermelon is a big fruit, so any number they get is a good number. Once they feel like they have enough, they bring it home and share with the family. For a cash-strapped family like theirs, delicacies are hard to come by, and so these melons bring a lot of extra happiness.

In fact, it's not just watermelons. When the melons are out of stock, the boys collect everything from coconuts, lime, betel gourd, pumpkin, guava, lemon. Basically any and everything that plies the river and drops into it.

The river is like a companion to the children who grow up in Rasulpur, the Barishal City Corporation councillor of the area said. So much so, that some of them harbour dreams to spend the rest of their lives with it. Like Jasim, who said he wants to grow up to be a "pilot" of a passenger launch.

"I like the river. If I get to become a pilot, my family can live in more comfort, and we won't have to pick-up watermelons from the river."

But wait, does this mean he doesn't like doing this? Turns out, that's not the case at all.

"No, no, that's not to say I don't like this. It is my pleasure to dive for watermelons and all the other fruits and vegetables. It has become something of a hobby and it brings me a lot of joy," Jasim corrected himself with a smile.