Iftar at an orphanage: Ramadan made special for the children

It was a warm Wednesday evening, and the clock struck 5:15pm at the Sir Salimullah Muslim Orphanage located in Dhaka's Azimpur. A small group of orphaned children gathered in a room of the Haji Rafique Bhaban, preparing to break their day-long fast with a mixture of iftar items called Muri Makha.

As they peeled cucumbers, cut tomatoes and washed the ingredients, their hearts were filled with enthusiasm and eagerness to participate in the preparation of iftar.

After preparing the mixtures, they divided themselves into two groups and shared the bowls of Piaju, beguni, chickpea, puffed rice, and tomatoes. It was a daily routine for them, and they looked forward to it with joy in their hearts.

The orphanage authorities also provided different kinds of fruits, making sure the children had a healthy and nutritious meal. Six rooms on the second floor of the three-storey building, Kazi Rafique Bhaban, housed male students who were now staying at the orphanage. Every day, iftar preparation went on in four out of six rooms, said Mohammad Arif, an 11th grader.

"In our room, eleven of us, from class one to HSC candidates, are living together," said Md Shourav Islam, a fifth-grader. The orphanage had been established in 1909, and it was now home to 136 students, 71 females and 63 males, according to Md Mahmudul Ehsan, the assistant superintendent of the orphanage.

Ehsan further explained that the children admitted to the orphanage ranged from six years to nine years and had no parents to take care of them. The authorities provided them with all kinds of support from food to education until they reached 18 years of age, and all the money came from different donors, government grants, and the orphanage's properties.

As the children gathered around to break their fast, some of them shared their thoughts and emotions. For Md Yasin, a grade three student who had been living at the orphanage for the last year, it was a different and nice experience, but he still missed his mother dearly.

"I loved staying with my mother, and breaking fast with her was very charming and cheerful," he said. Yasin had come to the orphanage when his father died, and his mother was struggling to make ends meet as a domestic worker.

Masuma Akhtar, a 12th grader, could not remember the iftar at her home, as she had been out of her home since childhood. She found solace in having iftar with her six roommates and loved the camaraderie they shared.

However, for fourth-grader Mariyam, the pain of losing her mother was still raw, and she missed her badly during the iftar hour. "I still miss my mother, and I'm waiting for the chance to go to Jhalokathi to be with her during vacation," she said.