In the city of dreams, a newsboy's struggle to make his come true

Khalid Ahmed Khan delivers newspapers to fund his education and contribute to household expenses

KARACHI:

It takes more than meets the eye for a newspaper to reach its destination every day on time. The reporter gathers the news, the copy-editor refines it before sending it to the printing press, which then passes on the finished product to the hawker, who then delivers it to the reader. A hawker is like a well-oiled part of a machine that needs to function properly for the whole process to be effective.

"It is hard work. I must get up at 5:30 am every day, sometimes even at 4:00am. I first collect the papers and then deliver them. Sometimes, I skip breakfast to be on time," says Khalid Ahmed Khan, a newspaper hawker.

Born and raised in Karachi, Ahmed, 24, sports a prominent moustache and a goatee. He has a fair complexion and his light black hair is set in a way that makes it look like it has been pushed back by strong wind, exposing a broad forehead. Ahmed is not a storyteller. He keeps his answers short and to the point, and answers just the bare minimum of what is asked.

Khalid Khan sifting through newspapers. PHOTO: Jahanzeb Tahir

Money may feed the body but the soul calls for care and attention

Formative years

It wasn't smooth sailing for Ahmed in his teenage life. Not able to make ends meet as his father, who used to work as a bus conductor, was bedridden due to severe lung infection. His mother was a house-wife and his elder brother was still in school.

"There were times when we didn't eat at all," recalls Ahmed, shaking his head. "For money, my brother worked as a bus conductor, for my father's former employer and also as a gardener on daily wages. It was a terrible time for our family. I wanted to help but my mother wanted me to help her look after our father."

Big dreams

Growing up, being a hawker was not what Ahmed had dreamt of. It's still not his defining job. He is perusing his B.Tech (Hons) degree in a local institute affiliated with University of Karachi and wants to become an engineer.

"Engineers have the capability to change the world," said Ahmed. "I would not like to deliver newspapers for the rest of my life, but as education these days is very expensive; I have to do it to pursue my passion of being an engineer."

His elder brother, Shahid Ahmed Khan, who also works as a newspaper hawker now, used to fund Ahmed's education until he got injured in a road accident. To support the family and to pay his own educational expenses, Ahmed started delivering newspapers.

Living in the Qayyumabad suburb of Karachi, Ahmed is up on his feet as the call for morning prayer blares from the speakers from his neighbourhood mosque. After offering his prayers, Ahmed hops onto his bike and makes his way to the newspaper collection spot at Nursery, Shahrah-e-Faisal, where his hawking duty for the day officially starts.

He must deliver newspapers in his area of Defence and Qayyumabad before the sun appears on the horizon. This has been part of his routine for the past seven years.

Being a newspaper hawker earns Ahmed a variable income every month from which Rs150 is spent on fuel every day.

"I have to do to other odd jobs too, to support my family and my education," said Ahmed. "I also work as a generator operator in different areas of Karachi, and sometimes this job takes me to Hyderabad where I have to spend days, sometimes weeks, away from the family."

Small solace

Being around the electrical equipment brings Ahmed solace as it reminds him of why he is doing these odd jobs in the first place.

"When I see these big generators that I have to operate, it intrigues me how the machine is running from the inside," said Ahmed, his eyes widening at the thought. "Just like in the printing press, you can see the newspapers being printed and coming out of the machine, I would like to study how these generators generate electricity and supply the whole building."

In his spare time, when Ahmed is not working as a newspapers hawker or a generator operator, he likes to play sports with his friends.

"I don't get much free time, but when I do, I try to make the most of it," said Ahmed. "I play cricket with my friends in the street. Sometimes even football."

A rocky start

For all his hard work, Ahmed had a shaky start in the newspaper delivery business. He missed out on two houses on his first solo ride in the job and his superior received complaints about it. The daily routine of Ahmed requires him to get to his collection point as early as possible and collect and organise the newspapers according to his customers.

"The only time a newspaper is delivered late to a house is when it comes late to the collection point from the printing press," says Ahmed.

This is where, Ahmed says, the hawker's union comes in. The union pushes the printing press to ensure newspapers reach the collection point on time, enabling hawkers to do their job without worry.

"Customers also sometimes delay our payments," said Ahmed. "They want the newspaper to be delivered every day on time, but when the time comes for our payment at the end of the month, they say come next day or the day after. I wish the union helped us in these matters too."

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Ahmed is sceptical of the news value of newspapers these days. He thinks people these days use print newspapers mostly to look for job vacancies and other advertisements.

Khalid Khan on way to Qayyumabad to deliver newspapers. PHOTO: Jahanzeb Tahir

Ahmed's most unusual customer in his seven years on the job has been an undertaker at a local graveyard. Once, a particular incident really scared Ahmed while delivering a newspaper there.

"I had left the newspaper next to a grave, which is my usual delivery point," said Ahmed. "When I was leaving the graveyard, I realised that I had dropped my wallet. I went back a few feet and saw the newspaper was gone. Delivering in a graveyard feels weird and looking at all the graves everyday puts the fear of God and reminds me this is where we all have to end up someday."

And yet, before that day comes, Ahmed hopes to have realised his dream of becoming an engineer.