Making ends meet: No rose without a thorn
Seema’s life struggle is bringing up her six children.
Seema is a single parent raising four daughters and two sons on her own. PHOTO: HUMA CHOUDHARY/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Unaware of her surroundings, Seema Bibi is engrossed in separating decayed roses and tuberoses from fresh ones and arranging them on a brown piece of cloth placed in front of her. “I purchase flowers every second morning from a dealer who also supplies to large flower markets in Islamabad,” she said.
Seema’s one-man makeshift flower kiosk, located on the sidewalk adjacent to Kohsar Park, is frequently visited by residents who purchase flowers for their homes on a regular basis. Unlike bigger flower markets in the capital, Seema only keeps a limited stock of tuberoses, roses and narcissus.
Narcissus is transported all the way from Swat while tuberoses are brought from Lahore. “A bunch of Narcissus costs Rs120 and I sell them for Rs140,” she shared while arranging flowers into bunches for customers to purchase.
Seema is a single parent raising four daughters and two sons on her own. Her husband married another woman, leaving her and the children starving on the outskirts of Rawalpindi with nothing except rags that served as their roof. “Up to this time I live in the same makeshift house,” said a tearful Seema. “Even after two decades of running this setup, I am unable to rent a modest place for my children,” she admitted.
When her husband moved out in 1995, Seema decided to do something in order to provide for her children and give them a better future. “I loved flowers like most women and thought I might be able to make some money selling them,” she said.
Seema travels to her kiosk and back on public transport, changing three vans to get to Kohsar Market. Through better budgeting and by working seven days a week, she has been making ends meet. Three of Seema’s six children are in school and two help her with work when she’s unwell or unable to attend. However, on days when business is bad or the family cannot make it to the capital’s most posh market, Seema and her loved ones are forced to sleep on an empty stomach.
“I wasn’t even born when my mother started working to provide for us,” chimed in Ishrat, who helps her mother with the business after school. Ishrat is immensely proud of the way her mother has raised her siblings. “Despite being uneducated, she taught us how to respect our elders, be affectionate towards the ones younger than us and work hard”.
“I can’t wait till I finish college and start a job so my mother can take a break,” remarks Ali, Seema’s youngest son — a fifth grade student at a government school.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2015.
Unaware of her surroundings, Seema Bibi is engrossed in separating decayed roses and tuberoses from fresh ones and arranging them on a brown piece of cloth placed in front of her. “I purchase flowers every second morning from a dealer who also supplies to large flower markets in Islamabad,” she said.
Seema’s one-man makeshift flower kiosk, located on the sidewalk adjacent to Kohsar Park, is frequently visited by residents who purchase flowers for their homes on a regular basis. Unlike bigger flower markets in the capital, Seema only keeps a limited stock of tuberoses, roses and narcissus.
Narcissus is transported all the way from Swat while tuberoses are brought from Lahore. “A bunch of Narcissus costs Rs120 and I sell them for Rs140,” she shared while arranging flowers into bunches for customers to purchase.
Seema is a single parent raising four daughters and two sons on her own. Her husband married another woman, leaving her and the children starving on the outskirts of Rawalpindi with nothing except rags that served as their roof. “Up to this time I live in the same makeshift house,” said a tearful Seema. “Even after two decades of running this setup, I am unable to rent a modest place for my children,” she admitted.
When her husband moved out in 1995, Seema decided to do something in order to provide for her children and give them a better future. “I loved flowers like most women and thought I might be able to make some money selling them,” she said.
Seema travels to her kiosk and back on public transport, changing three vans to get to Kohsar Market. Through better budgeting and by working seven days a week, she has been making ends meet. Three of Seema’s six children are in school and two help her with work when she’s unwell or unable to attend. However, on days when business is bad or the family cannot make it to the capital’s most posh market, Seema and her loved ones are forced to sleep on an empty stomach.
“I wasn’t even born when my mother started working to provide for us,” chimed in Ishrat, who helps her mother with the business after school. Ishrat is immensely proud of the way her mother has raised her siblings. “Despite being uneducated, she taught us how to respect our elders, be affectionate towards the ones younger than us and work hard”.
“I can’t wait till I finish college and start a job so my mother can take a break,” remarks Ali, Seema’s youngest son — a fifth grade student at a government school.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2015.