KARACHI: If you have seen her, you’ve probably passed her off as a customer standing by the roasted corn on the cob cart. But Manzoora Mai is, in fact, the vendor pushing her roasted-corn cart on Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue, also known as Seaview, and doing good business.
Dressed in a light-coloured cotton shalwar and kameez with a chador to cover her head and protect it from the sun, Manzoora sells roasted corn on the cob from morning till evening. Then she returns home to her husband and children.
Why doesn’t the husband work? “He can’t,” she says. “His hands and feet don’t function very well — he’s crippled.” Further questioning reveals that he used to work as a driver with a family. Sixteen years ago, he was in an accident that left him injured. “What happened, stays happened,” says Manzoora. “I don’t like to bring up the past. May God give him a long life, even though he cannot earn or help himself,” she adds before turning to a young customer.
It is after 1pm, the peak time for selling her roasted corn to children coming out of schools. But Manzoora stands on the service road on the side of the avenue where there are townhouses. “I am not allowed to park my cart outside the schools here. The vigilance team doesn’t allow it,” she says. “So I stand here at this time. The DA Model School and City School are at equal distances in opposing directions from here. Besides, the children know where to find me,” she smiles. Source
