The essence of Ramadan is noticed when tents for offering free Iftar meals are pitched up in various parts of the Kingdom. Babul Miyan, a street cleaner who earns a paltry SR250 a month and has to feed a family of seven including his parents, breaks his fast at one of these tents. Miyan also receives donations from passersby while at work on the street during Ramadan. Muhammad Samad, an Indian janitor working in an apartment on a monthly salary of SR500, said as the month of Ramadan approached he received calls from his family members back home, complaining of inflation and seeking additional money. Samad got a room in the building but has to cook his own food. He said his supplications were answered when he received generous donations from the building occupants and a Ramadan bonus, a first ever from the landlord. “Moreover, the free Iftar meals distributed during Ramadan is a boon for me to save the monthly food expenses,” he said. Aboobaker, a Chadian concierge at a private hospital, said Ramadan is a month of piety and charity. So he receives generous donations from people. “As a gatekeeper I don't get time to eat my Iftar at the tents that offer free Iftar meals. However, I queue up at a tent and get the parcel and come back to my place of work. The free Iftar meal has helped me save a lot of money,” he said. __
