There was a festive atmosphere in the neighborhood today. The big boss had come to help the poor. Cameras were flashing, mobile phones were held high, and every face showed more concern about being in the photo than compassion. Ramu stood in the forefront. A self-respecting man who supported his family through hard work. Smiling, the boss handed him a huge pumpkin. The pumpkin was so big that Ramu felt his worries about the children’s vegetables were over. Just then the photographer said, “Smile… yes, like this! Very nice.”

Click! The pumpkin shone in the photo, the gentleman’s generosity shone through, and Ramu’s helplessness was beautifully captured.

When we reached home and cut the pumpkin, a stench emanated from within that made even our children’s dreams of better days run away. The pumpkin was huge from outside, but completely rotten from inside. The next day, we received another round of relief material. This time, it was a packet of white, shiny eggs. We took another photo. The caption appeared on social media: “Serving the poor is our religion.” When we broke the eggs at home, we realized that the religion was fresh, but the eggs had long since departed for heaven.

Ramu smiled. He understood that when helping the poor, the quality of the picture is no longer the quality of the goods. Things are given to be posted, not eaten. He looked at the five kilograms of government ration wheat, the rotten pumpkin, the stinking eggs, and then at the smiling picture of the Sahib in the newspaper.

I said to myself, “Wow, what a poor man’s luck! Five kilos of government rations and a favor from the big boss. What more does a self-respecting man need to dream of better days? After all, a stomach is filled more with photos than with bread.” Meanwhile, the boss was searching for a new pumpkin for the next photo. It didn’t matter if it was rotten inside—it just needed to be big and shiny on the outside. (A short story from the satirical collection “Acche Din” by Shami M. Irfan)