Young boys, their tiny heads adorned with topis (the caps worn by Muslims during prayer), rush in and out of the standstill traffic, presumably on their way to the masjid. A young girl, with sandy brown hair and striking hazel eyes, asks or money or food from passer-bys, all the while smiling. She doesn't seem disappointed in the least whenever she's refused, just calmly moving on to the next potential giver.

New clothes are everywhere, lining Mohammed Ali Road and its accompanying by-lanes. Nearby, a burqa-clad woman, with her children's hands clutched firmly in her own, examines several brightly coloured pants and shirts, turning to haggle with the shop's proprietor. But, in the meanwhile, her daughter becomes fixated by the row upon row of glitter covered, rainbow-coloured bangles, which the mother now has no chance but to buy from.

Also see: The wayside story