NEW DELHI: Zipping through the streets on his skates against a night sky backlit with neon signs and halogen lamps, he could be a poster boy for leisure and fun in a metro on the move.
But fleeting, first glimpses can be deceptive.
Life is not on the fast track for Mohammed Ismail Khan, a food delivery boy on skates for whom the dark clouds of despair in a pandemic year are edged with hope.
"I love my country. My tie is in the tricolours of saffron, white and green and so is my name on my visiting card," the 28-year-old said ahead of Independence Day, optimistic that a turnaround in his fortunes is well, just around the corner.
Look closer at the figure niftily navigating roads of the national capital, and you see that what appears to be a regular backpack Is actually an unwieldy, too large square bag balanced precariously on his shoulders, and the writing on his T-shirt identifies him as a delivery man for a popular food company.
Khan is grateful he has the job, which brings in some money though just a fraction of what he earned before COVID-19 derailed millions of lives and livelihoods.
"I was a skating instructor for about 10 years and earned about Rs 40,000 a month," Khan told PTI, listing three schools, in Ajmeri Gate, Shahdara and Vasundara Enclave, and some private residential localities.
Except for Ajmeri Gate, the other schools were far from his home in Old Delhi's Turkman Gate area, but the money was sufficient to take care of his family of five.
And Khan, only too aware that he has studied till Class 9 and may not qualify for another job easily, was content.
Then came the pandemic and everything changed.
"COVID-19 brought with it a lockdown. Outdoor activities stopped, skating classes shut down and my work stopped. Whatever savings I had were exhausted after a while. Then I came to know about Swiggy and I joined as a delivery boy," he said, The work is hard and strenuous, and brings in just about Rs 100 an hour, depending on how many deliveries he has, he said.
"If I work continuously for 10 hours, I earn up to Rs. 800. If it is raining, we get an extra Rs 20 per delivery."
He picks up deliveries from Connaught Place, puts on his skates and then zips towards Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi or Delhi University in the north, his two areas of operation.
On an average, he skates about 90-100 kilometres a day.
The skates themselves are worth a hefty Rs 70,000.
"I took a loan and now have about Rs 10,000 left to repay," Khan said.
When he started off delivering food, he used a scooter that has now stopped working.
Using his skates is not just cheaper but also helps in getting through traffic.
Skates, Khan said, also require little maintenance.
"I will still work with Swiggy when this is all over and I go back to my classes. Because Swiggy's work supported me in my bad times. I have five people in my family. My parents, brother and sister, they all depend on these feet," Khan said with a smile.
"The days are hard, I pray to Allah everything will be fine," Khan added before putting on his helmet, strapping on his skates and setting off.
Another day of work beckoned.