'Tokai' is a local Bangla word. It means one who collects or picks up the abandoned things. He is a boy of the street having no home and hearth. He leads a very dirty and unhygienic life. He puts on rags and patched up clothes. Bad smell comes from his body and dress. He roams about in the streets picking up torn papers and clothes, wood and other refuses. He maintains his livelihood by selling those things. Tokais pass their night on the verandahs of shops, pavement of streets or railway platform. It he can save money, he goes to the cinema hall to enjoy a film. The tokais figure prominent when the political leaders need to show a large number of supporters. They hire the tokais from the street and give them packet lunch. During hartal they are hired for picketing. They also join political processions for money.
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