It was Thursday afternoon at the Malibagh intersection in Dhaka. After parking his pedal-powered rickshaw by the roadside, Md Ansar Ali (74) walked to a mobile food stall, wiping sweat from his forehead. Taking a paratha, he sat at a nearby table and began eating. His olive-coloured shirt was soaked with sweat.
Ansar Ali had brought a passenger from Jatrabari to Shantibagh. It took more than an hour to reach Shantibagh from Jatrabari through heavy traffic. After dropping off the passenger, he was having lunch.
Asked whether a single paratha was his lunch, Ansar Ali said, “What can I do, son? There is no income. I drive a pedal rickshaw. I made one son a Hafiz of the Quran. Now he studies at a kitabkhana. What can I do? I get no assistance either.”
Ansar Ali is from Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali. He came to Dhaka in 1998. Since then, he has been making a living by driving a pedal-powered rickshaw. He stays at a rickshaw garage in Shanir Akhra. He has married off his two daughters in his six-member family. His elder son, Shahidur Rahman (18), studies at a Qaumi madrasa in Barishal. His younger son, Maruf Hossain (14), used to study but had to stop due to financial hardship. He stays in the village home with his mother, Khaleda Begum.
Ansar Ali said he had eaten a paratha and a plate of fried vegetables costing Tk 10 for breakfast. He said, “I try to eat as cheaply as possible. Sometimes I go without eating. If I eat rice, I look for cheap vegetables to go with it. I don’t remember when I last ate fish or meat. A few months ago, I ate meat at an invitation.”
He said that while it was possible to get by driving a rickshaw before, opportunities are no longer the same. Mentioning that pedal-powered rickshaws have lost popularity, Ansar Ali said, “Earlier, even after paying the rickshaw deposit, I would have Tk 600 to 700 left. Now, after paying Tk 100 for the rickshaw, I barely have Tk 150 to 200 left.”
Asked why he does not drive a battery-powered rickshaw, he said battery-powered rickshaws are much heavier. If the charge runs out somewhere, he does not have the physical strength to pull it back to the garage. Besides, he does not have the money to buy one.
He struggles every month to arrange Tk 2,500 for his elder son’s education expenses and money for the family. Saying that he had to send Tk 500 to his elder son yesterday, the rickshaw puller said, “Since morning, I earned Tk 200. Seeing my pedal rickshaw and physical condition, people do not want to ride in my rickshaw.”
Sales have declined, days are spent in hardship
At around 2:00 pm in Shantibagh, this correspondent spoke with street fruit and ginger-garlic seller Md Khoka (69). He said he has been roaming around selling ginger, garlic, and one type of fruit for several years. Yesterday as well, he brought 20 kg of ginger, 10 kg of garlic, and 10 kg of wax apples for sale. To buy these, he has to go to Karwan Bazar at 4:00 am. He then brings the goods from there and sells them.
The street vendor said sales are no longer as good as before since product prices increased. He said, “When prices were lower, people bought more. Since prices increased, they buy less now.”
Md Khoka’s village home is in Islampur of Jamalpur. He lives in a rented mess near Karwan Bazar. His three sons are married and live separately. He has married off his two daughters. His wife lives in the village home. Whatever he earns from selling throughout the day goes toward his own expenses, and he sends some money home for his wife.
Left his shop, now a daily wager
Delwar Hossain (58) works at a restaurant in Paltan. A year and a half ago, he had a food shop at the Jatrabari fish wholesale market, but was forced to give it up due to losses. Currently, he works for a daily wage of Tk 400.
Delwar Hossain said he lives in a rented house in Jatrabari with his family. Of his five sons, three are married and live separately. The younger two sons work at the fish market and somehow help support the family. As a result, the family is managing somehow. However, he said he had to borrow money to marry off his daughter, Ema, last week.