"I will never forget the love of those train passengers"
Noticing a crack on the railway line, two farmers, Md Ziarul Rahman and Sajdar Ali, used a red ‘gamchha’ to signal a train to halt. The train stopped and around 800 passengers were saved from a serious accident. This incident took place on 17 February.
Ziarul and Sajdar live in Ramchandrapur village. It was Ziarul Rahman, 32, who noticed the crack on the railway line first and decided to signal the train to stop. He relates the incident in an interview with Prothom Alo.
You are quite a recognised face now. How did the passengers react after the train halted?
Around 100 to 150 passengers emerged from the train when it stopped. When they realised that I stopped the train after seeing the crack on the lines, they thronged to take pictures with me. They praised me a lot and prayed for me. I will never forget their love.
Where were you going that day?
I went there to collect date juice. Our date palm trees are next to the railway line.
How did you notice the crack on the railway line?
I heard a loud noise when the Sagardari Express was passing by. When I went to see what the sound was, I noticed the cracks on the line.
Where did you get the red gamchha (cotton scarf-towel) from?
An 'uncle' of the area, Jokim Uddin, was walking down the road with a red gamchha. I asked for it. Then Sajdar and I tied the ends of the gamchha to two sticks and stood on either side of the railway line. Seeing us signaling with the red gamchha, the engine driver stopped the train.
How did you know that a train stops when you wave a red cloth?
The railway workers hang a red cloth when they repair the railway lines. Trains stop seeing the red cloth. I have been seeing this since my childhood.
Who noticed that the railway line was broken, you or Sajdar?
It was me.
Did you see the train coming or did you have an idea about its schedule?
We usually work near the railway line from the in months from Kartik to Chaitra. I go there to collect date juice at around 6.00am and return home at around 8.00am. Then at around 1.00pm, I go there again to hang the pots up to collect date juice. Therefore, I know the schedule of the trains. I knew that the Banalata Express would come after the Sagardari Express, so I was waiting with the 'gamchha'.
Did the railway authorities say anything?
The engine driver climbed down from the train first and thanked me. He said he would call me. But he hasn’t called me yet.
There have been several news reports about you. Did the people from your village say anything?
They are saying that I have done a great job and I may get a job in Bangladesh Railway as a reward.
Tell us about your family.
I have a wife, two sons and my mother in the family. In total we have eight members in the family. My boys are children. The eldest one is a first grader.
How far have you studied?
We are poor. I haven’t studied very far. I went to school till the fifth grade. I can read and write.
You collect date juice six months a year. What do you do for the other six months?
I work on other people’s land.
How much do you earn by collecting date juice?
How much do you think a farmer can earn! I just get by, survive.
*This interview appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu