Good Morning Everybody,
As promised I am here to narrate the story of 24 Hrs in a life of a tricycle puller.
I met "Upendra" a rickshaw puller in a district town in India. During my travel i have tried to bring out his daily life. His way of narration has given me initial sense that he is not at all able to support his family in good manner. He tried to do other jobs also to get a good livelyhood but unable to get the same due to social culture prevailing in his area.
He use to wake up in the morning at 5.00 AM and after getting fresh and bath he use to run to "Mahajan" to get Rickshaw in hire. The "Mahajan" use to take a fix sum of money on daily basis for Rickshaw and income over that amount is his earning. The mahajan amount varies from Rs. 80.00 to Rs. 125.00. On being asked he told that normally the rackshaw is given for 8 hrs only. During this period normally they earn around Rs. 50.00 to 60.00 which is very hard to feed his family of four people. Their day turns up when their is strike from local transport and that day their earning goes up to Rs. 150.00 to 200.00.
The peoples mostly engaged in this business doen't own any land and they are totally dependent on this. The local administrator and reprensetative never gives any kind look on them and the govt welfare money are distributed among themselves. He use to work hard during the day and many a times encounter with pessengers who even don't give them money and tell him of dire consequences if he ask for.
The money he earns gets exhausted in feeding and general needs of family members. They are unable to save even single penny. As such they donot have any scope of moving up. He rarely have sent his child to school as he desnot have money to pay the requisite fees.
After 8 hrs of physical labour he use to go to local market to purchase the grocery and to pay the dues of others Finally at the day end they left with no money and he sleeps preying to god and thinking of getting his livelyhood for next day. |
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