Rajshahi woman rickshaw puller struggles to survive

OUR CORRESPONDENT | Published: November 13, 2023 23:30:46

RAJSHAHI, Nov 13: Tuli Begum, a resident of the Hargram Rail Crossing area of Rajshahi city, is struggling to survive with her daughter and infant grandson. She has chosen a difficult and risky profession like pulling rickshaw.
She said, "When I was 5/6 years old, my mother and father separated. Then I went to Dhaka in search of work and lost my mother. I started selling flowers, water and polythene in the streets."
She elaborated her struggle, "As I had no place to stay, the road was my home. When I got married a little older, I had to bear all the expenses of the family including four children. I worked at different homes and garment factories".
In a tearful voice, she further said, "My husband left me three years ago. I started selling toys, ice-cream and gas balloons since the time of coronavirus pandemic in order to make a living".
She also said, "At that time, my little daughter was beaten by her son-in-law. Later, when they separated, they came to me with her child. I was forced to take a rickshaw to run the family".
Tuli said she takes a rickshaw from the garage and runs from morning to late night with passengers across the city.
The owner of the garage said Tuli Begum wanted to rent a rickshaw from my garage four months ago. She got trained in driving a rickshaw and showed skill. There was no accident or damage to the rickshaw as she drove the rickshaw very carefully with skillful hands. anaetru@gmail.com