This melting pot called Dhaka attracts people of all classes, shapes and colours with varying intelligence, initiatives and endeavours. Those who came early found easy opportunities to make money and settle here. But with every passing day, the competition for eking out a living, particularly for the unlettered (not uneducated, for their education is from mother Nature) underclass, is getting stiffer. Fortunately, these are people who are satisfied with little. That many of them today have grown demanding and even greedy is because of the crookedness and dilettantism of the privileged class. When a well-dressed passenger polished in behaviour hires a rickshaw for up-down ride but does not return after more than an hour, the poor rickshaw-puller has none but to curse himself. By the way, however, he learns an important lesson. The lesson is that a cheat lives in the so-called gentlemen.
Yet, a rare few of such people engaged in menial labour in this capital or other cities carry along with them the baggage of village memory full of simplicity and honesty. At times they surprise you to the point of overwhelming you. When a young rickshaw-puller in his early 30s has pedalled someway, his passenger remembers he has forgotten to bring his spectacles and asks the young puller to go back, not only does the former oblige but also become aware of the urgency by agreeing that age has something to do with such forgetfulness. On resumption of the ride and its completion, the passenger feels the obligation of paying Tk 20 -just Tk 05 more on the earlier agreed fare of Tk 15. Whereas in most cases, rickshaw-pullers demand at least an extra amount of Tk 10, this one displays an extra-ordinary virtue by telling the passenger, "It (forgetfulness) costs you Tk 05' and adds almost apologetically, 'please do not to mind."
Who says rickshaw-pullers are not courteous enough? His sense of courtesy and sincerity can beat the best in the elite circle. It is such an experience not every rickshaw passenger is likely to undergo. But there are others of his kind who may not put their feelings in words but can match it with their actions. A few years ago, a rickshaw-puller picked up an abandoned sack near Nilkhet and New Market. To his bewildering amazement, he found in it about a quarter million Takas. The poor rickshaw-puller drove straight to the police station and asked for help. Thank God, the police did not try to influence or intimidate him -perhaps, because his unalloyed sincerity had a force enough to send the predatory instincts in the men in uniform to sleep or hibernation. The law enforcers played their part well and found out the owner of the money to return it to him.
These are not the only examples where integrity of these poor fellows was on its wonderous display. Many urban citizens may come across incidents where the poor pullers, vendors or hawkers have surprised them pleasantly. These people are unlike the educated crooked and crafty. Not all of them will ever be veterans the urban way like their more illustrated and educated brothers and sisters who have an unsatiated appetite for wealth accumulation by means fair or foul.
The seed of corruption lies there. Simple folks do not bother about pots of money nor are they capable of dealing with big amount and therefore corruption is alien to their character.
Loss or not of innocence
Neil Ray | Published: March 03, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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