Hemanta- The Cycle Rickshaw-Puller

Hemanta- The Cycle Rickshaw Puller

Few days back, on Sunday, I went to Bandel to see Bandel Church and Imam Bari. These are the famous attractions of Bandel. Bandel is the sub-division of the Hoogly district.
 In earlier history, Portuguese businessmen was come to India before the colonial British East India Company. Then Bandel was a busy business place of India. At that time, most of the Export & Import business would be done by waterways. Then India was under the administration of Mughal Emperor .The Portuguese businessmen was taken permission from Mughal Emperor. Most of the Portuguese businessmen were settled at Bandel with their families. 
In 1955, The Bandel church was built by the Portuguese. The distance between Howrah train terminus to Bandel station is about 40 kms by train .Not only by the train, but also by roads / a road / the road we can reach at Bandel. There are many locals and express trains are available from Howrah to go to Bandel. In weekdays, most of the times, the local trains are fully packed up by daily passengers. I dropped down from the train and then the time was 10.15 am at the watch of the station, just 1.15 hours' time was taken to reach there. 
I came out from the station area .That was the first time to Bandel; that's why I did not know the localconveyance system. I asked a co-passenger and then he told me that there is two types of conveyance, cycle rickshaw  and auto rickshaw. According to him, I had gone to auto stands and there I saw that autos was fully packed up by passengers. There was no room for a single person to be accommodated. Then I had searched for cycle rickshaws .
Three-four rickshaws were stood for the rickshaw-stand. I asked the first rickshaw-puller of the queue that he will go to Bandel church or not. The name of rickshaw-puller was Hemanta, he was agreed to go there. Then he told me that his fare is forty rupees for distance. I opposed him that this is something high fares.Hemanata was not ready to reduce his fare. On the other hand times were passing unnecessarily and after visit all I would have to go back to my house early .Lastly, was bound to agree with him .Rickshaw of Hemanta was running on the road. 
I was seeing both side of the road. His rickshaw was passing through a market place, both sides were very congested. Local people were marketing of their daily necessary items .Rickshaw was still running, Hemanta was paddling very fast and thus he was pulling his rickshaw quickly. I started talking about Hemanta and was asking about his family, family members, his lifestyle, earning, all. I am a story writer; this is part of my job to know more and more about those people who come to my touch. Hemanta told me everything about him and his families. Hemanta is from Arambagh sub-division of the Hoogly district. 
Three-four years back, he came here for searching his source of earning. Some time he worked on a local hotel as a hotel-boy, serving and cleaning of dishesof the customers were his daily duty. Few days after he left that hotel job, because his earning form works were not sufficient that he could lead his both sides' daily expenses. Thereafter, hestarted his rickshaw-pulling job. This rickshaw is not belonging to him; he takes the rickshaw from the rickshaw-owner on daily rental bases. At the night, after passing the last train from Bandel, he returns the rickshaw to the owner with the daily rent. 
He belongs to a very poor farmer family.Since from his childhood, he had seen poverty or as I can say that he had grown up with poverty. His father has no separate land for cultivation. His father was daily labor in other person's field. His father called that owner as 'Malik' .The daily wages were very poor and that is why his father could not effort the needs of their family. Hemanta was studied up to fifth standard at their village school. He wanted to study more as he loved education. But one day his father ultimately told him that he could not be able to continue the education of Hemanta; instead of that if he would start work with his father that would good for their family. From boyhood, Hemanta was started work with his father as a daily wages farmer in the field of that Malik. 
Thus their days were passing anyhow and Hemanta was grown up as a young man .His parents were arranged marriage for him. The name of his spouse is Sharmila . According to Hemanta, Sharmila is very nice looking, laborious and most obedient young woman. She took all the charges of their family and thus relief to her mother-in-law from the daily work of the family .Sharmila always respects to the parents of her husband and also she loves to her husband very much . 
Hemanta has four children, three daughters and a son. Son is youngest among his children .They are studying in that village school . Hemanta wants to continue their education at least up to 10th standards that they can think about their future .Hemanta does not want to bring his son to this line of rickshaw-pulling .This is a very laborious job . Huge food is requiring to continue this job , otherwise within very short period any hard disease can capture rickshaw-puller , because cycle rickshaw runs on human-strength , not like auto rickshaw which runs on motor horsepower . 
During this time we reached at the church's main gate , I got down from his rickshaw and paid him the fare forty rupees. He again stood in the queue of rickshaw stands near Bandel church.