JOURNEY IN HAND-PULLED RIKSHA

1993.

We were attending the Central Working Committee meeting of AITEU. Class III Union at Yuba Kendra, Moulali, Kolkata. I had to go to a hospital about two kilo meters away to see a patient.

Immediately after the morning section, without waiting to take meals,I hurried out of the building and got in to a Cycle riksha and gave the address of the hospital. I was absent-minded and was thinking about the issues to be discussed in the CWC in the aftenoon session.

After a few minutes I realised that the riksha was moving very slowly. All of a sudden I recognised that it was not a Cycle Riksha , but a riksha being pulled by an old man. I asked him to stop. I got down and paid him the charge of Rs. 10 which he had said at the start and said to him that I will get a taxi, as I had to go quickly and return.

He was a very old man and was pulling the riksha with great difficulty.I thought of giving him some extra money. But, as I thought that probably it will be a disrespect and humiliation for him, I did not pay anything extra.

I got a taxi and went to the hospital, met the patient and returned in time.

Despite the introduction of cycle riksha and auto riksha , Man Pulling Rikshas are still plying in Kolkata and some other Northern Cities. This system has got to be abolished at the earliest by providing them with auto/ cycle rikshas or alternate jobs.

( I remember that during the 1960s and the earlier 1970s, there were many man pulled rikshas in Calicut used mostly by the Advocates. It was a sight to see a good number of rikshas near the Courts with the riksha -pullers waiting for the Vakils to return from the Courts to take them back to their homes. There were two lady Telephone Operators in the Calicut exchange who came by hand-pulled rikshas.But all these have vanished gradually with the two-wheelers and cars taking their place.)

V A N 25.05.2026

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