INSPIRING RIDE

It was a sweltering hot day and there was not a rickshaw in sight. Then from nowhere a ricksha-puller, wearing kutra-pajama, came and asked, "Were you looking for a rickshaw?" With a definite nod I hopped on. I have become accustomed to bumpy and rash rides-a trademark of rickshaw-pullers. But this ride was turning out to be as smooth as silk. I was impressed with his skill of driving the rickshaw and could not hold back my questions: Where was he originally from? How come he pulled the rickshaw so differently from others? He told me he was from Bihar but did not answer any more questions. It was then that I noticed that the left pedal was empty and that he kept pulling the pajama up from the left side. My heart was suddenly full of gratitude for the man.

I decided to ask more questions. This time I got some answers. A farmer by profession, he had met with an accident in Bihar. He had been left with a stump in place of his left leg. Not wishing to be a burden on his family, he had decided to move to Dehradun along with his wife. While his wife started working as a housemaid he did not want to sit idle. He managed to convince a rickshaw owner to loan him one on a nominal monthly charge. "I wanted to learn carpentry. Until I can find a good teacher, I might as well do this", he said. "My wife is pregnant. I want to be able to earn enough for my child to study and become a responsible human being." He had an opinion on many issues including begging. He was sad that people, despite being physically fit, took to begging. "If you are willing to pull out your hand for money why not find a way to be self-reliant?" My journey was enriched with his pearls of wisdom which he shared right through the ride. He insisted on dropping me right outside my friend's house even though the last stretch was cobbled. I let him and smiled at his sense of fulfilment and achievement.