My travel stories: Heart and Souls: Part III: Dignity

Me and two friends went to Chitwan, Nepal in 2016 and we were exploring rural areas. Found an old, blind man making small crafts with dry corn leaves to earn for himself. He doesnt remember his age but will definitely be an octogenarian. I couldnt know his name too. I bought few products to support him. He made me think 'dignity matters' Life without dignity is nothing...... November 2, 2016. Chitwan, Nepal.
I remembered a Bangla story after meeting this amazing man. Brief translation of the story: Dignity and Labour
One short story touched my heart. It’s a Bengali short story written by Banaphool titled, ‘Chotolok’. “Chotolok’ means the subaltern working class here in the story. The story is only few pages long and talks about two men : one passerby and a manual rikshaw puller. Raghab is a enlightened man with knowledge of labour exploitation and subaltern studies, believes that manual rikshaw pulling is worst kind of discrimination and labour exploitation he ever witnessed. The rikshaw puller started following while he was walking briskly to cover a short distance in scorching sun. Raghab thought this worst kind of labour of rickshaw pulling must be the only livelihood option for this man. He negotiated his ideology for a short distance. He hired the rikshaw but didn’t sit on it and was walking side by side despite several requests from the rikshaw puller to be seated in the cart. How can Raghab sit? He has studied the great labour movements: division of labour, Bolshevism, factory labour and exploitation and what not.
After reaching the destination Raghab offered him a pay. Rikshaw puller asked him , ‘you didn’t ride my cart. Why the payment?’. Raghab answered, ‘I don’t ride rikshaws. It’s sin [to be seated in a cart while another human being pulls it]. The rikshaw puller wore a sign of avoidance and frustration. “ I work and I don’t beg from others’. He answered and left the place.

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