Reza Mahmud :
“I can’t be defeated. I never begged. I’m battling with my life for long. I don’t mind whether I’m a winner or not, but I never think that I’m helpless,” said a 67-year old man.
The man, Abdur Rab, has been paralysed for the last 26 years when he was 41. Rab said that he was a wholesale betel leaf trader in the city’s Kaptan Bazar.
Then, he had some employees in his business to buy and bring betel leaf from Shambazar, a wholesale market, to his trading house in Kaptan Bazar.
He spent a good amount of money he had with the bank accounts. He had a four-member happy family. They are his wife, one son and two daughters. All were very much happy.
Rab said he has always been loved and respected by people at his native village of East Kawnia under Faridganj upazila in Chandpur district.
Expressing deep shock over his sorrowful life, Rab said he was suddenly got sick with an unknown
disease when he was 41. He had taken treatment from many hospitals, clinics and physicians. He went long ways in his treatment. And ultimately he spent all of his money and also sold other properties but failed to recover from the disease. At one stage, he became paralysed.
On the other hand, the total amount of his money went drying. His properties were sold to provide money for the long-run treatment.
He became bankruptcy. Even education for his children stopped due to poverty. But Abdur Rab did not give-up his battle of life for survival.
“After a long treatment I got understand that his sickness might never be cured. In the same time, I realized that I have been transformed into a poorer man from a rich businessman,” he said.
“But I did not be upset. I have given solace to my wife and children that I will be able to start my business again. I collected some money as loan from my relatives to start a small business,” he said.
“One day, I return to Dhaka with my new component, a wheel chair. I have gone to Kaptan Bazar to my fellow businessmen. They also have given me solace.”
“I bought some betel leaves from one of the wholesalers who was my business competitor once. But so what! I have started my own business again, selling betel leaf to the street side shops in Gulistan, Bangabandhu Avenue, Purana Paltan, Baitul Mukarram and Motijheel areas.”
Rab said he lives in a mess now in Kaptan Bazar.
Every morning Abdur Rab is seen to carry a steel basket full of betel leaves on his lap moving on his wheel chair from Kaptan Bazar to different areas to sale those.
It seems that he is not only bearing the weight of betel leaves on the wheel chair, but also his family as well as his sorrowful life. He moves like a struggling hero who never know to give up from the battle field.
Abdur Rab have been seen tired to move the wheel chair beside the speedy vehicles. Some time running rickshaws push his wheel chair as it is not so fast moving. Some time he face accident like situations but ignore those and continue towards his way. His son is now working as a day labourer in his village. He got married. The expenditures of their family have increased. But the income has not increased yet.
He has only Tk 4,000 as his capital. The struggling man said he used to sell his item to the small shops in dues (unpaid condition).
“The shopkeepers are not buy betel in cash but in credit. They paid the money after two or more days after taking another bundles in credit ” he said.
Rab said, at morning time he sells the leaves to those shops. And in the evening, he collect money from them. But not the money of that day’s betel leaves but it was previous day’s price of the leaves.
The old man said that if any kind person give him some money as capital to start a shop here or there, it will be helpful for him as he is tired to run the wheel chair long.
“I can’t be defeated. I never begged. I’m battling with my life for long. I don’t mind whether I’m a winner or not, but I never think that I’m helpless,” said a 67-year old man.
The man, Abdur Rab, has been paralysed for the last 26 years when he was 41. Rab said that he was a wholesale betel leaf trader in the city’s Kaptan Bazar.
Then, he had some employees in his business to buy and bring betel leaf from Shambazar, a wholesale market, to his trading house in Kaptan Bazar.
He spent a good amount of money he had with the bank accounts. He had a four-member happy family. They are his wife, one son and two daughters. All were very much happy.
Rab said he has always been loved and respected by people at his native village of East Kawnia under Faridganj upazila in Chandpur district.
Expressing deep shock over his sorrowful life, Rab said he was suddenly got sick with an unknown
disease when he was 41. He had taken treatment from many hospitals, clinics and physicians. He went long ways in his treatment. And ultimately he spent all of his money and also sold other properties but failed to recover from the disease. At one stage, he became paralysed.
On the other hand, the total amount of his money went drying. His properties were sold to provide money for the long-run treatment.
He became bankruptcy. Even education for his children stopped due to poverty. But Abdur Rab did not give-up his battle of life for survival.
“After a long treatment I got understand that his sickness might never be cured. In the same time, I realized that I have been transformed into a poorer man from a rich businessman,” he said.
“But I did not be upset. I have given solace to my wife and children that I will be able to start my business again. I collected some money as loan from my relatives to start a small business,” he said.
“One day, I return to Dhaka with my new component, a wheel chair. I have gone to Kaptan Bazar to my fellow businessmen. They also have given me solace.”
“I bought some betel leaves from one of the wholesalers who was my business competitor once. But so what! I have started my own business again, selling betel leaf to the street side shops in Gulistan, Bangabandhu Avenue, Purana Paltan, Baitul Mukarram and Motijheel areas.”
Rab said he lives in a mess now in Kaptan Bazar.
Every morning Abdur Rab is seen to carry a steel basket full of betel leaves on his lap moving on his wheel chair from Kaptan Bazar to different areas to sale those.
It seems that he is not only bearing the weight of betel leaves on the wheel chair, but also his family as well as his sorrowful life. He moves like a struggling hero who never know to give up from the battle field.
Abdur Rab have been seen tired to move the wheel chair beside the speedy vehicles. Some time running rickshaws push his wheel chair as it is not so fast moving. Some time he face accident like situations but ignore those and continue towards his way. His son is now working as a day labourer in his village. He got married. The expenditures of their family have increased. But the income has not increased yet.
He has only Tk 4,000 as his capital. The struggling man said he used to sell his item to the small shops in dues (unpaid condition).
“The shopkeepers are not buy betel in cash but in credit. They paid the money after two or more days after taking another bundles in credit ” he said.
Rab said, at morning time he sells the leaves to those shops. And in the evening, he collect money from them. But not the money of that day’s betel leaves but it was previous day’s price of the leaves.
The old man said that if any kind person give him some money as capital to start a shop here or there, it will be helpful for him as he is tired to run the wheel chair long.
