Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries
in the world, and with that put in our mind; most of us look down upon our own
kind. Admit it or not, that is the plane
ugly truth.
We have this division of class in our own language. There are 3 different ways of addressing a
person based on their status of respect.
The most highly respected person is addressed by “apne” (translates to “you”). The average person who is around your age or
class would be addressed by “tumi” (translates to “you”). The most informal and lowest class for mostly
uneducated people is addressed by “tui” (also translates to you”). Yea, they all mean “you”.
The Rickshaw Puller builds
a clinic
Quite ironic how we go around the world working among
foreigners and complain about being discriminated, yet here we are taking a
vacation to our motherland and calling out the rickshaw man across the street
by “tui”. No respect. Even though that tired person might be your
father’s age, and you are just half his age, it’s still “tui”. “Tui jabi?” (You goin’?) “JABI?!” Sadly, this
has generally been South Asia’s social norm.
Today I have an eye-opener story for people around the
world, but most specifically for Bangladeshis and other desis of all ages to
reflect upon. I want to share one of the most inspirational stories
of our times that awestruck me, about a rickshaw puller in Bangladesh. A man who earned barely $6 on his “good days”
for 14 tough years as a rickshaw puller in the insanely busy city of Dhaka, who
made a free clinic that now treats hundreds of patients each day. In addition, he provided a coaching center to
educate underprivileged children. He is
Joynal Abedin, the loyal rickshaw puller.
Stop and think for a moment.
An old man who falls among the lowest and poorest level of class in one
of the poorest countries in the world has accomplished a “world leader’s” task
from scratch. As Bangladeshi lawyer
Nilufar Yesmin Biswas says, “Joynal Abedin is not only a man of golden heart,
but also a slap on the faces of the greedy wealthy people of the country.” I could not have expressed it any better!
The Story behind Joynal
Abedin’s Dream
At age 30, Joynal Abedin’s doom’s day was marked on a dark
rainy afternoon in his hometown called Taan Hashadia, Mymensingh, a northern village
quite far away from Dhaka. Joynal’s
father had become extremely ill, so sick that he needed a doctor’s
attention. The big problem was, no
nearby hospital or clinic existed where they lived. The nearest medical center was 12 miles away,
a 2-day’s walk. He was a farm worker at
the time with very little money and no source of transportation. With the current circumstances in his life,
he was unable to cure his father and so he passed away in his arms.
The grief that followed his death kept haunting him. He wanted to prove to others, but most
importantly to himself, that he was not letting this go. He didn’t want another individual to be in
his place, seeing his/her loved one suffering and dying due to
helplessness. This was the beginning of
his quest to providing a nearby free medical care center for the helpless. Nothing was going to stop him now.
The Struggle behind
Joynal Abedin’s Dream
Joynal Abedin and his wife, Lal Banu, left the village in
Mymensingh after the devastating incident and came to the busy capital city of
Dhaka. With hardly any money in his
pocket, no education, and cold sweaty hands, the man was overwhelmed by Dhaka’s
lifestyle.
"When I landed
in Dhaka it was a new experience for us. We were amazed by the size and energy
of the city. Initially, we were not sure how we could survive there,"
remembered Mr. Abedin.
The couple struggled.
In search of employment, his wife finally was given the chance to work
at a clinic.
Mr. Abedin was not qualified enough for any job and like
many others in the country, he earned his living by becoming a rickshaw puller,
“a job of shame” as most Bangladeshis would put it, and probably the hardest
job especially in the capital city with its deadly street and air pollution,
horrific unregulated traffic, road violence, and natural disasters. Being honked, bullied, and verbally (sometimes
even physically) abused by other road travelers and passengers while
transporting passengers, heavy goods, sometimes animals, even in the hot sweaty noon or dirty flash-flooded
muddy roads were an every-day ritual Mr. Abedin went through for 14 long years.
A rickshaw puller’s one day worth of
constant peddling gives no more than $6 a day, and that’s if he has luck. There is no fixed rate when we travel in rickshaws,
we always bargain.
Year after year, the family struggled, but even during their
darkest times when money was most in need, the couple still managed to put
aside a portion for savings. Mr. Abedin
says himself, "Sometimes my wife used to argue with me for not bringing
enough money to run the family. But I always saved some money. Even during
difficult times, I never touched my savings."
After 14 years of hard work, Mr. Abedin and his wife decided
to go back to their village with their 2 young children and their life-long
savings they had made in Dhaka, a total
of 2.84 lakh Taka, approximately $4,000.
Joynal Abedin’s Big
Move
It takes a lot of guts and a big heart to make “the move”. The move that you had always clearly pictured
in your dreams but the same one that society laughs at…until you ACTUALLY do
it. This is exactly what happened to Mr.
Abedin.
In 2001, Mr. Abedin took his family back to their old
village in Mymensingh with their total savings of $4,000. They bought 23 decimals of land where he
constructed their tin-roof house. With
the money that he had left, he arranged to have 4 beds in the house hoping to
make the place a hospital which provides free treatment for patients living in
the village, considering there is no nearby clinic where any sick patient can
be treated.
Meanwhile, Mr. Abedin tried to contact many healthcare
providers, doctors, and local paramedics.
Many doctors rejected his offer and so many took his idea as a
joke. He finally found a local paramedic
to give patients first aid treatment. The
clinic provided pain killers, oral saline, paracetamol, metronidazol, antacid
and de-wormers.
“With rest of the savings I opened a four-bed hospital in my
house and named it after my daughter Momtaz,” said Joynal Abedin.
The Momtaz Hospital quickly caught the villagers’ attention
and more and more patients showed up each day.
Mr. Abedin later found an MBBS doctor who had agreed to
visit the hospital occasionally, as long as he got paid 500Taka each day he
visited. With a doctor, a paramedic, and a basic first aid kit, about a hundred patients visit each day. All in need of care. The patients that are under more serious
conditions are directed to the main hospital which is 12miles away.
With the urge to help his fellow villagers, Mr. Abedin went
even further to open a free coaching class right beside the hospital for underprivileged
children (about 50). The classes are
taught by 2 teachers who are being paid 3,500Taka monthly. The subjects taught are basic Bangla, Arabic,
English, and Math.
The news about Joynal Abedin’s successful clinic started
spreading immediately and in 2004, Bangali social icon Abdullah Abu Sayeed
donated 10,000 Taka and some medicines. A year later, World Vision International
provided the hospital with some medicines.
In the same year, 2005, a woman from the USA donated 70,000 taka
($1,000) to Mr. Abedin. Finally in 2006,
the social welfare and local administration in Bangladesh donated 30,000 taka
($430) to Momtaz hospital.
Where his hospital
stands today
At a tiring age of 55, Joynal Abedin has not been in the
healthy condition of being able to continue as a rickshaw puller anymore. He spends most of his time close to his
family and working hard trying to keep his charitable hospital and education
center running. Unfortunately, he has
been running short in finance due to the monthly wages he provides to the two
teachers giving them $100 a month. Furthermore,
the cost of medicine and other equipement have been a challenge. In the past 5 years he hasn’t been getting
much help.
Still optimistic and strong, Mr. Abedin says, “I want to
cling to my goal till I breathe the last and seek nothing more for me and my
family.”
"My dream is to convert this clinic into a full-fledged
hospital with the help of the government and other donors."
The most unfortunate part about this hearty man is that he
has been betrayed by several people who initially promised him help but later turned
things against him trying to give him the image of a “greedy fraud” and even
tried reporting him to the police as a “criminal”. Due to this reason, the idea
of even asking for help haunts him.
What can you do to
help?
First and foremost, try remembering this man. Spread good words that will inspire others to
be like him. News of accomplishment was
first marked by “The Daily Star” and “Prothom Alo” in the year 2011. If you want to help Mr. Abedin in any way
financially or just by spreading good words about this man, go ahead and “like” the group
“Let’s Help Zainul Abedin” on Facebook to be updated and get information on where you can
donate or maybe even visit Momtaz Hospital.
Prothom Alo takes care of the donations.
For more information contact me or the facebook group.
Let’s not make Joynul Abedin’s dream incomplete. Let’s help Joynul Abedin!
Personal Note
I found news of this
Bangladeshi icon while randomly surfing, yesterday. What a SHAME.
Before I taunt others I want to remind MYSELF. I never
hear a single good news coming from this country. Whenever I turn the tv on, or read the
newspaper even facebook, I hear 99% devastating news. Politics takes over half the damn news,
which is why I refuse to READ or LISTEN.
I find talking about an issue with no beginning or end absolutely
pointless!
I don’t give a rat’s ass about what a political leader did
to Bangladesh or what he/she plans on doing in the god damn future. I don’t want to hear about educated decent
once-known-to-be-generous people suddenly “betraying” Bangladesh. We are really good at pointing out flaws aren’t
we?
The last thing I wanna hear is that Joynul Abedin the
rickshaw puller invested his entire savings on a charitable hospital and
school, BUT later fooled his patients and students by giving them false
sources, making them more corrupt, and eventually becoming a fraud who feeds
off of good people’s money. God forbid this
ever became any level of a news, but this is what I fear the most!
Joynul Abedin won the Sada Moner Manush (Man of Golden
Heart) award in 2008. Even if he didn’t
win this award, my respect for this man would not move an inch. During his decades of hardship pedaling the rickshaw
in the heat and in the rain, not once did Mr. Abedin think of fame. His intention was always pure. I salute this humble man for even being the
most modest individual up till now. A
selfless humble man in Bangladesh.
I am honored to even know about him.
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