So Fresh So Clean...

I bought my "driver" a new rickshaw...

First time I've seen him cry...

One of the most recurring thoughts I have in this country is "this is a stupid problem to have...". From the workplace to my rickshaw rides to just being about town, there seems to be a neverending supply of ridicuous, inane issues to deal with...

In Dhaka, if your rickshaw looks old, the police will not allow you to cross any major roads... if your rickshaw looks new, they don't care... so for 11 months I couldn't cross the main road with my driver, even though it was only 6 metres across...

This is a stupid problem to have...

I need to head out into the field to collect a story today... but I'm stuck in the office, it's 11am already, because no one in the finance department has the key to the petty cash bix so we can buy fuel...

This is a stupid problem to have...

The one court in the country that has enough space for the number of people who keep wanting to join our tournaments won't allow locals on the premises...

This is a stupid problem to have...

The media in this country won't cover any events unless there's something in it for them, whether food or cash or both...

This is a stupid problem to have...

Our internet provider at work uses our email addresses to send out spam...

This is a stupid problem to have...

Anyway, back to my rickshaw driver... I pay him the monthly equivelant of about 230 taka per day. He then pays the owner of the rickshaw about 120 to 150 per day as rent... that's not much left over for food, clothing, shelter... buying him a rickshaw increases his daily take-home pay, allowing him a little more breathing room in life...

The rickshaw is completely his; we don't have a rental agreement, he owes me nothing, I retain no rights to it...

Although my housemates disagree, I believe Mintu has been quite a good choice as a driver... he knows where not to go at certain times, he always takes me to where I want, he is fast and efficient, and he deals with any potential problems quite swiftly... granted, he has no formal education, so he tends to at times to make poor judgements or act a little childish, but not to the extent I begrudge his presence... the fact that some people are scared of him is rather amusing; he comes across a little intimidating, but I trust him implicitely.

Apparently the new rickshaw is the talk of the town...

Especially now that Mintu is also wearing the custom tailored frenc-cuff shirt I gave him... So fresh and so clean...

Comments

Anonymous said…
That's a great thing you did ! Bying a rickshaw was an excellent idea !
It almost made me cry ;)

Cheers
Barbara
August 21, 2008 at 4:11 PM
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