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Dhaka Day by Day

Rickshy Business

by Aasha Mehreen Amin
We *Mumc. in our naivete, that the rickshaw walla knows basic traffic rule* before he gets on the busy atrecta of Dhaka Regular rickshaw nd ers will tell you differently The passenger of this highly precarious mode of transport not only has to master the art of survival — which means arriving at his destination In one piece — he must also be prompt tn giving out signals left and right. kwktry( out for killer buses, and focal Ing unpredictable Jaywalkers (who seem to have a desire to get their toes squashed)
The rickshaw puller, on the other hand. has only MK task : to rush head long blind as a mole. making swerves and urns that would be the envy of many a professional stunt man. Hence the rider has to use his Ingenuity to avoid unnecessary Injury to his person, and hts nerves, which should preferably be made of granite
One of the more legendary horror junctions of Motl-thcel to Dalntk
Bungfa mint. Thia to a place where- anything can happen anytime. For a reason as yet undiscovered by scientists, this crossroad will cause everybody to rush at precisely the same moment at top speed towards the same spot.
This Includes our dear three wheeled tin cans
With traffic coming from all directions, the rlekahaw rider has to use hts two hands as indicators of going left or right. It is an interesting sight to see these admirable persons flaying their arms all over the place while gripping on for dear life to the edges of their seats. Facial expressions of these contortionists range from Irritation to frustration to relief.
The rickshaw has a wry peculiar structure. The rider must know Its bulla intimately enough to be able to make strategics for survival. A trait of some rickshaws is the scat. This is made to ensure that the passenger slides down as soon as he is scaled, lie therefore has to master the art of pretending to sit even though his rear makes no contact with the scat — a bit like a hovercraft on water
There arc also corrugated scats for maximum discomfort and scats that wobble most disturbingly leaving one in constant anxiety of flying off Into oblivion when the rickshaw puller decides suddenly, to slam on the brakes. By the way, the last event Is somewhat rare since many of these tricycles do not have any — brakes that Is. The rider must therefore have the suppleness of an Olympic gymnast for these amazing acts of balance and concentration.
The hoods of these interesting vehicles are another story Although originally made for the rider's comfort — to keep out the sun or act as a camouflage. they are not without side effects The Idea behind their creation seems to be that
all passengers sho uM not be taller than 4 ft 11 inches. If one to not careful these lethal hoods may take off half of one s crowning bca uty — or hair tn leas affected terms, leading to prolonged psychological illne-
Sometlmes the hair get entangled withtn the cracks or nails of the hood and then getting down from the rickshaw becomes a bit of a pain'. Here again the rider must know how to
curl up his back in order to nt into these hooded contraptions.
If the rider happens to be female then there are difficulties that are exclusive to this gender. She must know how to manage her dupatta' and serve anchal so that it docs not end up entwined with one of the rickshaw wheels.
Then there are those memorable moments when two (or more) rickshaws get their wheels locked up in loving embraces. On such an occasion the passengers cither fight with verbal terms of endearment for their respective rlckshaw-walas or Just sit there helplessly with No I am not embarrassed look on their faces.
Other little hazards the rickshaw rider must be cautious of are the natural disasters such as a sudden downpour, shooting phlegm from birds that seem to waft with a vengeance for the pass Ing rickshaw The rider has little else to do except duck If he's lucky or just accept fate's injustice if he's not.
With all due respect to the rickshaw puller who slogs all day to make a pittance of a living, we must also take off our hats to the rickshaw riders who have learnt with great pains the art of survival.