I remember visiting Kolkata when I was a kid. Out of all the things that fascinated me, the fact that they had a man to pull the rickshaws you sit in was what fascinated me the most. Yes, I say fascinated because as a child I had never seen it before. But even then I was extremely concerned about that person who was pulling our rickshaw. Even though we were all kids ranging from 5-12 years, we were still heavy and it wouldn’t have been easy for a single man to do that. I remember telling my mom how sad it is that people who can afford to take those automated rickshaws are also using rickshaw-pullers because they are cheap. That’s when my mom told me it wasn’t sad, it was inhumane. I learned that word for the first time then. Seeing those rickshaw-pullers work so hard day and night makes you really question the humanity of people. But then there are some (very few) who really feel for them and do something to improve their situation. One of them is a 63-year-old widow in Odisha who added a loyal rickshaw-puller and his family to her will. Honestly, heartwarming!
A 63-year-old widow, Minati Patnaik of Sutahat Christiansahi area in Cuttack, Odisha willed her three-storey pucca house, all her belongings, and her gold ornaments worth more than one crore to the Budha Samal and his family. Budha Samal is a 53-year-old rickshaw-puller – that means he makes a living by pulling a rickshaw filled with a passenger(s).
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Minati Patnaik lost her 70-year-old husband, Kumar Patnaik, to a cancerous tumour last year. And six months after his death, her 31-year-old daughter Komal Kumari got injured while burning an oil lamp, following which she got a cardiac arrest and lost her life. After the two deaths in the span of six months, the widow lost her will to live and skipped her meals. It was during that phase of her life that Budha Samal would make her lunch and dinner, and he along with his family started taking care of the widow in every possible way – from taking her to the hospital to looking after her needs.
According to Hindustan Times, the widow revealed how she’s always felt safe with the rickshaw-puller in the last 25 years that she has known him. She said, “When my daughter was in school, Budha would take her and bring her back. My husband always trusted him. After my daughter’s death, neither my in-laws nor anyone from my parental family called me to inquire about my health or responded to my calls. It was for the last 25 years that Budha and his family stood by me. They have always given me respect and taken care of my family.” And it was then that she decided to give everything she had to Budha Samal and his family.
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In fact, the rickshaw-puller, Budha Samal, was not aware of her decision and was surprised when the widow said that she had added him and his family to her will. Budha Samal, whose family consists of a wife, three kids, and his parents, said, “I had never dreamt of the property. But I always made it a point to ensure that my family always looked after Minati after her husband died. We will continue to look after her as long as she is alive.”
Honestly, it makes my heart all warm and fuzzy knowing that the rickshaw-puller and his family will have a shelter of their own and a secure future; and all of this because they were kind to a widow who responded back with kindness. In this materialistic day and age, where people are just in it for money or materialistic things, it is nice to change to see that humanity still prevails and selfless kindness still exists.