Kolkata: Kolkata is a city that's a blend of old and new. You'd see hand-pulled rickshaws in old periodic films as well as the narrow bylanes of Kolkata. These hand-pulled rickshaws are a symbol of the colonial past.
Kolkata is among the only places in India and one of the few left in the world — where fleets of hand-pulled rickshaws still ply the streets. However, these hand-rickshaw pullers, whose livelihood depends on ferrying people to and fro regularly, are facing a financial crisis.
Hand-pulled rickshaws were first introduced on the land of West Bengal during British rule in India. It was a cheap and easy ride for the common people.
The hand rickshaws are believed to have originated from Japan. In fact, in 1869, hand rickshaws were introduced to the public in Japan. Rickshaw originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha (jin = human, riki = power or force, sha = vehicle), which literally means "human-powered vehicle."
Five years later, in 1874, pulled rickshaws were introduced in China as a means of transportation for the general public. These rickshaws became common in Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
In India, on the other hand, the British government worked on a number of projects to make it easier and cheaper for its officers and the general public to travel from one place to another. The British government's plans included a hand-pulled rickshaw.
Also read: On Shimla visit, Gandhi had called hand-rickshaws an insult to humanity
West Bengal is famous all over the world for many things including Sundarbans, Royal Bengal Tiger, Tipu Sultan Masjid, Na Khuda Mosque, Eden Gardens, Hoda Bridge, Shaheed Minar and Hand-pulled Rickshaws. But despite their popularity and place in the state's culture, these rickshaw pullers are going through tough times.
A few rickshaw pullers said that rides are hard to come by and despite working hard all day, there is no significant income left in the profession.
A rickshaw puller said, "I have been pulling rickshaws for the past 20 years. I thought of doing some other work, but I could not. We are living with great difficulties. There is no help from the government.''
In 2011, Mamata Banerjee's government had promised to provide electric and bicycle rickshaws to licensed people in the profession instead of abolishing the hand rickshaws altogether.
The government provided bicycles and electric rickshaws to a few people, but afterwards fell short of its promises.
