‘Crazy Auntie’ lets her pedals provide a profitable ride
As Bangladesh’s only female rickshaw driver, Mosammat Jasmine may be a feminist icon. But to the passengers she cycles through the streets of Chittagong, she is known as “Pagli Khala” (crazy auntie).
“I do it to make sure my sons don’t go hungry and they get a decent education at a good school,” said the 45-year-old mother of three during a break at the Chittagong bus station.
“Allah has given me a pair of hands and legs to work with. I don’t beg — instead I earn a living by using his gifts.”
In Bangladesh, which is predominantly Muslim, the concept of a woman doing such a job was unheard of before Jasmine hit the road five years ago.
Left to fend for her children when her husband ran off with another woman, Jasmine initially tried her hand at being a maid and then working in one of Bangladesh’s garment factories, but found neither job suited her.
“A maid’s job is good if you only have to worry about yourself but not if you’ve got children. And the factory work is really backbreaking and the pay is really poor,” Jasmine said.
Struggling to make ends meet and determined to pay for her children’s education, she decided on her radical career change when a neighbor who owned a rickshaw offered to lend it to her for a few days.
Working out how to navigate the streets of Bangladesh’s second city was the easy part, although she found it painful at times to pedal her brightly-colored tricycle up some of its hilly neighborhoods.
Finding willing passengers proved an even stiffer challenge.
“Initially, many simply refused to get on board and some taunted me, saying I was doing a man’s job,” she said.
“Others told me that Islam does not permit a woman to roam around like this while there were some who refused to pay me the same fare as a male driver,” Jasmine said.
“But I stuck to my guns. Who else pays my bills, who is else is going to cover the cost of educating my sons?”
On average, she earns 600 taka ($8) a day for an eight hour shift on the rickshaw, part of which she pays as rent to the rickshaw owner. She works seven days a week.
Nowafamiliarsightonthe streets of the bustling port city, she has won the respect of her colleagues. As she parked up by the bus station, she exchanged smiles and greetings with around a dozen male drivers.
‘Overwhelming courage’
Since switching last year to a battery-run electric rickshaw, the work has become a little less arduous but she is still an inspiration to many.
“Jasmine is unique. She is the only female rickshawpuller among all of Bangladesh’s 160 million people. It is overwhelming to see her courage,” said local rights activist Suzana Salim.
The traffic police applaud her good road sense and for always wearing a helmet — unlike her male counterparts.
And even some with religious authority have started praising her.
“She is a good example to society given that many girls who fall on hard times turn to prostitution or drugs,” said Nurul Alam Azmiri, the imam at a local mosque.
“She has a vision for her kids, which is commendable.”
Young people are particularly keen to flag her down, drawn in part by the loud music that blares from the speakers on “Pagli Khala’s” unique vehicle.