PEDAL POWER
Abandoned by her husband and forced to raise her children alone, ‘Crazy Auntie’ Mosammat Jasmine won fame and respect in Bangladesh’s conservative society by becoming the only female rickshaw rider
Bangladesh’s only female rickshaw driver defies convention to be able to support her family,
CHITTAGONG // As the only female rickshaw wallah in Bangladesh, Mosammat Jasmine may be a feminist icon, but to the passengers she transports around the streets of Chittagong, she is known as “Crazy Auntie”.
“I do it to make sure that my sons don’t go hungry and they get a decent education at a good school,” the mother of three says.
“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,” she says.
Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country, is one of Asia’s most conservative societies. The concept of a woman doing such a job was unheard of before Ms Jasmine took to the streets five years ago.
Left to fend for three young children when her husband abandoned her for another woman, Ms Jasmine, 45, tried her hand at being a maid and then worked in a garment factory, but found that neither job suited her.
“A maid’s job is good if you only have to worry about yourself, but not if you have children. And the factory work is really back-breaking and the pay is really poor,” she explains.
Struggling to make ends meet and determined to pay for her children’s education, she decided on her radical change of career when a neighbour 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 pedalling her brightlycoloured tricycle around some of its hillier neighbourhoods was arduous.
But finding willing passengers proved a stiffer challenge.
“Initially, many simply refused to get on board and some taunted me, saying I was doing a man’s job,” Ms Jasmine recalls.
“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. But I stuck to my guns because who else pays my bills, who else is going to cover the cost of educating my sons?”
On average she earns 600 taka (Dh27) 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.
Now a familiar sight on the streets of the bustling port city, she has won the respect of her colleagues. As she parked near the bus station, she exchanged smiles and greetings with about a dozen male drivers.
Since switching last year to a battery- run electric rickshaw, the work has become a little less taxing, but she remains an inspiration to many.
“Jasmine is unique. She is the only female rickshaw puller among all of Bangladesh’s 160 million population. It is overwhelming to see her courage,” says human rights activist Suzana Salim.
The traffic police applaud Ms Jasmine’s road sense and her safety awareness, because she always wears a helmet – unlike her colleagues.
Even some religious leaders 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,” says imam Nurul Alam Azmiri. “She has a vision for her children, 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” [the Crazy Auntie’s] vehicle.
Despite the growing social acceptance of her work, Ms Jasmine, a practising Muslim, says she still faces taunts from people who question her faith.
“I don’t listen to them. My sons need their education and so I’ll do my best to ensure that for as long as I live,” she says.