Rickshaw-puller uses up savings on needy

AGARTALA: Goutam Das is a rickshaw puller in a village near Tripura. The 51-year-old earns around ₹200 a day, and had ₹10,000 as savings. But even as the nationwide lockdown was announced to quell the spread of Covid-19 and he was gripped by worries about making ends meet, Das has, over the past few days, spent nearly ₹8,000 to buy food for poor families.

He lives alone in a mud house in Sadhutilla village near Agartala, after his wife died a few years ago. His children live separately.

However, while Das was worried when the lockdown was announced, he said he was more struck by thoughts of people less fortunate than him, which is when he decided to help as best he could.

“I was very worried after lockdown was announced. Before the lockdown, I used to earn around ₹200 a day, and had ₹10,000 that I managed to save from my daily earnings,” he said.

“While thinking about my livelihood during the lockdown, I also thought of poor families and daily wage labourers like me. Then I thought of helping them as much as possible,” he said.

After this thought, Das bought rice and pulses and poured them into small packets and started distributing them among poor families, on his rickshaw.

Das said he had distributed these packets to at least 160 families so far.

“I have spent around ₹8,000 so far to buy rice and pulses for poor people like me. I understand that many people find it tough to make arrangements for food during lockdown. I have plan to continue giving food, if the lockdown is extended,” he said.