An old man with grey hair was struggling to pull his rickshaw. The weight of ten people at the back was too much to bear for the rickshaw worker to use his legs to push the pedals. He used whatever strength he could muster to keep pulling. It was an excruciatingly laborious job but there were no alternatives. Day in, day out, he worked like a beast to make a living for his family.
But nothing seemed out of place in the eyes of those sitting in the back, along with the people on the street. Perhaps the minds of the students were occupied by what would happen upon their arrival at school. Some smiled lightly when they noticed the camera pointing at them. Meanwhile in front of them, there were only grieve and restlessness on the rickshaw worker’s face. Yet nobody in the picture seemed to care.
According to some sources, there are an estimated 2 million rickshaw workers in India. Some say the number is much higher because they cannot be documented officially. Just because there are a lot of them doesn’t make their job seem any more justifiable. Nobody in the world should be pulling the weight of ten people to just make a living.
While we give thanks for what we have, let us also be sensitive and care for the needs of others less privileged than us.
By Joe Lee
Photo by Violin. Barabanki, India, 2013.
印度的「媬姆車」「校車」
從小對騎自行車有好感，覺得逍遙自在，不像走路那樣慢及費力，也不像汽車那樣快，以致錯過許多身邊景物。
然而從踏上印度旅程，看見那些三輪車夫的辛苦：在泥濘的爛路上，載許多的乘客及貨物，辛苦地前行。那些單車、三輪車都甚破舊，輪胎也補了多次，感覺不再一樣，不是逍遙自在，而是生活艱難。
在Barabanki清早，三輪車司機從街頭巷尾接載學童、家長上學，放學時又是這樣，載滿人以後，再也不可以像平常騎著前行，如果遇上斜坡或爛地，更是吃力。
讓我們為自己的幸福感恩，記念及憐恤別人。
By Violin Chan
