Despite of his disability, Amir Hossain(60) son of Nabir Uddin of Dhukauri village under Haripur union of Chatmohar upazila of Pabna district, is the only breadwinner of his four-member family. He hates begging and sells eggs in various places of the upazila by riding a wheelchair for a long time.
Amir Hossain informed, he was an abled person earlier and used to earn his living by pulling rickshaw. He also worked as a Gacchi ( trimmer of branches of date trees to collect juice). Nearly 15 years ago, he went to catch fish at the Chalanbeel in Baut festival. His right leg was slightly wouded by the sharp edge of a dead snail. He again went to catch fish with the wounded leg the next day. Later, the place started to rot and he took treatment from the local quack. But, the rotten part of the leg developed gangrene and he took treatment of the leg in Pabna, Rajshahi and in Dhaka. But, the condition of his leg continued to deteriorate and it was not possible for him to work and earn money for maintaining the family. He even took a loan of Taka 40,000 in a high interest rate but all the money is used in the treatment of his leg. He has no landed properties except four decimals of homestead land. The gangrene countinued to spread for the next three years and it was almost impossible for him to manage expenditure of the family and the interest of the loan. Later, according to the advice from the doctors, his right leg was amputated from above the knee.
When the wound of the knee was recuperated, he opened a tea-pan stall to manage the family. But, customers did not pay the price on time and it was not possible for him to realise the arrear money. Later, he abandoned the tea-pan stall and started to sell eggs by roaming one place to another on the wheelchair. He purchased eggs from visiting villages and sold those by visiting various places of Chatmohar Municipal areas.
He said, it took him a lot of trouble to do the job. He earns a profit of Tk 200 to 300 a day by selling the eggs.
With the small amount of Disabled Allowance and the profit from selling eggs, he could manage the four member family somehow.
Israfil, son of Amir Hossain, works as a Mason in Dhaka. He can not send any money to his father. The second son works at a tea stall and it is hard for him to manage his family.
Having no other way of earning, disabled Amir Hossain is trying to keep his wheels of fortune moving by driving the wheels of the chair defying sunshine, storm and the cold.