A 70 years old man, dressed gorgeously as a king with a sword in one hand and wearing a crown on his head was seen running by riding on a horse. He seemed to become senile due to his age but held enough mental energy. With this mental agility, he charged his whip on the horse's back and the horse started to run fast. With the fast galloping of the horse, he burst into laughter saying " I am the King of the region." The people of the area also said the King of the area had arrived and he also became very happy.
The name of this self-proclaimed King is Abdul Quadir, a resident of Kanthalbaria village under Durgapur upazila of Rajshahi district. By profession, he is a Night Guard at Kanthalbaria village market. He has been working as the Night Guard for the last 11 years. He kept watching at the market at night time but by the daytime, he was another person.
Abdul Quadir does not like to identify himself as a Night Guard in the daytime rather he likes to introduce himself as a King. For the long 50 years, Abdul Quadir has been moving around by riding on a horse and wearing the dresses of a king. He said, by watching the role in a Jatra drama, he desired to become a king.
After watching the Jatra, Abdul Quadir collected colourful arrows, bows, swords, a crown and a unique set of dresses to wear as a King. He does not have the Kingdom but he was accompanied by a Vazir (wazir) and a Head of the soldiers. These Vazir and the Head of the soldiers died 10-year ago and after that, he did not appoint new persons in those posts. So far 'King Abdul Quadir' had used 13 horses. The horse on which he rides nowadays is called 'Mayuri'. This Mayuri is his companion during the daytime.
On Monday afternoon, 'King Abdul Quadir' was seen freaking through the Kanthalbaria market riding on his horseback, wearing colourful dresses and spectacles in both eyes with bows and arrows in one hand and brandishing a sword in another. People of the area were thronging around him to have a watch at the de facto King.
While asked, Abul Quadir said, he feels amazing to move as a King. Except at night, he always moved by wearing the dress of a king. He mentioned he watched the act of a King at a Jatra drama and wished to become like that king. He said, he would continue to move by wearing the dress of the king and wearing a horse till to his death.
Abdul Quadir lives in tin shed, brick-built house. He has three sons and one daughter and a host of grandsons and granddaughters. The king's dresses are kept hanging on the walls inside the room.
There are his photos as well. Moreover, 15 colouful swords are also kept aligned and there are also coloured, uniquely designed caps.
King Abdul Quadir married Asma Begum of Belkuchi under Sirajganj district. They were spending forty years of their conjugal life. While commenting about wearing the dress of a king and moving on a horse, Asma Begum said, he used to wear the dress of the king and moved on the horseback even before their marriage. Everyone thought, he would abandon the dress of the king after marriage but he never left that.
Russel, a neighbour of Quadir said, from his boyhood, he had been watching Abdul Quadir moving on the horse wearing a dress of a king. He likes to move this way and people of the locality know him as the King, he added.
