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Unbelievable story of a teacher


Published : 25 Oct 2019 07:50 PM | Updated : 01 Sep 2020 03:17 AM

It sounds unbelievable. A newspaper hawker travels 120 kilometres of arduous, troubled way of remote villages on a bicycle daily- almost 360 days a year- to reach newspapers to the rural customers! 

Moreover, unlike a traditional hawker, he is a teacher-turned-hawker.

He is Mr. Moniruzzaman Master, 58, a resident of Kholabona village under Paba upazila of Rajshahi district.

Moniruzzman Master took the profession of a hawker by abandoning teaching because he thinks, he can disseminate light of knowledge more widely than a teacher can do. Moreover, he thinks, the money he earns through hawking is honest money and if people like him come forward to distribute newspapers to the remote areas of the country, the newspaper industries will not only survive but also sure to grow in future.

Passing his SSC in 1972, Moniruzzman failed to continue his study further due to utter poverty. In 1975, he joined as a teacher of Arabic in Kholabona Dakhil Madrasha. He was also one of the founders of the madrasha. He worked in the madrasha till 1993 but he abandoned the job when he learnt from the authorities of madrasha that he will need to pay bribe to the officials of the DG, Education, for inclusion of his name in the Monthly Payment Order (MPO).

"From my very boyhood, I hate bribe since the Hadith says bribing and usury is akin to establishing sex with mother", said Moniruzzaman adding that he rather choses a profession of hawking which is Halal, independent, service oriented and knowledge disseminating.

Moniruzzaman said, he starts out of his house in Kholbona village, 20-kilometre away from Rajshahi city, early after saying his Fazar prayer, normally, at 5 to 6 am with his bicycle. 

He reached to newspaper agents in Rajshahi railway station by 8:00 am. After taking a short rest, he starts distributing newspapers. He traverses Boalia and Rajpara thanas of Rajshahi city, entered Paba and Godagari uapzilas and covers Harogram, Haripur, Deopara, Matikata, Bidirpur and Gogram unions of the district. He usually takes rest for about 20 minutes each for having a snack and for saying Zohar, Asar and Maghrib prayers on the way. And returned home by 8 to 9 pm.

"I remained busy all the day distributing newspapers door to door, office to office. I am proud of my profession because I have an access to all walks of people. The work also keeps me away from engaging myself with futile works of gossiping and politicizing," said Moniruzzaman. 

Moniruzzaman is happy with his wife, two sons and five daughters. All of his daughters and sons are studying in various schools and colleges. His two elder daughters are graduate students. Moniruzzaman sells more than 250 daily newspapers a day and earns about taka 7,000 per month. 

He, however, expressed his disappointment at the drastic fall of readers of English newspapers now a days. He used to donate five to seven unsold newspapers daily to various local clubs and schools.

An ever smiling Moniruzzaman, while talking to this correspondent said he has been longing for a motor bike for a long time- Even a cheap battery operated motor bike would lessen his trouble of bicycling of some 120 kilometre of way daily, but due to his financial constraints, he is unable to purchase one.