Inspired by a chapter on rickshaws in the curriculum, students of Government Higher Secondary School, Karimba, near Mannarkkad, have invited to their school the very person who made a world of difference in the lives of rickshaw-pullers.Irfan Alam, founder of the Patna-based Samman Foundation that won the World Bank’s Innovation Award for empowering rickshaw-pullers of Bihar, will interact with the students on Friday.
Sans any first-hand knowledge of rickshaws, the Plus Two students came to know about the harsh realities of rickshaw-pullers through a chapter in their English textbook.The chapter, A Three Wheeled Revolution, is a reproduction of an interview given by Irfan to Sujata Ramprasad in May 2010 that appeared in India Currents .“Inspired by the interview, we wrote a letter to Irfan to visit and interact with us. The interview helped us know about the difficult paths trudged by them. Irfan will reach Karimba on October 13 to interact with us,” said O.B. Anjana, school chairperson.
It is Irfan’s second visit to Kerala to address students. “He came to Kerala last year for a motivational speech at a coaching centre for entrance examinations in Pala. However, this is the first time he is reaching a rural school in the State,” said T. Biju, an English teacher at the school.Irfan said he would use the interaction to select a few bright students for providing support for their higher education.
Popularly known as the ‘rickshaw man from Bihar’, Irfan had won acclaim for his redesigned rickshaw and his work to improve the lives of rickshaw-pullers.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Irfan evolved the idea of equipping rickshaws with music, magazines, newspapers, first-aid kits, refreshments, and advertisements to help the rickshaw-pullers.
Credit : The Hindu dated 11-10-2017 - http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/when-a-chapter-triggers-an-inspiration/article19836730.ece
Source : Vinod Kumar, Thiruvananthapuram