The US ambassador to India was seen pedaling a rickshaw with three passengers seated comfortably as the sun shined down upon them. And it's not because the ambassador, Timothy J. Roemer, decided to switch careers, reports Mail Today.
Roemer was in Patna on Friday to extend an invitation from US President Barack Obama to Irfan Alam, a young entrepreneur from Bihar, for his pioneering work for the socio- economic uplift of rickshaw- pullers.Obama has invited Alam, chairman of Patna- based voluntary organisation SammaN Foundation, to attend a conference of young entrepreneurs from across the globe to be held in Washington DC in April.
Roemer said Alam's endeavour had caught the President's eye because he not only worked for the uplift of rickshawpullers but also their family members.“ The President has invited young entrepreneurs, especially Muslims, from around the globe to his conference to interact with them,” Roemer said.
The diplomat visited Alam's foundation in Patna on Friday to see how it had changed the lives of a large number of rickshaw- pullers in the past three years and interacted with them.
During his one- hour stay, the US envoy pulled a rickshaw himself — with his wife Sally as his passenger. He also gave a joyride to Alam's parents — Hishamuddin and Memunnisa — in a bumpy Patna lane.
“I can pull a rickshaw really well,” Roemer said excitedly. “ If there were a race for rickshawpullers, I would have won it hands down,” he boasted.
Roemer said he had taken cycle- rickshaw rides earlier in Delhi and Kolkata but this was the first time he had pulled one.“ I had to sweat it out a little but it was a quite an experience,” he said.
Wife Sally added, “ I was scared initially but it was a fun ride.” Alam said he had no clue how Obama came to know about his work. “ I have got an opportunity to share my entrepreneurial journey with him and 79 other delegates,” he said.
Alam, a pass-out from the Indian Institute of Management ( IIM)- Ahmedabad, started his mission in 2007 when he designed a new model of rickshaw with help from his friends.
“Mineral water bottles and other useful items were kept for sale to passengers,” he said. The rickshaws also carried advertisements to bring in additional revenue and had shelves to store newspapers and a first- aid kit.
Alam said, “ Most rickshawpullers in the country hire the vehicles at the rate of Rs 35- 40 per day. So, they are hardly left with anything at the end of the day.”
“We started helping rickshawpullers get a loan of Rs 10,000 from banks,” Alam said. “ We provided them the rickshaws and asked them to repay the loan by depositing Rs 25 every day. After they cleared their debt, they became owners of the rickshaws.”
He also started providing books to their children and arranged for vocational training for their wives to help them become financially independent.
Lohri Paswan, a rickshaw- puller, said, “ Our lives have changed because of the SammaN Foundation. We are now earning enough to sustain our families.”
