Coolie Number 1

The first thing that comes to one’s mind when the word ‘Coolie’ is heard is Amitabh Bachchan. Add a number to the word, one remembers Govinda as Coolie No 1.  There is a recent reboot of Coolie No 1 too, the Hindi one. There are Telugu and Kannada Coolie No 1’s. There are makes and remakes. All of this we remember, we also know the details of the heroines who worked in these films.  Obviously, if you are good and No 1 you must be a man!

Coolie of Amitabh Bachchan fame takes the cake. I have seen a video clipping which says – this is where Mr Bachchan drank water- showing a tap in a railway station! The songs and dances in railway stations and in trains makes the life of Coolies very colorful and romantic but this is far from reality. You can take a rain check with Rizwana Banu, the Coolie who works at the Railway Station in Mysore, to know what it is like.

There is no one better than Rizwana to explain the trials and tribulations of working at the train station. Over the last 12 years, she has run behind trains carrying luggage on both her shoulders and in her hands- a total of four or more pieces. And she is from “the weaker sex!”  She carries as much as 50 kilograms of weight, at a time, which is a herculean task which even the able bodied men are unable/ reluctant to do. 

Hobson’s Choice:

Petite and ever smiling, Rizwana was 18 years of age when her father, an agricultural labourer, got her married to Javed Pasha who was working as a porter at the Railway Station in Mysore. She had completed 28 summers when Javed demised (2010) leaving her behind with four children, sons of 6 and 4 years of age and daughters who were 7 and 5 years old.

Rizwana had to fend to her family, and she had no option- being uneducated-she cannot read or write as she was never sent to school and having no money to invest in any (petty) venture, all she could think of was to take up the job that Javed had left vacant- that of a Coolie. Javed and one of his siblings got the license, which allowed them to work as Coolies/ porters, when their father Razul Sharief was the Mestri (Supervisor). The porters are given a license by the Indian Railways but are not directly employed by them.

Javed’s Porter License was passed on to Rizwana and this was after she spent days and months telling the Divisional Manager (DM) of the Southwestern Railways that she could manage the stress and weight of work as ably, if not better, than the men porters.  The difficult times that she faced, to eke out a living during the first six months after Javed’s demise when she was jobless compelled her to relentlessly pursue the DM and convince him of the situation that she was in. Her grit and determination paid off, after a few months the DM agreed, albeit reluctantly saying that she could give it a try-he was not sure that she would succeed- thus paving way for women to enter men’s bastion. Little did anyone know that Rizwana would bring fame to the Mysore Railway Junction as being the Railway Station which has a woman porter, the only one in all of Southwestern Railways. 

From Sustenance to Sustainability?

It was in the year 2011 that Rizwana got into the arena and got a red jacket and a shoulder badge - License No 16. Ever since then her life has been ‘baag daud’ (बाग दाउद) - running. Her day starts early at 6 am and ends at 3 or 5 pm, sometimes even later. She travels from Shanthinagar, the locality in which she stays, to the Railway Station by shared auto spending Rs.25-Rs.30. This is in time for people to board Kaveri Express which departs at 6.30 am. Initially her work gave her severe leg pain to ease which she took pain killers. With time, her body got used to the running across the length and breadth of the Railway Station with luggage in her hands. Her time for respite, she says, is between the movement/s of two trains!

Rizwana recalls of the initial days of joining work when she felt uncomfortable to be among so many men. Being the only woman among 45 men (59 men and one woman at present), she forced herself to get acclimatized to the situation. Now, she is tuned in so well that she would want to work till she is physically able to. There is no retirement age specified for the porters.

Rizwana earns about Rs.500 to Rs.600 per day during a good tourist season. On an average she earns Rs 10-15K and that is suffice, she says, for her to manage her life. This job has given her flexibility in time, there is no compulsion to work on all days and at all times. The job has given her space and time which has helped her to tend to her children, especially when they were young. Three of her children, she says have “settled well”, her youngest son who is 17 years of age is yet to find his roots.  He works as a welder at present. Rizwana is considering passing on her porter license to him but that is only when the time is ripe - “only when I cannot work anymore”. The option to take it or refuse is left to him.  

Rizwana’s life mission of “settling” her children has taken shape but one wonders if she can sustain the vagaries of life. She still resides in a rented house, no government housing programme has covered her (and there are plethora of them), she has no health or any other insurance to tide her through rough times. She, on her part says that her daughters (not the sons?!) will support her if and when the need arises. 

Being a woman, Rizwana has to face several challenges. The passengers are not gender neutral, they prefer men Coolie than a woman, if there is an option, to help them with their weights. But this does not bother Rizwana. She is happy that she has proved those who thought that she will not have the physical energy to carry so much weight and the mental energy to work in an all-men’s terrain, wrong.  

Of late, people stop by and request her for a selfie, thanks to her being showcased as ‘the person who has lived against all odds’ in the singing reality show -Hindi- Indian Idol (Season 12) in the year 2021.  She got Rs.1.5 lakhs for attending the show which she used to pay a part of the karz (कारज़)/debt that she had incurred while celebrating her daughter’s wedding. There is still pending amount that she has to repay which is dangling like Damocles Sword on her head. The saga continues!

Rizwana has not used her fame to promote herself using Social Media Handles and earn some money. She is unaware of such things and also if she gets more limelight than her colleagues, she would be in trouble. She understands this without it being spelt out.  It is important for women to blend into the situation and not stand out, if they need to survive! 

As of now, her colleagues are cooperative, they share her workload and the related earnings, when there is a need. They treat her as if she is one among them. Both Shiva Kumar and Ramesh, porters at the same station, say that it is fine to work with her as she is friendly. They also feel that the job has helped her to ensure that her children are taken care of and that’s what matters.  

Rizwana has noticed change in the attitude of people, there is less compassion shown by the passengers - when she first joined work some of them would try to ease the weight, now they say that if a person is incapable, they should not take up such jobs! Have we become heartless and thick skinned; I wonder?!

Gender Bender

The entertainment industry has not portrayed women porters as protagonists so far. When they do, they could pick up a page or two from Rizawana’s life. Internet points to another woman porter in Jaipur, Northwestern Railways Manju Devi (License/ Badge No 15), whose story line is somewhat similar to Rizwana’s- both widowed at a young age, having small kids to fend, not knowing anything else therefore opting for physically trying job of a porter. Manju Devi took up the job in 2013; this makes Rizwana the first woman in the country, not just Southwestern Railways, to become a Coolie.

Rizwana’s fame has not inspired other women to join the work force. Over the last decade or so Rizwana has had one or two enquiries from women who wanted to pursue this job. But they did not even pursue it; it is an arduous task, the last option for most people.  Also, the way in which the system works is that the license for the porters is given by the Indian Railways, it increases the number depending on the passenger movement and increase in the number of trains. When there is vacancy in the job, owning to the demise of a porter, the family is given the license and generally it is the adult children who avail it. Rizwana’s (and Manju Devi’s) case is one where the woman had to manage the life- show as they were widowed when young.

Rizwana is amused when people passingly refer to her as female AB. But in the hustle bustle of the train station and amidst the noise of the train whistle and Chhuk Chhuk Chhuk of the Rail Gaadi (रेल गाड़ी ) she remains unseen and unheard.

Photo Courtesy: Sumukh