Remember, Bimal Roy’s 1953 classic ‘Do Bigha Zamin’! Certainly, this film gives us a prominent picture of contemporary Kolkata, through the eyes of protagonist Shambhu.  His debts to the zamindar made him come to the city and start working as a rickshaw puller to earn money, to pay all of his debts. Here, we get to see   ‘rickshaw’ as a character. It connects both the Babus’ and the workers.

The connection between Kolkata and rickshaw goes back to around 130 years ago. And, with time, Hand-pulled rickshaws embedded with the essence of this city.

In the colonial period, the rich class used palanquins as a mode of transport. With time, hand-pulled rickshaws were introduced to serve the same purpose for the upper-middle and middle classes. Besides, to distinguish their status in terms of transportation means. It got represented as a class symbol.

In the crowded streets and the narrow lanes, mostly in North Kolkata, you can still find the rickshaw puller pulling his rickshaw day and night by overcoming the obstacles. Their work starts almost around 4 or 5 A.M., ferrying packages in Burrabazar and Dharmatala area. It acts as a means of communication for the school children, mostly in the   Baghbajar and Sovabajar area. Even now, more than 6000 rickshaws are in use.

If you go to the rickshaw pullers and engage in a conversation over a sip of tea, you’ll find that they take a deep interest in society, politics, election. Moreover,  you can find greater insight into these topics. In 2006, the High Court called for the withdrawal of these rickshaws from the streets of the city without any planning for their rehabilitation. Nonetheless, amidst the Cycle- Rickshaws and the Totos’, hand-pulled rickshaw still finds its representation as – ‘The city of joy’ Kolkata, along with Victoria Memorial and Howrah Bridge.