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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Mr Rickshaw for US by Nalin Verma

Mr Rickshaw for US by Nalin Verma

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published Published on Feb 6, 2010   modified Modified on Feb 6, 2010

From Bihar to America, via rickshaw.

That’s the feat Irfan Alam has pulled off, winning an invite from President Barack Obama for his work with rickshaw-pullers and proving that Lalu Prasad isn’t the only Bihari worth a toast for his business acumen.

The 35-year-old IIM Ahmedabad graduate, who has redesigned and smartened up rickshaws and helped boost the pullers’ earnings and dignity, is one of 79 “unique” entrepreneurs from across the world invited by Obama to an April 26-27 “entrepreneurship summit” in Washington.

What he did was design a “smart” rickshaw with shelves that can stock mineral water, soft drinks, newspapers and other “small items of big necessity” that the pullers can sell to their customers, adding to their income.

Besides, Irfan has persuaded various companies to display advertisements on the rickshaws. Half the revenue from the ads goes to the puller and the rest to the Samman Foundation, which Irfan founded in Patna in 2007.

“This 50 per cent ad revenue is enough to keep the foundation going and enrich its business,” said Irfan, whose organisation now helps rickshaw-pullers also in Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

Leela Devi, 37, wife of a Samman-aided rickshaw-puller, said her husband’s daily income had risen from Rs 40-50 to Rs 250-300. “Earlier, we did not have enough money for our meals; now we can send our three children to school.”

A rickshaw-puller said that thanks to the improved look of their vehicles, he and other pullers now operate even from the airport, ferrying curious travellers to the city.

“Besides raising our income, it has earned us dignity too. The customers from the airport even offer us tea and talk to us with respect,” he said.

Irfan said: “What inspired me to work with rickshaw-pullers was the fact that there were 10 million of them across India, and that they paid Rs 30-35 to the rickshaw owners and ended up with a pittance in return for their toil on the streets.”

So he decided that the pullers must own their vehicles.

He used his IIM credentials to persuade banks to give them loans with which the pullers bought the redesigned rickshaws.

“It was an uphill task convincing the banks, since the pullers had no identity documents, bank accounts or PAN cards.”

Irfan, who had graduated from a rural college in north Bihar’s Begusarai before going to the IIM, had started off with 100 rickshaws on Patna’s streets.

“Today, there are three lakh rickshaw-pullers across the country associated with Samman Foundation,” he said.

The US envoy to India, Timothy J. Roemer, confirmed the Obama invite during his visit to Patna today.

Roemer, who visited the foundation’s office with wife Shelly, said: “Irfan’s is a unique business model. I am sure it will add to the changing face of Bihar in particular and India in general.”

He said Obama had called the summit primarily for inventive Muslim entrepreneurs to drive home the message that business initiative and skills could remove poverty across the world.

Irfan said the foundation planned to get the rickshaw-pullers cheap housing and set up educational and entertainment facilities in their localities in all the states where it operated.

Roemer today hopped onto a rickshaw-puller’s seat and pedalled along for a while with Irfan’s parents, Heshamuddin and Memu Nisha, as passengers.

“Irfan and his parents are great people,” the diplomat said. “It was also a good opportunity for me to have a workout.”


The Telegraph, 6 February, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100206/jsp/frontpage/story_12073858.jsp
 

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