This is a story about the plight of rickshaw pullers of Calcutta, India. The state government of West Bengal wants to phase out and eventually outlaw the ancient mode of transportation, as it is deemed dangerous and demeaning to the rickshaw pullers who are uniformly poor and often in bad health. But would the job of pulling a rickshaw be considered so undesirable and exploitative if the pullers had access to reasonably good nourishment, health care and wages and their vehicles plied on safe roads? In that case, wouldn’t their jobs be comparable to those of furniture movers, haulers or any other kind of heavy lifters in industrial jobs? I have ridden in rickshaws in Japan without a pang of guilt where the pullers were young, hefty and well fed. Is the labor itself demeaning or is it the human condition of the laborer that needs improvement?
NOTE: I am not an advocate of rickshaws being pulled by human beings on foot as a desirable mode of transport. In fact I am hoping that the government in Calcutta will either provide alternative employment to the jobless rickshaw pullers after (or if) the ban goes into effect or help subsidize them to upgrade their manually pulled rickshaws to the motorized or mechanized form.
India’s rickshaw pullers come to end of road
Officials say it’s time to phase out symbol of bondage
By HENRY CHU
Los Angeles Times
CALCUTTA, INDIA – The state’s top politician calls it inhumane. Others call it a lingering symbol of colonial oppression. But Mukundlal Shah calls it an honest day’s work.
For half his life, Shah, a wiry 60-year-old, has pulled a rickshaw through the noisy, dirty streets of Calcutta. For his pains, and his many aches, Shah earns about $2.50 a day.
"What’s wrong with it?" he said, relaxing for a few minutes on a warm recent evening with some of his fellow rickshaw wallahs. "We’re not committing any crime," Shah said. ………….
Here is the rest of the story.
Accidental Blogger 
4 responses to “Human Beasts of Burden”
But would the job of pulling a rickshaw be considered so undesirable and exploitative if the pullers had access to reasonably good nourishment, health care and wages and their vehicles plied on safe roads?
Yes. It’s entirely about the symbolism.
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Actually, I haven’t read the article. But when I was in India 15 years ago the rickshawers seemed no worse off than the cyclos or trishawers. Even back then Calcutta was, according to the Lonely Planet guide, one of only two cities in the world (the other Hong Kong) that had rickshaws, and that had been the state of affairs forever. I think it’s like cable cars in San Francisco–tradition. That said, maybe there have been some new and more practical developments that dominate the current discussion.
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I guess I have to stop being cryptic just for the sake of being provocative.
See my note on rickshaws pulled on foot – I too am disturbed by the symbolism.
My real point here is that the government in Calcutta will have achieved nothing if banning the rickshaws is an end in itself (because of the symbolism.) The lack of health care and living wages are the real issues. The rickshaws should be phased out and banned but alternative arrangements must be made so the pullers can earn a living by other means.
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When I was there the government of West Bengal was communist and I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true still. I would think it’s economics more than economic theory or local government attitude to the poor per se. Rickshaw puller has to be one of the better lifestyles of Calcutta. Remember this is where Mother Theresa earned her saint badge.
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