Inspiring bike ambulance tale

Vikrant Parmar

What could motivate a child born in abject penury to serve humanity with a passion that he does now? Unrelenting will and an indomitable spirit, for sure. In ‘Bike Ambulance Dada’, author Biswajit Jha has covered the story of Karimul Hak, the man in question, in true earnest.

Hungry, sleepless nights in the shivering winter in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, lack of interest in academics and then a dash for newly created Bangladesh, Karimul saw it all quite early in life. He spent a decade in Bangladesh before returning to the very place he had run away from — his family, in circumstances no better, but affection that held them together.

Menial jobs, a daily-wage labourer or an assistant to truck drivers, to eke out a living was what Karimul’s life was all about at that time. Married life came and so did its pressures. But the turning point arrived when his mother died for lack of medical care, as she could not be ferried to the hospital in time.

From then on, he resolved that nobody else would meet the same fate. Whenever anybody from his village fell sick, he would carry him or her to the nearest hospital — initially on his bicycle and later a motorcycle. Ignoring personal issues, he made sure no one suffered the fate his mother did. By and by, his name grew, so did the word about his noble initiative — till he was christened Bike Ambulance Dada.

Helping humanity each day, he plugged on, without the thought of any reward or recognition. Even when the government announced his name as a Padma Shri awardee, he had no clue what that meant — till he reached the national capital to receive the award. The moment of fame came when Karimul clicked a selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other bigwigs in the corridors of power.

Till date, Karimul has ferried over 4,000 patients to hospital on his bike, braving treacherous routes, where wild animals roamed at will and dacoits mugged the unaware. Now when his two able sons are supporting his endeavours, Karimul has branched out into other humanitarian pursuits — education, supporting destitute women, teaching self-defence to young girls and more. Despite having suffered a heart attack, Karimul’s will to help others remains intact. He goes on, will go on. A movie on his life is in the pipeline, but can that waiver the focus of a true servant of humanity? Doesn’t look like!

The author’s words are simple, shorn of unnecessary figures of speech. Although each chapter begins with a quote by noted personalities, at no point does one lose track of the man whose story is being narrated.