This morning, after concluding a productive meeting, I stepped outside and, almost serendipitously, found a CNG auto-rickshaw waiting. My revolutionary friend Saiful was with me-I had taken him along to the meeting. Saiful, ever the curious intellect, often assists me in my literary research. His inquisitiveness is unparalleled, and his expertise in political analysis is nothing short of remarkable. A staunch supporter of the July uprising, he was personally present at the anti-fascist programme at Abahani Field, the One-Point Declaration at the Shaheed Minar, and on the streets during the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
As I was saying, we both got into the CNG. The fare from Banani to Uttara was 300 taka. The driver, a gentleman in his late fifties or early sixties, navigated through the streets with an air of quiet experience. As we passed Banani and headed north, I casually asked him, "Brother, what's your name?"
"Nazrul Islam," he replied, tilting his head back slightly before quickly fixing his gaze on the road ahead.
"How long have you been driving a CNG?" I asked again.
"Seven or eight years," came the same curt response.
"And before that?" I probed further.
"I used to drive an auto-rickshaw in my village," he said.
Saiful glanced at me, trying to decipher the motive behind my line of questioning. Ignoring his scrutiny, I pressed on.
"Brother, you've been driving in Dhaka for nearly a decade now. How do you think the city is doing? Are ordinary people better off than before?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Nazrul Islam responded, "No, they're not."
It was as if he had answered this question a hundred times before-once, he might have softened his words, hedged his response, but now he delivered the truth without preamble: "No, they're not."
My revolutionary friend Saiful, however, objected. "It's too soon to say ‘no' after just six or seven months. One should wait at least a couple of years before passing judgment."
The driver, unfazed by Saiful's optimism, shrugged. "Then ask me again in two years."
I turned to Saiful and burst out laughing. "He's right. I shouldn't have asked now. I should have waited two years."
But Saiful didn't share my amusement. His belief in revolution was steadfast, unyielding. Still, he offered the driver a mild piece of advice: "If anyone else asks you this question, tell them to come back in two years."
A stretch of silence followed as we neared our destination. Then came the matter of payment.
"Saiful," I said, "since our driver seems to be a loyal member of the ‘CNG Regret League,' should we deduct fifty taka from the fare?"
Saiful waved it off. "No need. Just pay the full amount."
And so, in the spirit of long-lived revolutions, I handed Nazrul Islam the full 300 taka.
The writer is Editor of Geopolits.com
