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At 12,
he is newspaper editor, reporter and publisher
He is all of
12 years but Utkarsh Tripathi painstakingly brings out a
handwritten newspaper every week to spread awareness among his
peers on issues like the environment and female foeticide. And all
this to satisfy his urge to "serve the country".
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Lucknow: Rehman Ali Rehman, a rickshaw puller in
Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district, doesn’t mind if has to wait long
for a customer. He uses the time to scribble on pieces of paper -
poems for his forthcoming book. Rehman, a native of Badeban village
in Basti district, has already penned four books that have a total
collection of around 400 poems on topics like national
integration, communal harmony, water woes and corruption.
“I don’t mind when I don’t get a ’savari’ (customer) for my
rickshaw, as I utilise the time in writing poems,” Rehman, 55,
told IANS on a mobile phone arranged by a local in Basti, some 300
km from here.
“Writing poems is an integral part of my life. I feel it is a
driving force that gives me strength to face hardships of life,”
he said.
Rehman, a school dropout, always wanted to become a writer.
“My father was a small famer. When I was about to pass Class 10,
my father had nothing left to spend on our family. The small farm
we had was also sold for my studies,” he recalled.
“After my father’s death, I left my studies and took up menial
jobs. I had no resources and time to pursue my ambition.”
Rehman then went to Kanpur and worked at a cinema hall.
“I got to watch Hindi movies at the cinema hall. I used to listen
to songs carefully and noted some words from them. Thereafter, I
tried to write songs on my own.”
With his songs, Rehman became popular among the cinema hall staff.
“They (cinema hall officials) often listened to my songs. They
motivated me to take up a writer’s job. I just felt on top of the
world when they appreciated me for my songs,” he said.
“Earlier, I used to write songs on love relationships, but later I
started writing poems on national integration, communal harmony
and other topics.”
He later moved back to his native village where he got married and
started working as a rickshaw-puller but continued to write songs
and poems.
Rehman got his first book published with assistance from a
customer, who happened to be a writer.
“A ’savari’ once noticed me writing on a piece of paper. He asked
me about it after which he came to know about my aspirations.”
“He invited me to recite poems at a function at the district
Kanpur jail on Republic Day,” he added.
Unaware of what life had in store for him, Rehman participated in
the function and discovered that the man who invited him was Ram
Krishna Lal ‘Jagmag’ - a humour poet (satirist).
“He is my first guru, who in a way gave me a break to showcase my
skills. During the function, I came in contact with several
writers who suggested to me to get my poems published in a book,”
said Rehman.
At another function, he met some teachers of Gorakhpur and members
of Kanpur-based Manas Sangam - an organisation involved in the
promotion of Hindi literature, and with their help he got his
first book “Kuch Kavitayen” published in 2005.
Rehman authored three more books - “Rehman Ram Ka payara ho”, “Mat
vyarth karo pani ko” and “Kaise Samjhe hua vihaan”.
Manas Sangam convener Badri Narain Tiwari told IANS, “Rahman is
just amazing in every sense. His sustained efforts at writing
poems despite the unfavourable conditions really need to be
acknowledged.”
“He is a living example for those who think that a mission cannot
be achieved with limited resources,” Tiwari said.
Rehman lives in a small rented room in Basti and has no complaints
with the almighty.
“I just thank Him for helping me achieve what I had always dreamt
of.”
“Though poor living conditions didn’t allow me to take proper care
of my six children, I feel they too would be able to survive
hardships of life,” said Rehman, adding that he is working on a
couple of books.
While Rehman has got his three daughters married, his three sons
work as labourers.
(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)
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