Nobel Peace Prize 2014 & the story of a Bangladeshi Rickshaw-puller Joynal Abedin
After Malala Yousafzai was announced to be the winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2014, there has been an ongoing debate about whether she deserves it or not. I see the points of argument on both sides of the coin. Yes, it just might be an “western” propaganda & the real scenario in Malala’s village or elsewhere where girls still face obstacles for education has hardly changed because the media & leaders were more busy with their lip service & praise for Malala. On the contrary, Malala deserves no less credit; she started blogging at such a young age, stood up against Talibans with courage & Malala fund has had some affect on the world. She didn’t stop raising awareness about girl’s education even after getting continuous death threats from Taliban, & we all know the story of how she was shot & still she survived.
But this article is not about whether she should have got the accolade or not. I just wanted to remind all about the human goodness, about people who are still there away from media spotlight doing unbelievable wonders. I believe the true recognition of any human welfare work comes from the beneficiaries, not from the leaders or the Nobel prize.
Here’s owr own Joynal Abedin sir, who being a rickshaw-puller could establish a clinic in his village just by his own savings. He lost his father just because his village didn’t have any health-care facilities & then he made up his mind to establish a clinic. He had the ambition, but no money & so he went to the capital, Dhaka to work as a rickshaw-puller. Eventually he saved enough money & went back to his village to establish a clinic. After overcoming a lot of obstacles, he could establish a medical center which provided vital support for the local people. It is not only unusual in a country like Bangladesh but extra-ordinary for a rickshaw puller to invest his entire savings to start a clinic for others because they are among the bottom rung of society and earn less than a dollar a day.
The first time I heard his story, I decided instantly that one of my aims in life is to meet this extra-ordinary human being & say- “Thank You sir, you inspired me a lot.” This person reminded me that with good intention, determination, ambition & hard-work; if Allah wants, anything is possible. Salute sir!
Let’s not debate over who should get the Nobel prize because that’s not gonna change anything. Rather let’s play our part for a better future. Yeah sure, we might not get the Nobel prize but which would you choose if you could choose only one?
Happiness/satisfaction or A simple Nobel prize?
For people who want to know more about this remarkable story, the link as follows: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-18195227
