A Father Who Never Gave Up in the Battle of Responsibility

Life itself is a struggle. But not everyone struggles for the same reason. Some fight to fulfill their dreams, while others fight simply to keep their families alive. On my way from Gazipur to Dhaka, at the Kamalapur railway station, I came across such a struggling father. After getting off the train, I was waiting for a bus to Narayanganj. While standing there, my eyes caught sight of an elderly man sitting quietly in a corner of the footpath. In front of him lay a small plastic bag containing some cigarettes, a bottle of water, and a flask of black tea. Amid the dust of the road and puddles of rainwater, he was selling tea and cigarettes.

At first, the sight made me deeply thoughtful. How difficult life must be that even at this age, he has to sit on the footpath selling tea and cigarettes! A little later, I gathered the courage to talk to him. He told me that every day, from morning until late at night, he sits there. Whatever little he earns from selling tea and cigarettes is what keeps his household running. Age has taken its toll, his body is tired and weak, yet he cannot afford to stop. Why? Because the responsibility of his family still rests on his shoulders.

And that is the truth—age cannot stop responsibility. The smiles of his children, the needs of the household, the demands of the family—before all these, his own exhaustion, weakness, and even illness become insignificant. I could see the fatigue in his eyes, but the determination to fulfill his duty was much stronger. While talking, he said to me: “What else can I do, son? The family has to survive. If I don’t work, how will they eat?”