Age 90: While still cycling health care!

The Dhaka Times Desk Zahiran Bewa is 90 years old. But even though he is so old, his life path does not stop. He is still providing health care by cycling!

It is known that Zahiran Bewa has been providing health care to the villagers by riding a bicycle for the past 44 years. His main job is to go from village to village every day to deliver health care to sick and poor people. It is reported that 90-year-old Zahiran Bewa is the wife of deceased Syed Ali of Taluk Dulali village of Velabari union of Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district. But not by name, everyone in this upazila knows her as Nani.

It is known that after the death of her husband four years before the Great War of Liberation, Zahiran Bewa fell into family struggle with 3 sons and 2 daughters. He is survived by his younger son Torab Ali (59) after the death of his elder son Danesh Ali (68) 8 years ago.

In 1973, Zahiran Bewa underwent a 6-month training in family and planning. Then he joined the work on contractual monthly wages. Since then, Zahiran Bewa has been providing health care to the villagers by cycling in his own village and neighboring villages. Finally, he retired after working for 10 years with a monthly salary of 500 taka. With the experience he gained, Zahiran Bewa has once again returned to the health care of the villagers instead of sitting at home.

Zahiran Bewa said that he provides medical services for fever, headache, vomiting and other diseases including physical weakness. He does not have to pay any money for the treatment. He has to pay only for medicine. Zahiran Bewar earns an average of one hundred and fifty rupees per day. His family is somehow running with that. He is in contact with more than two thousand families in 30 villages of Aditmari Upazila. Zahiran Bewa visits at least 70 houses of at least 7 villages by bicycle every day. He has claimed that he has not been affected by any disease in the last 50 years.

The people of the area said that for 44 years, Zahiran Bewa has been tirelessly providing health care to the villagers by riding a bicycle. Zahiran Bewa is actually a doctor for the poor people of the village. Many poor people take medicine from him for free. However, in case of serious illness, he advised to go to the hospital.

Zahiran Bewa's younger son Torab Ali told the media that he is repeatedly trying to prevent his mother from going out on a bicycle. But his mother does not accept any obstacle. One of his words is that as long as he is physically fit, he will serve the people. Jahiran Bewa is truly an exceptional person.