Saleha, a symbol of humanity

Throughout her entire life, 50-year-old Saleha has witnessed only denial and cruelty from the world around her.

She earns her livelihood by begging and collecting throw away household waste materials, such as plastic bottles, cardboard boxes and paper, and had been staying at Saidpur Railway Station for almost a decade.

But behind all this, this middle aged widow has a heart bearing rare humanity which forced her from inside to rescue an abandoned infant and bringing her up like her own child.

Saleha said, “Five years ago, it was a dark winter night when I heard a baby crying from a nearby dustbin.”

“Being curious, I approached the dustbin and found some dogs encircling an abandoned newborn that was wrapped in polythene,” Saleha continued.

She drove away the animals and took the baby girl, who was shivering with cold in her lap. After the girl became cured from her illness she started to call her Rupbani.

But within a short time, she came to know that both the hands and legs of Rupbani were paralysed and she had speaking and hearing problems, but she did not abandon the baby again as the girl filled her life with untold happiness, Saleha said.

Saleha started to live at the railway station after the death of her day labourer husband Nizam Ali 12 years ago.

With a small income of Tk 70 to Tk 80 a day, she cannot afford good food and treatment for Rupbani, Saleha said.

Saleha said if Rupbani is given a monthly allowance she would provide her treatment so that she could live a normal life and get schooling.

Saidpur Upazila Social Welfare Officer Nusrat Fatima said she enlisted Rupbani's name in the list of disabled people for allocating her an allowance soon.