When it rains, grandpa Ali comes to rescue

Umed Ali, a 66-year-old boatman from Kurigram's Baraibari is a popular figure in his village.

During monsoon, when the Baraibari canal fills up with water, school-goers used to face great difficulty getting across to attend school on the other side.

But thanks to Ali, these children don't have much to worry about now. Due to his contribution, he is now known to every child in Baraibari as "Grandpa Ali".

Though driving his boat is his livelihood, Ali doesn't take money from the students.

As a father of four himself, he is very well aware of the challenges students face to pursue education in these poverty-stricken villages of Kurigram.

Ali lives with his wife by the river Dharla. All his children are now married and have settled elsewhere.

Although Ali is a seasoned fisherman, he can't go fishing regularly as his body often surrenders to fatigue. Therefore, even at this age, helping people cross the canal is his main source of income.

This barely puts food on his plate three times a day, let alone provide for the medicines he needs to keep his body functioning.

"I cannot catch fish like before because of the disease in my body. The family is somehow running with what I am earning," he said.

Many in his village wonder why Ali carries on with this selfless act when he can't afford it.

"The love I receive from the students is bigger than any monetary incentives. They call me grandpa. If I didn't do this, many parents would have simply not sent their kids to school. It makes me happy that I can carry out this responsibility for them ," Ali said in response.

Baraibari Govt Primary School stands on the other side of the Baraibari char. It takes 12-15 minutes to cross the canal by boat.

In each turn, Ali gets 10-12 students across with his boat. And this has led to 65 students from Char Baraibari village to continue their education

Shaher Ali, a teacher of the school, said 193 students are enrolled in this institution. Of them, 65 come from Baraibari Char.

Ashrafi Khatun, a third grader at the school, said, "Grandpa Ali is a life saver. He always ferries us safely across the river."

Arshadul Alam, a guardian, said, "The canal is filled with water for six months a year. If it weren't for Ali, our kids wouldn't have gotten educated."

School authorities said they offered remuneration to Ali several times, which he politely refused.

Morsheda Begum, head teacher of the school, said, "Umed Ali is very poor but he's a noble person. Due to his selfless support, the Char's children are being able to access education."