In today’s materialistic life you may hardly find any person, who does volunteering, social service at his/her own will without any expectation. However there are some finger counts good Samaritans, who does good work towards the society still live on this earth. One such person among the lot is none other than Abdul Rawoof, a school dropout, popularly known as Rauf Bhai, a traffic volunteer.
Many people might have heard his name, read his name in the local news papers and probably might have seen him in action on daily basis easing traffic jams across the city.
Though I heard his name, read in the news papers and seen him action in many localities with his jacket, I didn’t get an opportunity to talk him personally face to face. However to my utter dismay on 15.11.2015, Sunday around 6.00 PM I happened to meet him near Karnataka Rajya Devadigara Sangha ®, Mannagudda, Mangalore, when we came out from our meeting related to one of the functions to be held later in this month. I recognized him and without any hesitation approached him, who was clearing the traffic in front of the Samaj Bhavan upon the request of one GSB party, who were to organize an engagement function in Samaj Bhavan.
I took some of my precious time to talk to him about his passion of clearing traffic density in the city, especially at peak hours. He started narrating his poverty stricken story and how he landed in this profession. He says his economic condition at home did not permit him to pursue his education and had to shoulder the responsibility of all his sisters, their education and marriage as his mother could not fulfill the needs of entire family, after her husband’s death, when he was 13.He could manage to study till 8th,he says.
After dropping out from the school, he had to work in different capacities in different places and had to undergo so many hardships for paltry sum of amount to meet their both the ends together. He says, he joined MCC in 1998 on contract basis as drainage pump operator, worked till 2012 for monthly salary of Rs 4000. He also works as an agent undertaking jobs related to passports,Aadhar cards and ration cards, driving license, etc.
The turning point came on a fateful Friday in 2012, when he went to a mosque for prayers. He happened to witness a fight between the traffic police and the public. He intervened and tried to stop the fight. Determined to prevent such fights from repeating, he took the initiative to park the vehicles from the very next Friday onwards. The first three Fridays he had to listen to comments from the public, but he knew exactly what he was doing and so continued the work in spite of lack of cooperation from the people.
From then on, he dedicated himself to clearing traffic jams and wherever there was a gridlock, he would volunteer and resolve the traffic. He rides a cycle and set some days of the week to certain localities. He has been in this profession for the past two and half years.
Rawoof is grateful to ACP Uday Naik for appreciating his efforts and offering him a job in TWS (Traffic Warden Squad) of traffic department.Rauf does not allow people to park vehicles in “No Parking Zones” and make sure that there is free flow of traffic. Beamed with joy, he said that he has not only won the hearts of many locals but has also been applauded by the traffic police for his dedicated service to the city. He has also been felicitated in many places and by many organizations.
He says, his wife is his inspiration, number 7 is his lucky number and he respects his mother’s word
His belief: “Life is like a bubble on the water; it is not permanent, I don’t believe in religious differences. The religion is made by the people. The blood of all human beings is red. When the people fall sick, needed blood on emergency, urgent basis to save the patient, nobody see whether that blood belongs to Hindu, Muslim or Christian. I don’t see whether it is a temple, mosque or church – wherever there is a traffic jam I wear my jacket and clear the traffic. Where there is traffic, you will find me.”
This is what the good Samaritans do well to the society selflessly regardless of their religion, caste, creed and language. They are always craving to do good to the society, fellowmen.
Shekar Moily
