As people approach their old age, they look forward to their children for support, care and nurturing, but some others simply decide to forge their own path forward, no matter how difficult the road seems.It’s easy to talk about resilience in that context, but much harder to actually watch someone practice it every single day, in a field, under the sun, without complaint and with their own choice.One such story is about a specially-abled man from Assam who stands as a beacon of resilience, hard work, and independence all by choice, and while seeing him may evoke sympathy, it is his valiant courage that keeps him going.
Photo: @pepa.assam/ Instagram
Meet Babul Ali : the specially-abled man who chooses to farm every day on a chair
Babul Ali lives in Borphukan Tiniali, a locality in the Sivasagar district of Assam. According to an Indian Today North East report, he is specially-abled. While many might anticipate his dependency, he is an epitome of resilience, courage, and independence.He is “well-known for his strong spirit,” and people in his area have come to see him, not as someone requiring help, but as someone quietly commanding respect.Rather than depending on family, neighbours, or government aid to get by, he has built a routine around his own capability, however limited the tools available to him might be.The central object around his work is surprisingly not any mechanised tool or object doing extraordinary work; instead, it’s a simple ‘plastic chair’.Every day, Babul Ali steps into the fields, sitting on the chair as he works the land, tilling it independently despite his physical limitations. He chose this way of farming, adapting entirely to his own body and circumstances, without any special equipment or outside labour.
Babul wants to earn a dignified living
The purpose behind this daily routine is simple, nothing more than earning a living. Babul Ali farms “to earn a dignified livelihood,” and it draws a clear line between charity and self-sufficiency.For Babul Ali, earning with dignity isn’t just showing up every day and doing the work himself. He doesn’t wait for someone to farm the land for him or hand him money out of pity. He picks up his plastic chair, heads to the field, and gets on with it, the same way anyone else would. That’s the whole point for him, earning what he needs through his own effort, not through sympathy.