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Despite owning farmland, 72-year-old Feru Kumar works as a porter in Delhi. Relatives allegedly seized his shop and he hides his job to avoid ridicule back home
For 32 years, Feru Kumar has worked as a porter at Delhi’s ISBT. (Local18)
At Delhi’s ISBT bus stand, you’ll often spot a 72-year-old man sitting quietly in a corner. With hopeful eyes, he watches passengers arrive and depart, silently wishing someone would ask him to carry their luggage so he can earn a little money. Yet, this porter is no ordinary man.
Feru Kumar is a substantial landowner from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, owning seven bighas of farmland tended by his wife. It’s hard to reconcile that a porter could own such land. His remarkable story unfolds as he shares the reasons behind his unusual circumstance.
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Betrayed And Forced Into Labour
Feru Kumar recounts how his relatives deceived him, seizing his tailoring shop and plunging him into debt. Feru Kumar never intended to work as a porter. He initially moved to Delhi to establish a tailoring business, investing profits from his farm in a shop in Delhi’s South Ex which was thriving and earned up to Rs 50,000.
However, relatives alleegdly exploited him, driving him into debt and taking over the shop, which compelled him to resort to porter work for survival.
Originally from Muzaffarnagar, his wife, Chaman Kali, manages their farmland. He avoids discussing his children, revealing only that they take no pride in his work and show little interest in his life.
For 32 years, he has worked as a porter at the ISBT bus stand.
Life Of Coolie No. 75 At The Bus Stand
Known simply as ‘Coolie No. 75’, Feru Kumar’s age often discourages people from hiring him for heavy lifting. Nevertheless, some offer him work and money out of kindness.
He labours at the bus stand for about 15 days each month, as his body cannot endure more. From 6 am to 10:30 pm, he stays there, eating at a nearby dhaba and sleeping in a hall below.
He goes to his village to give his monthly earnings of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 to his wife and then returns back to Delhi.
The Shame Of Returning Home
Despite having the option to join his wife in farming, Feru Kumar chooses not to return home, fearing the scorn of villagers. They believe he holds an important job in Delhi, and he dreads their ridicule if they discover his work as a porter.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
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