A day labourer’s handwritten newspaper churning out hope in Patuakhali
Hasan Parvez is a newspaper editor, a writer, a publisher and a hawker. On the side of all this, he is also a day labourer.
But Hasan has many other identities as well, some of which he embraces bashfully.
Foremost of those however, Hasan, who meticulously produces a handwritten newspaper called Andharmanik in Patuakhali's Kalapara upazila, is a humanitarian who spends his time capturing moving write-ups of the people and personalities around him.
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Doing so, Hasan has amassed quite a following and his write-ups have brought about real changes.
Once he was so moved by a girl in his locality that he took to Facebook. In a poem titled "Rubinake dekhte jodi tomra sobe chao" (If you want to see Rubina) based on "Palli Kabi" Jasimuddin's "Asmani" poem, he wrote of her sorrows, losses and tragedies.
Little Rubina was a homeless girl who lived with her elderly grandmother and mother who had a mental health condition and remained shackled in chains.
With no one to support the family, Rubina used to beg in the village. On days she didn't beg, Rubina would go to school.
A poor man himself, Rubina's sorrow left a deep wound in Hasan's heart. And thus he wrote.
"Rubina's distress made me feel bad," Hasan said. "When I posted the poem on Facebook, it went viral. The poem caught the attention of the local authority. And Rubina got a piece of land and a house from the government."
Like Rubina, Hasan's writings have helped many people whose stories he showcased in the Andharmanik, which he has been publishing since 1 May 2019.
He brings out 300 copies of the paper and as of now, 11 issues of Andharmanik have been published.
Unlike regular newspapers, Hasan focuses more on people-centric news, especially those that spread positivity in his community. His paper doesn't cover violence, rape, conflicts or murders.
He tells motivating and success stories of common villagers that aim to inspire others. And sometimes he tells the stories of struggles in a bid to attract the attention of the authority.
"We write stories of hope. Suppose there has been a boom in maize production this year, then we write about it. We write if someone bought a cow and now it produces enough milk to ensure the man is well-off. Or when a widowed woman secures a living by rearing chicken, we tell their stories," Hasan said.
"Andharmanik is published every two months. But I couldn't publish the paper regularly because I have to do this in between my work as a day labourer," he said.
Hasan also works at brick kilns or goes fishing sometimes to make ends meet. Nothing, however, has dampened his spirit to continue the work of his newspaper.
The journey
Hasan had a penchant for writing since childhood. The webs of poverty, however, meant he could not indulge the writer trapped in his soul.
"I was supposed to pass SSC in 1996. But I couldn't appear in the exam due to a lack of money," Hasan said.
After almost 20 years, in 2015, he appeared in the SSC exam and then HSC exam in 2017. He is now studying for a degree at Kalapara Government College.
Despite the hardships, the writer in Hasan kept surfacing.
"I received the 'Shobhab Kobi' (poet by nature) title from Mass Literacy Campaign, Barishal in 2005. I have a certificate as well," Hasan said.
To keep himself inspired, Hasan sent his writings to a number of established newspapers. "I submitted my writings to many places but I never heard back."
Again, in a show of grit, Hasan persevered and the fates finally smiled. In 2016, Hasan met a journalist who praised his writing and inspired him to write even more.
Hasan maintained communication with the journalist whom he regards as his "guru".
A few years later, the journalist suggested that Hasan publish a newspaper to spread news and positivity in his village and the surrounding areas.
"My guru told me that you will not make a profit but the villagers would learn about you and what is happening around them; that it would create a positive change," Hasan said.
"I promised him that my work will go on – not for any recognition – as long as I live."
And that is how he began his mission with what he had at his disposal – a paper and a pen.
A piece of ruby in dark water
"Andharmanik is a river in our locality. The characteristics of this river is that if you make a splash in it in the dark, then a sort of light emits from it because the water is salty. This happens because its water is salty. Andharmanik means the ruby that lights up in the dark," Hasan said. "We named the paper after this river especially because we live in the coastal region."
It takes around Tk7 to prepare this paper.
"I sell them for Tk10. But some copies are distributed for free. So I make no profit at all. Every two months after the newspaper is published, I make a loss," said Hasan. He sells the paper by hawking it as he walks through the villages.
So what drives him to continue a loss-making venture?
"This paper has come as a light in our locality. Some people didn't have homes, now they have it after their sorrows were narrated in my paper. Recently, three people got homes from the prime minister after I covered their case," he replied.
Hasan himself is a poor man, but poor people always line up in front of his small abode for help, and he is always there for them.
A fight for the people, a fight against climate
Living in Bangladesh's coastline, Hasan and his family had been a victim of climate change.
"My grandfather was a military man in the Pakistan period. We lived in Barishal's Hijla-Mehendiganj region before we lost everything to river erosion. We migrated to Patuakhali's Kalapara where we had nothing."
Last year, popular Bangladeshi television program Ittadi aired an episode on Hasan Parvez and his Andharmanik paper.
The program praised the selflessness of Hasan and offered him Tk2 lakh.
"I bought a piece of land with the money from Ittadi. I am still living on someone else's land. But I am preparing to build a house on my own land now."
Hasan has 15 volunteer reporters collecting news from villages for his paper.
Some of his reporters work in a brick kiln with him. Some are widowed. Some are people with disabilities. But they can read and write.
His paper inspires and at the same time promotes the good.
"When a villager reads that a person in a neighbouring village is doing well in the poultry business, they think of trying it out for themselves to see if it changes their fate. It inspires people and at the same time, people of one village get news of another village.
"When you read in the morning that another village's Khalek Hawlader now has eight goats from two that he bought last year. Or that Khalek, a poor man, sold milk worth Tk8,000 this month, it will make you smile, make you happy and inspired."
And inspiration is what his paper has been doing since its inception.
