Ujjal Pramanik, a 70-year-old man, lives in Purandapur village of Faridpur Upazila, Pabna. He has suffering from cataract disease for last 3 years which has impaired his vision completely. Due to financial crisis, he was unable to get necessary treatment for the disease. A usual parental dream that their children would look after them during their old age, was never to happen for Ujjal. His first 2 sons among 3 do not look after him at all. They do not care whether Ujjal is dead or alive. The youngest son is the only one who they rely upon for everything. Ujjal Pramanik is an illiterate old man. During his young days he used to be a cowboy (looking after others’ cattle) to earn his living. He moved places to work for different people but remained a cowboy, taking care of others’ cattle. Being the only earning member of the family, he used to spend all that he earned to maintain the family of 5 members and never had any savings. As his earnings were very scanty, he could hardly meet his children’s requirements. As a result, his 3 sons could not get proper education. As most of the time they had to assist their father in his work, they never realized the importance of education. Earning money was the only ambition Ujjal Pramanik’s sons developed.

His tiny house is built on a 3-decimal land. Ujjal lives in one room with his wife and his youngest son lives in another. Equally apportioned among 3 brothers, Ujjal had received 3.67 decimals of ancestral land. He could not buy any extra land throughout his whole life. About 20 years ago Ujjal saved some money to buy a cow.. That single cow gave him luck and at one point of time he owned 6 cows. That cow was the main source of their income as he grew old day by day and could not work hard like before. Meanwhile, he took loan from different NGOs to meet family requirements. He had to sell all but one cow to repay his loan and meet his son’s marriage expenses. Hardly had his son grown 16 years old, his marriage proposal was received. The bride was a dumb girl from a mediocre family whose father offered to arrange a job for Jainal in return for this marriage. With this lucrative offer, Jainal got obsessed about the job and wanted to become rich very quickly. But Ujjal did not assent to this proposal fearing the obvious consequence of marrying so early. But Jainul misunderstood his father and blamed his parents for not wanting him to prosper in life. Disregarding his parents’ mind he got married dropping his SSC examination.

After marriage he got a job in Ansar with the assistance of his father in law. His initial posting was in Dhaka Airport but as his job was not permanent, he had to pay 6000 taka every 6 months to renew his job. He failed to renew his job after first renewal that resulted in loss of job. With no educational qualification or any special skills, finding another job wasn’t as easy. Frustrated and repenting for wrong decision, he disappeared from home leaving his wife in the father in law’s house. His whereabouts remained untraceable for 3-4 years until his in law’s family discovered that he had married another girl at Altapara of Pabna. There he used to work as a daily laborer to run his family. During his absence his first wife used to alternate both her father’s house and in law’s house. Jainal has 2 children with his first wife-a boy and a girl. After Jainal returned home, his son from the first wife had a quarrel with him for not looking after their mother and them. His son used to drive an auto rickshaw in the village but after the quarrel he left home for Dhaka.

Currently he sells vegetable in a market in Dhaka. Jaynal’s 2nd wife also has one son and one daughter. The daughter was married away 2 years ago only at the age of 16. The son is only 5 years old. But he is physically impaired. His legs are thinner than normal and he can’t walk. Now Jainal is living at Altapara with his 2nd wife. Jainal, the eldest son of Ujjal has so far, not contributed anything for his poor parents. Ujjal’s second son Jamal too lives separately with his wife. A frustrated Ujjal complained,”he would never come to see us even if he receives news of our death”. Jamal has studied only up to Class V. Currently he is working as a day labourer to maintain his family. After marriage in 1998, he got separated from his parents. By then Ujjal’s eldest son had already left home. Old Ujjal had no way out as he was unable to work due to old age. In this critical situation Jamal suddenly announced his decision to get separated from parents as he said he was unable to bear family expenses alone. But his father never wanted a partition in the once joint family. He asked him to leave the house if he really meant to be separated. An adamant Jamal was just waiting for this chance and he left his father’s house to take refuge to his father in law’s house.

After about 3 years of stay in the in law’s house, Jamal got allotment of a piece of land in an ideal village, adjacent to their own village. He stayed in that village for about 6 years but returned to his father’s house after selling that land. Due to love and affection for son, Ujjal gave him 1.67 decimals of land he deserved as a share. Now jamal is living in a house he has erected in that land. Still now he does not look after his parents. He is not bothered whether his old parents are getting food or not, whether they have any new clothes to wear during Eid festival, whether they are suffering from illness. He is living a selfish life with his wife and children, totally detached from parents. Now Kamal Pramanik, the youngest son is the only hope Ujjal Pramanik lives with. Though Kamal’s earnings are scanty, he is living with his parents. After failing in English and Mathematics in SSC, Kamal did not continue his education any further. Leaving studies he started working as daily labourer. He is discharging his responsibilities towards parents with whatever little earnings he has. He works 15-16 days in a month earning 300 taka per day, an amount pretty inadequate to meet daily needs. Their daily food intake is not good. His mother extracts green leaves and vegetable from the river side to meet daily vegetable requirement. Their daily food includes ordinary menu like lentil and other vegetables. They cannot afford meat and fish more than 4-5 days in a month.

Kamal has 2 sons, one of whom is a Hafizia student in a Kaomi Madrasa in Iswardi. The reason for sending him to Madrasa, as Kamal describes, is free education there. His other son is just 5 years old. While the family was passing through ominous financial crisis, Ujjal Pramanik developed cataract on his eyes that resulted in loss of vision in both the eyes. His family is not in a condition to afford his treatment. At this critical situation ProChESTA took responsibility for Ujjal’s medical treatment. On 5th and 6th August of 2017 his cataract was removed through a surgery in Ullapara Eye Hospital. The considerations why ProChESTA took his responsibility are: 1) his family’s deplorable financial condition, 2) none of his sons being beside him at this helpless old age, 3) allowing him a little comfort for the rest of the days of his life. Currently Ujjal Pramanik can see with through both eyes. All expenses of his operation and medication have been borne by ProChESTA.