Ambulance Dada (Karimul Haque)

Raja -Who is a superhero?

Kavita - A superhero is somebody who saves lives, it is as simple as that.

 

Raja - Have you met a real life superhero?

Kavita - No, but I would like to meet one.

 

Raja - Ok, then let me introduce you to Ambulance Dada, a real life superhero.

 

Kavita - By the way Raja, why is he called "Dada", is he a Gunda?

 

Raja - No, he is not a Gunda, but a social worker from Dhalabari in North Bengal. He is called Dada out of affection and endearment.

 

Kavita - Ok, Raja, then tell me more about Ambulance Dada.

 

Raja - He is from Dhalabari, a small town in North Bengal, famous for its tea gardens and Gorumara forest range.

 

Kavita - I am really intrigued now, so tell me about this social worker?

 

Raja - He is a school dropout who has saved more than 7000 lives since 1998.

 

Kavita - I wonder how did his journey begin?

 

Raja - It all began with an unfortunate event when he lost his mother due to lack of medical assistance in 1995. This incident made him realise the importance of an ambulance in his village.

 

Kavita - How sad! isn't it Raja?

 

Raja - That particular incident made him determined to never allow such an incident from happening again on his watch.

 

Kavita - Really! What did he do?

 

Raja - He used his motorcycle as an ambulance to reach out to people living in remote areas around his hometown.

 

Raja - Should I tell you more about Ambulance Dada or would you like to tell the audience about him?

 

Kavita - From humble beginnings, Karimul Haque's journey has become more than just an ambulance service.

 

Raja - So what has it become?

 

Aviral - His life's work has not gone unnoticed. He has been awarded the Padma Shri by the GOI in 2017 besides numerous accolades.

 

Raja - What continues to motivate Ambulance Dada?

 

Kavita - His life's ultimate goal is to establish a multi-speciality hospital. To his credit, he has already established a nursing  training facility, and a sewing institute on his ancestral land.

 

Raja - Even today, Padma Shri Karimul Haque continues to spend most of his family's income on serving his community.

 

Kavita - Do you know Raja that during the COVID period our Ambulance Dada fed over 200 people everyday?

 

Raja - Thank God that we have people like our Ambulance Dada who do extraordinary work despite being ordinary people.

Karimul Haque is a worker in the tea gardens of West Bengal. Locally known as Bike-Ambulance-dada, he has received the Padma Shri award for his work supporting the villagers in and around Dhalabari by bringing sick people to hospital in his motorcycle ambulance.

In 1995 Haque had gone door to door seeking help for his ailing mother who was in desperate need of medical treatment, but he was not able to find an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Consequently, his mother died at home due to a heart attack. Following this, he took a vow to not let anyone else die due to insufficient ambulance coverage.

Haque's motorbike ambulance plan came to him when one of his colleagues collapsed on the field. Since a regular ambulance could not reach him in time, Haque tied him to his back and made him ride pillion to the nearest hospital. His co-worker recovered from the illness, inspiring Haque to continue with this approach.

Since 1998 Haque has been providing ambulance coverage to over 20 villages in and around Dhalabari in the Doars belt where basic amenities such as roads and electricity are not present, and the nearest hospital is 45 kilometres (28 mi) away. As of 2019, he had ferried approximately 5,000 to 5,500 people free of cost.

Besides the ambulance service he also provides basic first aid with training from local doctors to villagers. He also holds periodic health camps in tribal regions.

Haque is a resident of Rajadanga in Malbazar. He lives with his wife Anjuya Begum, his two sons Rajesh and Raju and their wives. His sons' betel leaf shop and cellphone repair shop in Rajadanga support the family. Most of Haque's income goes into buying fuel and medicines.

He appeared in Kaun Banega Crorepati with actor Sonu Sood on 1st January 2021.

Karimul Haque's life has been chronicled in a book called 'Bike Ambulance Dada'. The book was published by Penguin Random House India, in January 2021, and written by journalist turned social entrepreneur Biswajit Jha.