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Deadliest journeys - Bangladesh : Survive in chaos

Mar 19, 2024
Hello, Cocoon performs this daily ritual early in the morning, seven days a week. Take care of my rickshaw. It is my work tool if not maintained properly. I'm a bad worker. It's what feeds me. His old rickshaw weighs 90 kilos, but according to Cocon he rides it. It's not the most tiring aspect moving around the streets of Dakar, the capital means the rickshaw driver needs nerves of steel, yes, move forward a little, you need a sharp brain to react quickly, you need to step forward to avoid accidents, keep Be careful when crossing the city. It's not the easiest for passengers either. 15 million people live here 43,000 inhabitants per square kilometer the largest concentration of humanity on the planet look there's a traffic jam down there I'm going to take a detour to get through and you should never do it let yourself get stuck or you'll suffer the consequences immediately the capitals become too small for their population the street can no longer support the volume of traffic it is not unusual to be stuck for four to six hours, bumper to bumper kokon and his clients soon find themselves trapped in a rickshaw you know When you leave but you will never know when you will arrive most of the time I leave hours in advance to avoid being late for work you never know what you will encounter a big traffic jam or even a small How can you live like this without being safe? come on, get out of my way he spends five hours a day, seven days a week in his rickshaw without complaining he can't afford to complain he pedals for three euros a day it's enough to

survive

this is the worst job in the world transporting passengers with his luggage by bicycle is a job that animals should do their problems are not over in a few days a massive wave of six million people will descend on dakar and invade the streets of the city every year, the capital of

bangladesh

hosts ichima, the muslim pilgrimage largest in the world after Mecca, but the country's infrastructure is very dilapidated and is not able to properly handle the millions of pilgrims, the trains are stormed, move, come on, get out The biggest risk arises when we pass through under the bridges.
deadliest journeys   bangladesh survive in chaos
You have to be very careful. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. One child in eight is forced to work to help his family. You have to be clever to earn a buck. catch a fish and be willing to suffer to find some gold away from the

chaos

of dhaka a handful of men are preparing for a difficult journey he is accompanying his congregation on the pilgrimage to ijima 90 of the country is Muslim and has rented a train especially for the event they are the last moments of calm before the

chaos

begins food supplies pots pans blankets the group has enough to last for five days one hour before departure safe the imam checks that nothing has been forgotten be careful, must tighten it properly we need to bring everything with us for the ichima pilgrimage water oil and fruit everything we can is almost many have saved every penny for two or three months let's bring what's left on board especially for those who won't have a seat can smile.
deadliest journeys   bangladesh survive in chaos

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deadliest journeys bangladesh survive in chaos...

They reserved their places months in advance, since for the rest it's a matter of first carbon first served, move, this is my place, no, this looks good, I think there will be a lot of people this year, well, just You will have to sit wherever you can find a place. This is the pilgrimage train. This is the one where hundreds of people have crowded onto the platform. It is a race for the last available seats and to get one it is everyone for themselves. For some, that means six hours, despite the crowds, the joy of being part of the pilgrimage lifts everyone's spirits and they have a great pilgrimage to everyone's surprise.
deadliest journeys   bangladesh survive in chaos
The train leaves on time and picks up some underwear 200 kilometers away, but in Bangladesh no one can guarantee what time the train will arrive as the journey holds many surprises. Oh, that's a good start, the train stops at about 15 stations, but that's not including unexpected stops. The imam is praying with Doha, a member of his community. It is the third pilgrimage to Doha. Well, now it's okay, we're at the beginning of the trip and there are still a few places left, but the. The further we advance, the more people there will be and even the rich will give up due to difficulties.
deadliest journeys   bangladesh survive in chaos
The trains are uncomfortable and drafty and date back to the British colonial period. They have barely been modernized since these trains have been in use since 1917. Of course. The country has developed before there were steam engines and then diesel locomotives like this one but the carriages have not changed at all. One day they announced that we would have new, more modern express trains. People went crazy with joy. Everyone said that we would be able to reach our destinations a lot. faster, it will be fantastic, the seats will be much more comfortable, but when we saw the new trains we were very disappointed, they are as bad as ever, except now they are even more expensive.
It is best to bring your own food for the journey, as getting to the dining car is a challenge plagued by hunger. Doha decides to try, move her leg, please, oh, what a disaster, look what we have to go through, sorry, but no one complains because it happens. The road in Bangladesh is much more dangerous. Sometimes people even sit in the toilets. If you need to pee, just get your clothes dirty. The unexpected stoppage provides Doha with some relief. This is good because I don't want to go to the dining car anymore. There's no way to get through, right, I'm going back to my seat, the thousands of pilgrims, however, are a blessing to the young vegetable snack sellers waiting on the platform, most of them are orphans and some have been working since They were five years old. hot samosas five tacos my mother has died I have two little brothers and a sister the flood of passengers is endless and getting into a car is now almost impossible the spill reaches the roofs of the cars the roof is barely two meters wide and is slightly rounded so as not to mention the slippery fabric behind those who fall asleep, as the jolts of the train can keep them on the side.
You are usually not allowed on the roof. We do it because there is no more space underneath. The biggest danger is going under bridges. You have to be very careful, go down, go down, my wife died a few days ago, she was not paying attention and she was hit by a bridge, she was killed on the spot. It is unknown how many passengers die each year, but even the most experienced ones can be caught. by surprise sit down young vendors make a living risking their lives every day arsham has been dodging death since he was 10 years old.
I'm not an amateur I held on tight the first time I went to the top I was petrified I couldn't I didn't get off and cried, a man came and carried me on his shoulders and since then I practiced going up and down now I've climbed onto the roof like a fish in the water if you stop to think that you are dead you should not Do not think about your parents or your wife, who will cry if they kill you, if fear wins, then you are dead, I lived there, so I have to go now, goodbye, He jumps off the train that is going about 30 kilometers per hour. there is still a long way to go although no one is sure when the train will arrive in the capital in dhaka the life expectancy of rickshaw drivers and other people who pull carts on the streets rarely exceeds 40 years accidents pollution and wear and tear physicist charge a high price after three hours cocon can no longer pedal rests at the back of the rickshaw garage for free in exchange for some basic guard duties I have a wife and two children to feed of course this job is very difficult, It's still better than having to force this kind of misery on my family Poor people like me who live with their family are suffering a lot of misery It leads to family ruin Come, I'll show you the slums and then you'll understand Oh, I'd rather not live with my family those who earn enough can afford a home for their families the others live like rats I refuse to make my family suffer that, like I said, the sacrifices mean that their two children can attend school, they are lucky since education really comes from the slums, it is ingenuity to be found at an early age this small group has become expert in stealing vegetables from the market three and a half million people are crammed into the numerous slums of dhaka in their cocoon of slave existence He allows himself the small luxury of calling his family in his town.
He sees them only once every two months. Give me the phone, please. How are you and the children? I will be home in a few days Friday or Saturday as soon as my daughter is old enough to get married I will give up the rickshaw I will open a small shop otherwise my daughter's life will be ruined. Nobody wants a rickshaw driver as a father-in-law. It is too miserable, it is shameful and in the meantime, to pay for my daughter's dairy, I have to continue selling without a dowry. Kokon has no hope of marrying his daughter, especially since traditionally payment is made in gold.
The goldsmith's quarter is the tanti bazaar. in the old part of dakar not much has changed here since the 18th century here three thousand people work melting and modeling gold the workshops close when the muetzin makes the last call to prayer of the day three shadows slide discreetly through the streets of the district of dakar gold around nine at night once a month gazi and his two employees search the sewers these are the wastewater of the goldsmiths the workshops are right behind and their pipes are emptied here thousands of liters of human waste end up through the opening From the sewer when they work the gold there is always some dust that flies and when they go to the bathroom it goes down to the sewers now if we can collect that gold dust we will get a profit to eat if we empty all the water of course it is a process which will take all night, if we worked during the day people would complain about the smells, the smell doesn't bother me anymore.
Gold must be earned and finding it means diving. The gold flecks are mixed with human excrement. Now I will smash all the mud into a pile under my feet and once it is full I will put it in the bucket for the In the early years, Shahalan felt nauseous, but now he doesn't even complain. I do this because we are in a crisis. However, less gold jewelry is produced and there is much less gold dust in the sewers. In the past, we were more seekers. We were at least 150 people but with less money to earn they have given up today maybe there are about 50 of us here the water is cold this time of year first rinse with ice water and then finish my work and then take a hot shower ten hours of work to fill two buckets with mud that must then be sifted.
I'm now filtering this to remove the lighters. All that will be left will be the heavier substances. Gazi has been a gold digger for 30 years. He first dove into the sewers at age 14. I learned from the experts. At first I didn't like to investigate all this. I thought he was dirty, he bothered me, but little by little I was persuaded and after a few months my shame disappeared. Mike got used to this and I still do. I don't see any gold but I feel that there is something there is one more stage it is a delicate operation and it is not known if there will be enough gold to pay for the three four hours and a dozen stops on the trip the train that transports Safik the Imam and his pilgrims advance slowly towards dakar the old locomotive does not date from the colonial era like the wagons but it is not modern either muhammad the driver is concentrated in

bangladesh

the railways are not protected and people have the habit of using them as a road look at those people on the rails they can cause accidents I honk to make them leave despite the crowd Mohammed takes the old diesel engine to the limit and the monster drives 60 kilometers per hour almost blindly I can't and they used to be windshield wipers and a speedometer would be good too, but we don't have one and an emergency brake would be useful, but we don't have it either if someone crosses in front, what can I do if they suddenly break down the carriages will overturn and thousands will die not a single accident in a 30 year career, however the danger It is never far away on the train, for some it is even exciting, the brave street children have even made it their playground, they call themselves the kings of the train.
There is nothing else to do today we are left being stupid my parents don't want me to get on the train saying I should get a job selling tea but I don't want to get on here we are free but We know if we fall no one will take care of us this is what it's like if I fall , the dogs will eat me by the side of the track, yes, you will end up as dog food, in Dhaka Ghazi, the gold digger will finally find. Find out how many grams of precious metal are recovered from the bottom of the sewers From all the mud collected overnight Only a handful remains As a Ghazi alchemist uses a powerful acid to extract gold The acid fumes affect your lungs and attack your skin and eyes but they don't seem to realize it is very bad for the lungs it can cause asthma by separating the gold from the mud gazi uses mercury a very toxic substance the gold attached to the mercury now heated to 400 degrees centigrade the metal gives off toxic fumes worse than the acid attacks thekidneys and the brain of the workers once evaporated what remains is a nugget of pure gold there is less than a gram down here up there it should cost 15 euros possible 15 euros the sum of a bird extracted from the bottom of the sewers of dhaka I really am going to talk I should have stopped I made the wrong decision and it makes me sad the goal cycle is endless the three men will sell the gold to the store he escaped from I crushed it to make sure it was pure Gold or not base metal, no wait, how much Will you give me?
We will divide it between three euros, four less than I expected. After a night in the sewers, Gazi's work day is far from over when he returns to the room where he lives with his wife and three children in the small house. turns into a workshop we do this every night with my wife and kids we work until 11 at night we make 400 of them for the equivalent of 2 if my euros could have had a better education he could have opened a grocery store or some type of store that is why we sacrifice everything to educate our children, my husband and I are uneducated but I dream that no one will be able to say the same about our children and that they will never be ashamed like us, many children do not go to school I am very lucky my parents send me my dream is to become a businessman i will travel abroad and bring my parents with me it is different in other countries it is beautiful there was not enough money for her sister to continue school she now works with her parents to be able to pay for her younger brothers dakar It is not very far now for the pilgrims at every stop the train is literally robbed the station master is overwhelmed everyone who does not have tickets must buy one as quickly as possible either in It is impossible for the ticket offices or the inspectors to control such a number big and the only practical measure is to avoid accidents.
Everyone on the roof, please remain seated. Come on, there's still room as soon as the train arrives. Stand aside. It is risky to go up. Here and you are pressuring us to take our places. Move on. I'm here now. I'm not moving well, but he's taking my friend's place. Some know how to make money from all this chaos. Some smart operators rent out their ladders. attackers go up for six people thirty takers the police are here let's go quickly, go, you would think it would be chaos, but in reality the people are disciplined, look around you, water, water, I will try to go as far as I can holding on like this.
I will leave it in the hands of Allah, wait, hey, make a place for me please, away from this confusion, there are those who fight to maintain an honorable life and prevent their children from ending up in the slums, this is the Sunderbahn in the south of the country where the ganges river flows into the bay of bengal is the largest mangrove forest in the world at low tide the silence is broken by strange cries emitted by these tame otters they are not pets but working animals it is much easier to fish with They dive to the roots, you see, they drive the fish into the nets using otters to catch fish.
It dates back many centuries, as his ancestors, Kumar, himself trained his four animals. We live with them, so we understand each other. I need to move a lot. that work correctly but the nets attract few fish with each passing year there are fewer fish in the mangrove waters pollution and overpopulation are the main causes with 160 million inhabitants bangladesh is one of the most densely populated nations in the world fishing is exhausting but kumar pushes his men and animals to the limit there are more fish at the end of the low tide and then it is a real race unfortunately for the fishermen there is no miracle catch come on, it's over and so on the voracity of the otters is a The problem for the fishermen is that the four of them devour between three and five kilos of fish a day, which is almost half of the catch.
Sometimes, if we don't find enough fish, we have to buy something for the otters. If we don't feed them, they get weak and we don't catch fish anymore, so We go to the market and buy fish, we lose money, okay, can I turn on the stove tonight? Kumar and his men will not eat as well as the otters, there are eight of us and we will share two fish and they are not big either this hard and uncomfortable life is not one they think their children will want to follow they are almost certainly the last otter fishermen of Bangladesh the honking finally announced the arrival in dakar a relief for some the agony for others you have to cover your ears all the time.
These foghorns can deaf you. Some pilgrims spent the eight-hour journey standing, others squeezed on top of others, even the lucky ones, like Safik and Doha, are at their limit. I'm tired. very tired but I'm happy because we are about to stab this hard journey it will soon end foreigner collect your luggage hurry up the most difficult thing now for the imam is not to lose his congregation in the crowd go around and follow the crowd a tide of humanity millions of people converge on the Safiq prayer places and their group will camp and pray and meditate for three days.
The place is not an Islamic holy site, but every year scholars from around the world come to spread the good word about the Six million Muslim faithful who follow these teachings give meaning to their lives in Bangladesh. A life often made of sacrifices.

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