Abu Zahid
“My name is Abu Zahid. I work here at the residential campus as a room service attendant. I love my job. Even though sometimes I miss my family…I miss my mother, I miss my father. I dearly miss them. But that feeling doesn’t last long because I have people like you around me; to keep me motivated, to keep making me feel happy and content with the life I have here, in this small place I have come to call home.”
“I wake up at 6:00 am every day and get to work. I finish sweeping the dorm floors first, and then mop the entire lobby. Students walk around the dorm the whole day, and the hallway and staircases get dirty multiple times. Making it shine constantly is very tedious, while cleaning other people’s room and washroom is not a very pleasant task. But it’s my job and I respect it. I work till 12:00 pm without any break. Sometimes I miss my lunch because of my work, but it only makes me realise that I’m doing my work sincerely even though I wouldn’t say I’m particularly good at it…but I always try.”
“Back in my hometown, Naogaon, I used to feel like I needed to do something with my life. I didn’t want to be a burden on my parents. So I came here seeking a job, and to make something of myself. I’m happy that I made that decision. I have a steady income now, and I can fulfill my needs without having to ask my family for financial support. I even get to send money to my parents.”
“I wouldn’t call myself a very hard-working person, but I take my job seriously. Because at the end of the day I consider all of you my brothers and that’s how you should be treated – with sincerity. I don’t have my family here, but you guys are as valuable to me as my family.”
“I’m just like you guys – away from home, and away from my loved ones. I understand better than most what it feels like to be away from your small comfort zone where people love you, appreciate you, and wait for your return. Everyone needs a family, right? No one can live without the people that they love. I know sometimes it gets really lonely and frustrating, but trust me, this is how life is going to treat you and you have to overcome these obstacles as I did. This campus has a lot of restrictions. Many of you get fed up, and the frustration starts to weigh you down. Hence, I always try to lighten up your moods. For you and for myself. I believe that a life without some lightheartedness is like a noose which only keeps tightening as you strain against it. However, I don’t always try to have a chat with you because a lot of the times you’re tired after your classes, and you’d get irritated if I tried to initiate an unwelcome conversation. Sometimes it gets a bit too much for me to bear as well, but you people always manage to make me feel better. I can’t thank you enough for the mental and emotional support you provide. However, at the end of the day I treat you all equally. I might be on great terms with someone, but that doesn’t mean that another student would get treated to less. All of you are going through what I am going through.”
Zahid bhai is a wonderful person, and his humbleness is an inspiration to us all. He, along with all the other room attendants at the Residential campus, deserve our admiration and respect. Many of us have spent our entire RS without having a proper conversation with our floor attendants – we never asked their stories, or the lives they left behind. These unsung heroes work relentlessly to make our life easier, and to add a bit of warmth to our temporary homes with their loving support.
