Meet Ramprakash. He is the oldest rower in Varanasi (the holy city), also said to be the oldest city in the world. Ramprakash takes tourists on joy rides on the holy river of the Ganges. Each trip lasts about an hour and a half and he does anywhere between 3 to 6 trips a day depending on the season and number of tourists. The rest of the time he is a salesman on the banks of the Ganges trying to win business over the many other competitors. Each trip costs around 800 rupees and about 30 to 40 percent of that goes into his pocket (tips may be additional), with the rest going to the owner of the boat.!
Ramprakash first started rowing at the age of 11, following in his father’s footsteps. He lived in a poor family where education was not an option and going to school was a privilege. Unfortunately, he never made it to school and was told to follow rowing as a career path. He went on to get married and had three kids. He worked hard over the years, 12 hours a day 7 days a week, to save up enough money to get them through school. He did not want his kids to be rowing to make a living in the future. His two sons are now in Mumbai in well paid jobs and his daughter is married with two children.
This is Ramprakash’s 62nd year of rowing in Varanasi, he is now 73 and he continues to row 6 to 8 hours a day. It was a privilege having him as our tour guide in Varanasi earlier this month and inspirational to learn of his determined nature and incredible resilience.
