Callmen – the ghat criers of Sadarghat

MV Yaad was docked at Pontoon 14 of Sadarghat terminal. The four-storey 100-foot long vessel that operates on the Dhaka-Barishal route would leave the terminal in the evening and had been picking up passengers all afternoon.

A man straddling on the deck railing of the launch was occasionally calling on a hand mic for passengers: "Amtali! Amtali!" – MV Yaad's destination in Barguna.

The man in a lungi and a full-sleeve shirt is Jitu Mia – a canvasser, the "callman" of the long-haul launch.

Sadarghat paints a picture of colossal launches docking in rows across pontoons, travellers with luggage rushing to get on their desired boats, and porters.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, men like Jitu Mia, stationed in front of the vessels, can be heard shouting names of destination places to moving passengers.

"It helps passengers understand which launch goes where," explained Jitu Mia. But the main purpose of this job is to lure in passengers – the more the merrier for launch owners.

Jitu, 58, had been calling passengers for half an hour.

It was around 3:30pm, which means he has to do the "calling work" for four more hours until MV Yaad sets sail at 6:45pm.

Asked if he does some other work at the terminal, Jitu said, "I only do the calling for a few hours a day."

So, what is his job title?

"We are canvassers, but people also call us callman," said Jitu. "It is our job to call passengers to the launch. But we are not staff members of any launch. We have no business being inside the vessel, we shout from outside to earn Tk100-200 for three-four hours of work."

Canvassers are not registered staff of vessels or of the terminal. They work under linemen. There are 20 linemen in the entire Sadarghat, and at least 100 canvassers work under them.

The wages of the canvassers are paid by launch owners but require the recommendation of the lineman. If a canvasser gets a chance to call passengers for two launches a day, he will get a wage of Tk400-500. However, not many people get this opportunity.

After the construction of the Padma Bridge, launch movements on the Barishal route have reduced a lot. As the business declined, workers like Jitu Mia suffered the most. Their daily earnings plummeted.

"I have had good days too. I had a house and land in the Shingtola area of Old Dhaka once. I did not have to worry about house rent or work. But times have changed. My previous wife suffered from an incurable disease for a long time and I had to sell the house to meet her medical expenses," Jitu said.

Jitu claimed he once was a landlord but now lives in a rented house.

"I never thought I would have to work for a living. I do not possess any marketable skills. Besides, in your late 50s, you will not be able to do any heavy work other than ending up working as a canvasser, which pays a meagre amount at the end of most days," he said.

Along with the canvassers, hawkers at Sadarghat have also suffered a blow after the bridge opening.

Suraiya Begum, an elderly woman who sells cigarettes, drinks and snacks on Pontoon 10, said, "I come to the terminal in the afternoon after finishing the day's household chores and stay till 10 pm. My grandson Jahedul is a canvasser. I am having a tough time as the number of passengers in Sadarghat is decreasing gradually."

According to the National Web Portal of Bangladesh, 22 launches are operating on the Dhaka- Barishal route. Famous among them are Surabhi, Sundarban, Parabat, Kirtankhola, Tipu, Farhan, Kalam Khan, Green Line, Kuakata etc.

There are other vessels that ply on the Dhaka-Bhola, Dhaka-Borhanuddin, Dhaka-Lalmohan, Dhaka-Hijla, Dhaka-Hatia, Dhaka-Kaliganj, Dhaka-Ilisha-Patarhat routes.

A total of 221 passenger launches are allowed to ply from Sadarghat on 42 waterways and some of these vessels are owned by big companies.

Canvassers who get to work for launches of big companies earn better than those who work for smaller launches.

When the Barishal-bound big launches leave the terminal, canvassers often get to work for other smaller launches but it depends on the lineman concerned.

Padma Bridge hurt launch business

According to an estimate before the Padma Bridge opening, an average of 80 launches leave Sadarghat for various destinations every day. The Padma Bridge has greatly impacted the daily business of Sadarghat.

Ahad, one of MV Farhan's canvassers, told TBS, "Seven of Farhan's launches used to run on the Barishal-Dhaka route, but now only two or three are in operation."

Another canvasser Mantu Molla said, "If a launch can get at least 500 passengers per trip, then the owner will not have to incur losses. But the number of launch passengers has been on the wane since the Padma Bridge was launched. People do not swarm the Sadarghat terminal as they used to do earlier. Travelling by bus is now more time-saving and hassle-free."

There are about 100 canvassers in Sadarghat but the cabin boy of the launch also acts as canvassers when necessary. Although they do not get any money for this, they have to do it to keep their jobs.

Canvassers, but harassers too?

There are many complaints about canvassers in Sadarghat, such as harassing passengers and calling passengers intending to go one route to a vessel of another route.

Jitu Mia said, "There are some canvassers who exaggerate too much. This is not right. If you cannot help people, why do harm?"

Eid-ul-Azha is on its way and likely to be celebrated across the country at the end of June. Sadarghat used to become extremely crowded during the rush hours before Eid. This situation has changed. During the recent past Eid-ul-Fitr, this busiest launch terminal failed to draw the expected passengers.

As Sadarghat becomes less dense, unusual professions such as canvassing at launch terminals become extinct.

Does it require any specific qualifications to become a callman? Jitu Mia laughed, saying, "Here, you do not need university degrees but a strong body and a sharp voice. Sadarghat is a noisy place. Hence, your call must be loud enough to be heard from a distance."

But some passengers also complained of the high-pitched voice of the callmen as extremely annoying.