The Rickshaw Revolution

Asia's classic mode of transport has seen continuous upgrades over the years. Yet the earliest rickshaws - and the downtrodden coolies that pulled them may soon be relics of history following Kolkata's efforts to eradicate them

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The pulled rickshaw – a two-wheeled passenger vehicle powered by the strength of a barefoot rickshaw coolie – is a predominant symbol of Asia in the 1900s. Used to carry goods and people around cities, these early forms of transport often provided migrants from rural villages a prime source of employment, and the wealthy a convenient mode of getting around town before buses and trains were invented.

Rickshaw coolies rented their vehicles, and would eat and sleep in them to prevent them from being stolen. They toiled long hours for little reward, using their arms and upper body to pull passengers along (at speeds of about 8km/h) amid mud, grime and flooded streets. Films and books like City of Joy, Do Bigha Zamin