Rain or shine, scorching heat or biting cold 70-year-old Shahid Mia has spent the past seven years living on a wooden cot beside a road in Palashikura village of Poragaon union, Nalitabari upazila, Sherpur.
With only a piece of polythene stretched overhead for shelter, the elderly man has turned the roadside into his permanent home. What initially appears to be a weary traveler resting under a tree is, in reality, the harsh daily life of a man who has nowhere else to go.
Local residents said Shahid, a father of three, lost his way in life after his wife left him. Following the emotional trauma, he gradually developed mental health problems and eventually abandoned his family and home.
His children reportedly tried several times to take him back, but Shahid could not adjust to living within four walls. He repeatedly left home and wandered through remote areas, including the nearby hills.
Local resident Nur Islam said Shahid had lived alone in the hills for a long time. Despite the presence of wild elephants, snakes and other potentially dangerous animals, he never appeared afraid.
For the past seven years, however, he has remained beside the road in Palashikura village. Shahid owns no land or property. He survives on small amounts of rice and lentils collected from local people, which he cooks himself on a makeshift brick stove.
A local BNP leader reportedly provided him with the wooden cot on which he sleeps.
Attempts to speak with Shahid often end with him murmuring softly and incoherently, making it difficult for others to understand what he is saying.
