Woman gives Cuttack rickshaw-puller Rs 1-crore assets for 25-year service

BHUBANESWAR: A woman has transferred her property to a rickshaw-puller who has been transporting her wherever she goes without fail for the past 25 years.
It seems a story straight out of a film like Amal - where a billionaire played by Naseeruddin Shah bequeaths his estate to an honest autorickshaw driver Amal Kumar, and not to his family.
The house which she gave to the rickshaw puller
Minati Patnaik, 63, may not be a billionaire, but the widow has transferred her assets - a three-storey house in Sutahat locality of Cuttack and jewellery, together worth around Rs 1 crore - to Budha Samal, 50, the rickshaw-puller. "He is the one who has always helped my family," said Minati, a post-graduate in history from the erstwhile GM College,
'Property is nothing in front of his honesty'
Though he is 50 years old, he and his wife call me mother and her children call me grandmother. The property is nothing compared to his simplicity and honesty,"added Minati.
Minati lost her husband Krushna Patnaik (68), an engineer, to cancer in July last year while her daughter Kamal (30), a political science post-graduate, died of heart attack in January this year.
"I am a heart patient and have high blood pressure. The (Samal) family looks after me well," said Minati, who has three sisters and a brother. Budha and his wife recently shifted to Minati's house.
"Budha used to drop my daughter to school. Gradually, whenever a rickshaw was required, we would call him. With age, my dependence on Budha and his wife has increased. His wife helps in household work and gives me emotional support," said Minati.
"When I decided to hand over the property, there was some resentment among my siblings. But since I was firm, they did not oppose," she said.
Budha said he was initially reluctant to accept the offer. "But ma (Minati) was firm. She insisted that we stay with her. She is affectionate to all my family members," he said.