Subway News Vendor and Bangladeshi Immigrant Tells of Experiences in U.S.

He wakes up everyday at 4 a.m., completes his morning routine, and leaves his home near LaGuardia airport so he can open up his newsstand down at the subway stop on 116th Street and Broadway by 6 a.m.

You may have seen Rounak Mahmud, 50, on the 1 train platform. Though he doesn’t make much money in New York, he owns a five-story building back in his home country of Bangladesh. He moved to the United States less than 20 years ago, but says he has more pride for his new home than many Americans.

“I came from a very poor family, and I knew that making money in America is very easy,” Mahmud said.

Mahmud has long worked as a merchant, and first started out by earning his living selling Christmas cards on the street. He then switched to selling calendars and children’s books when the holiday season ended. After giving up on the life of a street vendor, Mahmud took up a job in a beauty supplies store. It was here that he was hired as a photographer and started a new career in digital photography.

Mahmud said he has worked at several photo companies throughout New York City—including U.S. Color Lab & Digital Printing and the Color Resource Center Inc. But he recently lost his job as a digital photographer, and took up his current gig in the subway. He has been working there for the past couple of weeks, and plans to stay until he can find more work.

Mahmud explained that his profound love for America stems from its wealth of opportunities. The dollar’s strong exchange rate against the Bangladeshi taka means that his small salary here has brought him financial muscle back home.

“Here I’m poor, but in my country I’m rich ... . I can provide for my daughter, and now she is going to the best school in the country. This wouldn’t be possible if I wasn’t here. I thank God for allowing me to be in such a country,” he said. “If I were back in Bangladesh, I would just be sitting at home doing nothing, smoking cigarettes.”
Mahmud also enjoys his freedom in America. “I’m a totally free person here ... . I can say anything about Bush, right? But in my country, they would cut my tongue and torture me.”

Despite his positive outlook on life, Mahmud does have a few complaints. During his time working in the subway, he has noticed that commuters tend to be detached from one another. He claims that he once saw an old man fall, but that no one was willing to help the man up or care for him.

“In my country, if someone is robbed, people will come and try to rescue him or help in any way. Here, people don’t want to get involved in other people’s problems,” Mahmud said.

He also has to contend with thieves. “One lady stole the Sunday paper which is $4. She picked up the paper and then picked up a magazine. When the train came, she put the magazine back, and then left with the paper in her hands. I told her she needed to pay but she just left.”

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