The Ferry Man

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Sreeraman a/l Chimachalam, ferry boat pilot

Sabak Bernam, 2013

Sixty-three-year-old Sreeraman has been criss-crossing Sungai Bernam for 41 years. He started out as a ticket collector and gained his boat pilot’s licence in 1975. On a unsual day, he makes 64 trips across the river and back, ferrying passengers safely to Ladang Sungai Bernam, an oil palm plantation. Each crossing only takes 10 minutes but he is always careful because he knows that there are many places where the boat can run aground. This father of five readily admits that he loves his life on the river.