By Mohammed Hussain, TwoCircles.net
Salim Khan, 34, is a well-known figure in Uttan–a fishing village close to Mumbai–for his remarkable confidence and grit despite his physical disability. He lost both his wrists operating a thresher machine in his village in Allahabad when he was just 17 years old. But despite this debilitating incident, Salim’s determination to lead a normal life beat all odds.
“My mother and other relatives foresaw a life of dependence and burden for me but I shuddered to lead such a life and decided to learn every task with my chopped off limbs”, says Salim.
The first thing Salim learned after the recuperating period was to drive a tempo and start earning his livelihood with dignity. A few years later, he shifted to Mumbai where he is driving his own tempo and earning around a thousand rupees a day.
People who deal with him are awestruck with his long strides, smartness and confident demeanour. “People who engage me for transporting their goods for the first time express their doubts initially about my driving,” says Salim who works 12 hours a day, “but upon reaching their destination they are impressed with my driving skills,” he adds.
Apart from driving and earning his livelihood, Salim, a drop out after Class IX, performs all routine tasks like any normal person such as writing, operating a smartphone, washing, ablution, bathing etc. all by himself. “My wife helps me when at home but when outside, I am fully self-reliant,” informs Salim.
Salim’s positive attitude is contagious. He faces all the life challenges chin up. “My and my family’s dream was to own our home in Mumbai and I almost succeeded in getting one. But the day we were celebrating home warming ceremony, local municipal authorities came and demolished the whole colony alleging that the builder flouted some construction rules,” says Salim with a tinge of sadness. “It was quite a demoralising incident for us as our dream to have our own roof was shattered.”
His mission in life is to educate his children, four girls and two boys. Recently, he paid a big amount as a donation to admit his elder daughter, 17, in a junior college. “I requested the Director of the College to give some concession in donation but the Director refused and I had to arrange the full amount”, recalls Salim.
There are many people with a slight disability who take to the life of begging and living on charity. But for Salim, “Living on charity and begging is not at all an option” as merely a thought of it hurts his pride and self-esteem. “Moreover, this will hamper the marriage of my daughters in a good family,” adds Salim.
Life does not cease to throw new challenges to this courageous man. His wife is suffering from chronic kidney infection for a couple of years. “I cannot afford her treatment in a costly private hospital in view of our hand to mouth existence and ever-growing household and educational expenses”, says Salim sorrowfully, “As a result, she remains in a municipal hospital for 15 days every month,” he adds.
“I am looking forward to the day when I marry off my daughters in respected families and help my sons to stand on their own feet after their education”, declares Salim with his characteristic optimism. While all these goals will take time, one can only believe that Salim will continue to fight despite all odds against him. It is something he has done successfully for nearly half his life.