Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :
Inspired by a crippled Indian’s attitude, a donor sent him money all the way from New Zealand.
Chris Harris was moved to help after his daughter told him about one of the characters she met while travelling India. She had met Salman Mujeeb as he was directing traffic close to her house. Salman safely sorts out the chaos of vehicles at a blind one-way corner in Fraser Town with no arms, one leg and a giant grin. Chris donated Rs 50,000 to go towards Salman and his family to pay for the lease on their apartment.
Chris says that Salman, 31, is a great example of human perseverance that everyone should be inspired by.
“His story of surmounting such incredible odds, including the genius of finding a means of making a living and to still keep smiling, has to capture your interest. It is a very profound and moving story,” he says.
“He shows the miracle of life. Think about it, he has inspired me from 10,000 km away. Incredible!”
Chris owns a supermarket in New Zealand that donates Rs 25,000 every month to a worthy organisation or cause. He gave Salman two months’ worth of donations.
Salman has been working at the corner for 18 years. He started doing so only a year after he was electrocuted. As an 11-year-old Salman got tangled in live wires on the construction site his parents were working at. He was in a coma for 23 days. The doctors tried to save his limbs but gangrene set in and his arms and leg had to be amputated.
Now, he works at the corner 6 days a week from 11 am to 8 pm, rain or shine.
As people drive safely through, they stuff a tip into his shirt pocket. Salman earns a small living, people can get around the corner safely, everyone’s happy. He says he earns about Rs 1,500 a week, which enables him to make ends meet. He doesn’t have any other way of earning money.
Winning attitude
Salman conquers any obstacle life throws his way. He can use a touchscreen phone, get around the city independently, climbs stairs faster than an able-bodied person and has even won a dance competition. He taught himself how to ride a bike a year after the accident. He fell off over and over again but eventually learnt to make it work.
Mohammed Khan has known Salman for many years. He says he is a very deserving, honest man who is always in a good mood. Salman is always teasing those around him and making wisecracks.
It wasn’t just the electrocution that Salman has had to weather. His father died 5 years ago from a heart attack and his wife died 1 year ago from an epileptic fit leaving him to care for his 5-year-old son.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / by Sarah Harris / DHNS – Bengaluru, May 06th, 2016