He is the epitome of confidence. Despite a disability, he opted for a profession that requires intricate working with hands. He even started ‘Lakshiya Paadai,' a forum for persons with disability that celebrated its first anniversary on Monday.
Thirty-three-year-old K. Mohammed Hassan of Kolathur runs Hanee Tronics, a cellular phone repair shop on Kolathur Main Road. Soon after his birth, his malformed arms were noticed. But the disability did not stop him from taking up servicing of cellular phones and he set up his own shop and repairs handsets using his legs with great dexterity.
“Earlier, I was confined to the four walls of my room. Things changed after my friend Santhosh, who was working with an NGO, took me around and introduced me to persons with disabilities who were working and leading a happy life like others.” That day, he decided to do something and stand on his own legs. Hassan, who learnt about cellular phone technology from his brother Shahul Hameed, set up his shop in 1999.
ADVERTISEMENT
Much to the admiration of his customers and neighbouring shopkeepers, Hassan now uses hand tools such as soldering iron, de-soldering pump and a blower with his legs to service handsets. His perfection at work has also earned him a loyal clientele.
A highly religious person, Hassan prays five times a day at a mosque nearby, while shopkeepers at neighbouring stores take care of the shop. “A few years ago, when I had gone to the mosque after leaving the shop with a small boy, three cell phones ready for delivery went missing. Then I had to replace them with new pieces. Now, I request my neighbouring shopkeepers to take care.”
In a step towards making a difference for persons with disabilities, Hassan started ‘Lakshiya Paadai' in April 2009 at his shop.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We now have only 10 members. It is my small initiative to try and motivate persons with disability, who are confined to their homes. My motto is to bring out their talent and make them believe that they too can be successful.”