Saagar alias Ani looks surprised when I address him by his name after hailing his autorickshaw down. But then, Ani and his autorickshaw are famous in and around Medical College.
His autorickshaw is a mobile mini garden, a rare sight in the city. Potted moneyplant, butterfly pea, aloe vera and holy basil (tulsi), to name a few, are tied to the sides of his autorickshaw.
On the dashboard are rosaries and images of gods and goddesses. An empty bird cage has a plastic container with fish in it. The roof of his autorickshaw has colourful toy planes that bob up and down when he drives. A post on the back of his autorickshaw announces free trips for Cancer patients. An autorickshaw driver, Ani, is a go-to person for many at Medical College, especially at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC).
“Many who see my autorickshaw, or hear about me by word of mouth, come up to me. Those who visit RCC often don’t have a clue as to where to go, what to do, who to approach... RCC is a like a sea and when they ask, I help direct them to the right people and place. When they tell me that they don’t have a place to stay or lack funds to stay in hotels, I take them to either free or cheap shelters. A few of these shelters even provide free food. Some people need blood donors and I arrange it for them. If the blood group they seek matches mine, I donate mine,” says Ani, who arranges drinking water for patients and visitors to RCC daily.
Having lost his parents when he was young, Ani, a class two dropout, started doing odd jobs from an early age. He was a “local goon” by the time he was in his teens and was in and out of prison.
A few police officers he had befriended advised him to mend his ways. “And so I started doing odd jobs and also worked as a coconut plucker.” It was while he was on a job plucking coconuts that “I met Sathyaseelan sir.”
Saagar alias Ani
A former army doctor, Sathyaseelan took Ani under his wings and encouraged him to turn his life around. “He was the one who encouraged me to get an autorickshaw,” says Ani, who bought the vehicle three years ago and has since made the three-wheeler his residence.
“My brother and I gave our property to our younger sister when she got married. My brother stays with his wife and family. I, unfortunately, don’t have a family or a home. My autorickshaw is my home now. I sleep in my auto, freshen up at a nearby temple pond and go about my work. By the way, my real name is Shajikumar and my pet name is Ani. A radio jockey who interviewed me christened me Saagar alias Ani and the name stuck,” says the 40-year-old, who hails from Sreekariyam.
Ani, who does odd jobs to make ends meet, says: “I wanted to do something meaningful with my life and helping cancer patients seemed like the right choice. I find a sense of satisfaction in helping them, especially children who travel in my vehicle. The toy planes, the plants, the fish... it keeps the children entertained and they forget their pain for those few minutes in my auto. The plants especially help fight the blues.”
Ani, who lives frugally so that he can use whatever he earns to help the patients at the hospital, says some, however, laugh at him for his way of life. “But I am content. The smile I see on the children’s faces when they enter my auto is worth every penny I spend towards helping my passengers.”
