He keeps wheels turning with eyes closed -Ahmedabad The Times of India Dalpat Rathod lost his eyes when he was just 15. It had all begun with a high fever accompanied by severe fits. His father, a daily wager, had rushed him to the hospital but by then the damage was done.
He was cured of the fever but could not see again. "It was like being plunged into darkness. It was very depressing at first but I fought back with help of my parents," recounts Rathod. The boy who used to love playing and cycling with his friends, was suddenly staring into darkness. And, he had just begun the journey of his life. His die-hard attitude and determination to achieve self-sufficiency drove him through this difficult period. The first break came when the owner of a cycle-repair shop in Shahpur, very close to his house, agreed to take him as an apprentice in his shop. "The last scene that I remember seeing with my eyes was my father riding his cycle home from work. I cherish that sight and hold it dear. I loved cycling and it was only befitting that I take up this trade," said Rathod. After 'graduating ' from the Shahpur shop, Rathod shifted to another cycle repair shop where he was paid much better. Every day, he travelled all the way from Shahpur to Chandlodia. It has been 30 years, since then. He had become one of the most trusted workers and used to be entrusted even with the purchase of cycle parts needed for repair. "I took three years to understand this trade. I can do all kinds of cycle repair work, right from dismantling a cycle to repairing punctures," said Rathod. He got married later and has four children now. His cycle repairing skills helped him earn a decent living. Today he is 65. He has become quite well-known among cycle shops of the walled city. They all fondly refer to him as Dalpat dada. Just some months ago, the shop at Chandlodia closed down and he started operating from home, doing what he knows best - repairing cycles. Though his children are married and doing well for themselves he has not given up his favourite trade. regards, prateek agarwal. cell: 09928341197 e-mails: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- you can visit my website for lots of stuff related to visually impaired and others please go on to www.prateekagarwal.webs.com Join Access India convention: For updates on it visit: http://accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Registration closes on September 12th!! To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
