A Polio affected person, Ravi is a shining example of how he chooses to beat the odds, as he braves his health condition by selling knick-knacks by the road.
‘I have been setting up my shop near this crossing since the past four months. I lost my legs to Polio when I was very young. Today I am 23 years old and I live with my parents, grandmother and two other siblings. My father works at a cinema theatre and my mother is a housewife.
I don’t want to be a burden on my family. And so, despite my parents insisting that I join a hostel in Bhimili to pursue studies, I decided to come here to earn money. I got the idea from a friend of mine who also has Polio and is in tenth grade now. We get products from Poorna market and then sell them for a little profit. My mother helps me to set up the shop, but at times I do it myself. I bring combs, key chains, pouches, clothesline clips and other small knick-knacks.
People of all age groups, including many students come and buy. I make around Rs. 200/- every day. I’m here in the morning by 10AM and take an auto home by 8PM. While I don’t face any problems with operating my shop here, I find it difficult to sell at the Beach Road. There are other sellers there and they don’t like my coming. I like to be as independent as possible and often travel by myself. Whenever I feel like selling by the shore, I take a bus ride or an auto to the Beach Road. I even went to Kailasagiri once, all by myself!
I take an off on Sundays and go to the Church. People are very helpful there and help me in whatever way they can. I want to do more in life, and would like to have a small shop of my own. I would also like to expand on the line of products I offer and improve this small business that I have started. ’
This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 3:27 pm
Lawyers in Visakhapatnam staged a dharna in front of the district court on 22 November…
During the AP Assembly session on 21 November 2024, IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh…
Andhra Pradesh's IT and HRD Minister, Nara Lokesh, has revealed a series of exciting IT…
Noted stage artiste and founder of Rangasai Nataka Sangam and Rangasai Nataka Grandhalayam, AVVS Murthy,…
A slew of fresh and exciting OTT releases are dropping today, promising a binge-worthy lineup…
With the weather taking a turn these past couple of days, it’s like Visakhapatnam has…
Leave a Comment