saji peter: blind AND self-taught radio-repairer
| Saji Peter, Payikkat Vayalil, Pambadi, Kottayam. |
| |
He is blind since birth
and has not formally learned how to repair a radio. Yet Saji Peter of Payikkat Vayalil in
Pambadi, Kottayam has been repairing radios based on his inner vision. And perhaps his keen ears.
His formal education ended
with upper primary. But the important trait
he picked up since his school days was a love of music. And the radio that brought it to him became a
curiosity for him. So he wanted to open
it up and see the inside. Using the rib
of an umbrella he fashioned a crude screw driver with the help of a stone.
He slowly learned about
the components of the radio by touch and got to know their names by asking
people. With passage of time, he became
good at repairing radios. And soon people
started approaching him with their broken-down radios. The only thing which he cannot do is
soldering. And for that too, he has his
own innovation in cello-tape.
He underwent two unsuccessful
surgeries to correct his blindness. His optic nerve is also damaged, so a
transplant is also ruled out, say the doctors.
But 53-year-old Saji is
unperturbed. He walks to Pampadi town
with the help of a walking stick and sells lottery for a living. He is married to an Anganwadi worker and has
two children.
In his case it can be
said that his curiosity developed into a passion, and that made him learn and
discover new things, and that eventually gave him job satisfaction and some
income too.
Kaumudi Global, January 24, 2023
