Nabarangpur: Thanks to strong willpower and dedication, a Divyang from Nabarangpur district has crafted a story of self-dependency by becoming an electronics and electrical mechanic.
Meet Akhaya Kumar Sahu, a 30-year-old youth with hearing and speech impairments, who is a much sought after name for his expertise in repairing electrical gadgets like AC, refrigerator, cooler, washing machine, fans, etc.
His father, Narayan Sahu, said he was initially apprehensive about Akhaya’s future as they did not have a school for the specially-abled at their village Teliguda. “Then I decided to send my son to the village school so that he could at least learn something,” he added.
After his primary education at the village, Akhaya studied in JELC High School in Nabarangpur up to Class X. But then he did not want to pursue further studies.
However, during his school days, he had keen interest in electrical equipment and started doing some electrical works at home.
When his father saw this, he sent Akhaya to an electrical shop near Nabarangpur bus stand. The shop owner, S Ali, took the boy under his wing and trained him in the nuances of the job.
Within a year, Akhaya became a trained mechanic.
“Akhaya was very interested in all electrical works. He learned everything with keen interest. He has also given training to many mechanics in my shop,” said Ali, adding that he has a strong memory that helps him to grasp techniques very fast.
Akhaya contacts clients with the help of mobile messages. He asks them to text him their addresses so that he can go to their homes to repair their electrical appliances. He earns more than Rs 500 per day.
Akhaya is also a good tractor driver and helps in the paddy fields during the time of farming.
He has created a Divyang group on WhatsApp and the members meet every evening at the bus stand to discuss ideas to help others.
Akhaya is married and has two sons. He also receives Rs 1,000 from government as pension for physically-challenged people. And now he is planning to start his own business.
He has proved that Divyangs are no less capable than normal people and has become an inspiration for others.
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