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| Sunday, 12 October 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Getting back on his feet Against all odds, Upul Pushpakumara faces the challenges of life by LAKMAL WELABADA
A refined good looking young man peeped from the security post at the gate of Hope House of the Salvation Army at Slave Island. He greeted us as if he had known us for a long time. His well ironed clothes, shaven face and broad smile suggested refinement. In the small reception hall next to the rooms at the Salvation Army Male Hostel he willingly talked about himself to the Sunday Observer. Like many other working people, H.A. Upul Pushpakumara reports for work at 10.00 am, and is off at 6.00 pm. Just like others he goes to work by bus. The difference is that Upul walks on the Pettah roads, wearing shoes on his feet and a pair of rubber slippers on his hands. The pathetic appearance of the cleanly dressed young man who moves along the road on all fours, briefly shocks the pedestrians who sometimes stop for a second to glance at this courageous person. Upul started out in life as a normal child, the pet of his 'Amma' in his small house at Ginigathena until the age of 12. It was on a school day his mother detected that Upul was down with flu. It prevented him from going to school for two weeks at a stretch. After noticing their son's inability of moving his right leg, they realised that there was something more to his illness than just having the fever. They took him to several western doctors and 'Veda Mahattayas' around the country. But after two years of struggle the couple decided to accept the fate that their son was yet another victim of polio. And it was too late to correct it. As usual like many of the villagers at that time, Upul's parents had forgotten to give the dose of polio vaccine drops to him at the correct time. They might not have realised the risk they were taking. The ultra ray therapy given to him during the course of treatment for Polio left his backbone area and waist lifeless, preventing him completely from standing on his feet. After that Upul could not raise the upper part of his body from his waist. But, still he did not want to give up. When there was no other way, he decided to walk with his 'four limbs'. His mother cried her heart out blaming herself for 'Loku Putha's' disability. Hiding the sorrow deep in his heart, Upul's father did his best to bring his son up in a normal way like his other six children. Despite his impairment, Upul was blessed with a loving and caring family. He started schooling again. Unlike before he could not walk, run and play with his mates. He could only watch them at play. A chair was always drawn to the playground for him by his pals. Hiding the tears, he cheered his friends trying to enjoy sports visually. His poor parents did not have the means to take him to school by vehicle. But, Upul's courage never failed. Determination to continue his studies gave him courage, and with great difficulty he started to learn to 'walk' or 'move' supporting his legs with his hands. Upul studied at the school in his village which had classes only upto Ordinary Levels. After he got through O/Levels he decided to discontinue his studies as he was reluctant to burden his family with the task of sending him to school far away in town. Upul's hands are always busy with a piece of wire and a pair of batteries. Repairing a radio to help a known villager; or making streams of blinking lights for Vesak celebrations or 'home comings'. At homes', Upul tried to spend his life usefully never letting his disability destroy his spirit. In 1989 when Upul was 26, in response to a newspaper ad, he applied for a two-year electronic course for the disabled at the technical college run by the Social Services Department at Angunakolapalassa. And soon repairing TVs, radios and watches became his occupation. At the end of 1994 Upul got a job as a watch-repairman at a well known company in Pettah. Simultaneously he got a room at the Salvation Army Hostel for a nominal fee. "If I can have a motorised wheeler it would be a great help," he says. His family cannot afford to get him one since it would cost about Rs,50,000. People spend lakhs for one dinner out in this country. If they can sacrifice a nominal percentage of their entertainment expenditure it could make a world of a difference to the life of someone like Upul. Even with difficulty he tries to manage his expenses with his own small salary. He pays his hostel fee, buys his three meals daily and tries to save a little, even buying something when visiting his old parents who eagerly await his arrival every weekend. |
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