27-year-old Salamat, runs a mobile repair shop near the St Joseph’s Cathedral Church in Hazratganj, Lucknow. He repairs mobile phones, installs latest software, downloads images, recharges phones and sells mobile accessories like memory card, headphones, screen guards etc.
However, people visiting his small tricycle-cum shop hardly know that he is an engineer in computer science.
“I wanted to be an engineer but polio thwarted the pursuit of my passion. Even after successfully graduating as an engineer, I faced a lot of hardship in landing a job and when I got one, I was fired due to my disability. I was unable to sit properly in a chair,” said Salamat while speaking to Knocksense.
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Salamat in his childhood days wanted to study and support his family. But when his father, a ragpicker in slums, learnt of his inability to walk, Salamat, who was three then, was considered useless by his family.
Salamat was later sent to Bihar to his Mama’s place where we was given the freedom and opportunity to study. Later, after securing a scholarship, he studied engineering at Gaya Institute of Engineering and Technology.
He secured a job as well after college but because his legs are affected by polio, he was turned down by his boss.
He currently runs this shop and proudly says, “My mobile repair business fetches me more money than what my brother, an Imam in a nearby mosque, earns.”
I have established a small business. If God supports me then my business will definitely prosper, he added.