Joy P M was full of mirth till he met with an accident about 13 years ago. A jeep ran over his right hand and his head was injured seriously in a mishap at Perumbavoor. Joy who belongs to Vennala was unconscious for five days but he got a fresh lease of life after a series of treatments.
When he recovered, he realised that he could not use his right hand and was forced to find a job which he could attempt with his left hand. He knew how to drive an autorickshaw and so tried driving it with his left hand and before long mastered it. For the past eight years, Joy has been at the wheels manoeuvring the vehicle only with one hand. Now he solely depends on the income earned from the auto as a means of living.
“Doctors were keen on saving my life mainly and they did not notice the state of my right hand which has lead to this state of affairs,” said Joy looking at his right hand which is supported on a hook in his auto. Doctors of nine hospitals treated Joy, but still nothing could be done about his right hand which is ineffective and painful. So he manages his day-to-day affairs with his left hand.
He learned to drive the auto with one hand while hanging his other hand on hand rest. He added that he is relieved of the pain slightly when he puts his right hand in a hanging position. The situation forced him to drive the auto at night.
Over the past eight years he drives at night and sleeps during the day. “I am tired of answering the questions put forth by passengers. Several people have stepped out of the auto after seeing my hand. If I drive at night such shocking sights can be avoided to some extend,” said Joy.
Doctors had advised him to remove the steel put in his right hand three years after the incident but he did not do so. “I need `20,000 for the operation, I am running a two-member family with the income earned from the auto,” he said.
His wife also suffers from eye diseases so she is not able to go for work. They are living in a rented house. He added that he failed to pay the down payment of his auto for the past 10 months.
He used to take an injection costing `3,000 which relieves pain for three months but had to stop it due to financial constraints.
Joy was a supervisor at a construction company but was forced to quit his job after the incident. For around three years he was engaged in selling tender coconuts which did not pay him much. So he took to auto driving. “Nowadays it is difficult to get night passengers, I leave home by 6 pm and am back when I earn the target of ` 650 to `750 every day. My colleagues are very helpful to me; Sometimes they hand over their passengers to me. Among the passengers there are a few who pay extra amounts after seeing my plight,” said Joy.
The dream of this 48-year old man is to pay his debts and find a job which gives him at least `250 a day. He assures the safety of his passengers by his expert driving in the busy city. He stated that he has not met with an accident and that his auto does not have any damage or scratches in its body like any other city autos.
Years of night shift has made his body weak. But circumstances force him to carry on with it.