THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sheeja PS, a visually challenged lottery seller in Thiruvananthapuram, can sense that the world around her has changed ever since the state asked people to be cautious about the coronavirus infection.
She used to get support from people around who read out bus routes during her travel from her home in Kallara to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College where she has been selling lottery for the past six years.
As people avoided travel and kept a distance, Sheeja has to depend more on her senses for navigation. She manages to reach the city after a 35-km journey taking two buses but finds no takers for her lottery tickets. Even her regular customers are nowhere to be seen. She often returns home with a bundle of unsold tickets which are not giving any lucky prizes these days.
When the going got tough, Sheeja stopped selling lotteries since March 14. Sheeja is not alone in facing the livelihood crisis. A majority of visually challenged lottery sellers have been hit hard by the Corona scare.
On the MCH compound alone, there are four visually challenged lottery sellers - Maniyan S, Bensilas, Bejoy and Ajayakumar. All of them travel from far-flung areas to sell lotteries and they help each other to sell out the stock by the evening. "People are generous towards us. Even if they do not want lotteries, they buy from us to help a visually-challenged," said Sheeja.
The COVID-19 period has thrown up a new challenge to the 47-year-old history graduate who has come up against such odds throughout her life. "Now, there is nobody to buy our lotteries. It has also become riskier to travel as I am worried about getting infected," said Sheeja.
Kerala Federation of Blind has expressed concern over the situation of the visually challenged during the Covid-19 spread. "The visually challenged makes more contact for navigation. Many are forced to go out to make a living," said KFB secretary Sajeevan C.
The coronavirus infection is the latest hurdle that disrupted the livelihood of Sheeja. Despite odds she had managed to complete her BA in History from Government College for Women in Thiruvananthapuram. But she could not get a permanent job even after several interview attempts.
She then started a telephone booth at the panchayat building of Karett which fetched her a decent income for a decade. But mobile phone revolution put an end to her telephone booth and she was forced to sell lotteries to restart her life.
Sheeja lives with her 73-year-old mother K Shantha who is totally dependent on the former after a medical complication forced her to stop vegetable vending. Sheeja said that she shall overcome this period as well if it does not prolong.