The Hindu : Kerala News : Determination to battle life’s adversities keeps him going

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Determination to battle life’s adversities keeps him going

A NEW CHAPTER: Jyothi Kumar is rebuilding his life after his accident four years ago.

Jyothi Kumar broke his backbone and injured his spine when he fell from his perch atop a building he was painting. But the tragedy has not dampened his zest for life.

That is why the 40-year-old has been able to overcome the crippling effects of the accident to run a small but successful business, and earn enough to remain financially independent.

Four years ago, Jyothi Kumar slipped from his perch atop a building he was painting on the campus of Calicut University at Tenhipalam. He could not move his limbs. Doctors at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital found out that he had injured his vertebra and spinal cord. Later in the night, he underwent a surgery. Then followed a long period of treatment. “I was unable to walk. I could not feel anything below my waist,” recalls Jyothi sitting in his shop, near Asokapuram, in the city.

George Itty, orthopaedic surgeon, and Sreedevi, physiotherapist, became the two most important persons in his life. The doctor set about the task of mending his broken back, and the physiotherapist slowly brought back life into his limbs.

From a totally immobile state, he was able to take a faltering step or two. “Five to six months after the nightmarish fall, I was able to walk, though with the help of crutches: he says.

Because of his spinal injury, he could not pass urine. He has learnt to insert a catheter to pass urine.

Determination

He was determined to live a normal life. The contractor who had employed him to paint the university building had a shop at Asokapuram. “Would he be interested in starting a business there?” the contractor asked. Jyothi Kumar could not go back to being a painter since he was weak below his waist. A shop was a good idea.

He set up a stationery shop. As a painter, he earned Rs.175 a day. His business gives him enough returns to keep the pot boiling.

Jyothi reaches his shop in the morning, covering 12 km on a gearless two-wheeler. His father, now into his 80s, and his sister help him make purchases to replenish his stocks.

A former Professor of Medicine in Kozhikode who wishes to remain anonymous says he is impressed with Jyothi’s battle against adversity. “I cannot but admire his grit. People should know about it. The sheer resilience of the human mind and spirit has relevance to all of us.

“There are others in Jyothi Kumar’s life, mostly doctors, who have actively helped paraplegics and continue to do so. They seek no reward, no acclaim. Such self-help groups do exist in our midst. An example is the junior doctor who helped him to learn how to insert a catheter to pass urine. He has to do this once every 24 hours or so.”

Jyothi Kumar is busy, rebuilding his life, demonstrating in the process how one can triumph over life’s adversities by sheer willpower.

He says he has regained his confidence. He was getting ready to tie the knot when the accident occurred. Though it made him give up all plans of getting married, it could not weaken his resolve to lead a productive life, without becoming dependant on others.

R. Madhavan Nair

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