Sambalpur: At a time when traders don’t spare even a rupee to their customers, an auto rickshaw driver of this town has set an example of sorts by picking up physically-challenged persons from various locations of the town and dropping them at their destination free of cost.
Niranjan Patra (37), a native of Buguda in Ganjam district, has been doing this for last two years and earned accolades from all sections of society for his distinctive service.
Patra along with his wife Ritanjali (31)and two children came to the town five years ago in search of jobs. At present, he lives at Deulabandha of Mudipara area in a rented house. While daughter Tapaswini is a Class X student in Lady Lewis high school, Jatin reads in Class VIII at Budharaja High School.
Though he had a leaning towards social service and help physically-challenged persons in particular, he couldn’t do it due to his poor financial status. However, a heart rending event, that caught his attention two years back, encouraged him to have a go at it.
Recalling the occasion, Patra said he spotted a physically- handicapped person lying at road side under scorching heat. Though, he was pleading with many auto drivers to drop him at his destination at Budharaja, none came to his rescue.
Seeing the pitiable condition of the man, he couldn’t resist himself and picked him up in his rickshaw. While leaving the auto, the man patted on Patra’s back as a token of gratitude.
“I am yet to forget the body language of that person and his pat. Though he offered me the auto fare, I couldn’t take it from him,” Patra said.
Since then, he has been taking these persons in his vehicle and dropping them at their places charging nothing.
Patra volunteers to reach out to them at bus stand, railway station, hospital, schools and colleges and helps them in commuting. He even offers his service in the dead of night and in adverse weather conditions, locals said. His wife and children also support him in his mission, it was learnt.
When asked about the reason, Patra said he earns around `400 a day from his profession but regrets for not being able to help people financially due to his family obligations. He derives peace and pleasure by offering free auto rides to physically challenged persons, Patra added. He has dropped nearly 100 such persons over last two years and would continue it in the rest of his life, the auto driver said. PNN
