Inspiration
Handicapped by birth, boy writes Board exams with his toes and passes with 80 %.
No hurdle is too big in the way of getting education for Mustafa who was born without hands. He learnt to write with his toes and didn’t seek extra time or a writer for attempting the exam. He passed with 80% marks to top his college.
Believe it or not, the thirst for education is very real. It has the potential to bring out the best (in case of children) or the worst (sometimes government officials) in us and it knows no national boundaries. Stories are surfacing at regular intervals which highlight things that children are doing in their desire to get educated. Case in point, is the story of school children from a China village, as young as 6 years old trekking up and down a over 2000 ft cliff daily just to be able to attend school. Braving dangers and elements of nature these kids inspiringly ensured that they didn’t miss out on even a single day of school.
Such was their thirst for knowledge. Stories of similar grit and determination are narrated in every country but with different protagonists. Today let us share with you the story of Mustafa from Karnataka, India.
The son of a lorry driver from Mysuru, Mustafa was unfortunately born without hands. However, he was born with extraordinary grit and persistence that helped him to pursue and achieve his dreams. Mustafa was always keen to learn and as he had no hands, he taught himself to write with his feet. Mustafa can remarkably hold the pen between his toes and write as fast as and as clearly as any one writing with his hands.
When the time came for Board exams, he had an option to either write the papers with his own toes or take the help offered under the provisions of the education ministry. The state government and education ministry allows those suffering from physical and learning disabilities to seek assistance in exams by way of another writer, extended exam time, etc. However, Mustafa chose to refuse all the help offered and write the exam by himself, that too without seeking any extra time. Mustafa went on to score 80 % marks in his exams.
Mustafa dreams of becoming an IAS officer one day and has scored 74 % in his SSLC exams. Not only that, his result stellar performance has catapulted him to the top spot in his college, the Veerashaiva College near Ballari city. His parents, Dasgir Sab and Maqbul Banu are needless to say extremely proud of their son. Though Mustafa has 2 other siblings but he is the only one who was born disabled. While talking about his love for studies and his determination, Mustafa’s teacher K. Gadilingappa said, “I was transferred to Kolagal around 6 years ago, and I was astonished and proud to see that Mustafa was independent and faced challenges on his own. Seeing his self-confidence and positive attitude, I helped him get a scholarship for the disabled and gave him moral support”
Such children are an inspiration to each one of us to keep up the hard work and never let go, whatever the difficulty may be. We wish that he achieves whatever goal he sets his sights upon.