Disabled but not defeated; Salman’s story of Struggle and Survival
Only four years old when he started roaming the streets of Rawalpindi, Salman would watch his sister roll paan for customers while passerbys gave him food and, sometimes, spare change.
Fascinated by the lively bazaars and the heart-warmingly friendly people, he soon began accompanying his sister every day after school.
A brother to seven sisters and five brothers, what makes Salman's story stand out is the fact that he was born with no arms or legs. Yet, against all odds, today he is a happily married, proud man who, instead of begging on the streets, would rather make an honest living by working in the harsh weather making paan.
Salman commonly goes by the name of Salman Bhai where he works. He is a young man the age of 23 who now runs a paan khokha in the busy markets of Chaklala Scheme 3, Rawalpindi. Born and raised in the small town of Rehmatabad in Rawalpindi, he currently lives with his family.
"I never let my disability allow me to think I can't do something. I told myself if it seems difficult, it's exactly what I'm going to do," says Salman, with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
The two and a half square foot paan stall that he runs at a street corner in the busy market of Chaklala Scheme 3 is Salman's only source of income. Every day from 3pm to 10pm, Salman sits at his stall and sells paan that he makes himself using his elbows, taking breaks only to offer prayers at the nearby masjid (mosque).
However, even running this humble business hasn't exactly been a steady ride when a few months ago Chaklala Cantonment Board officials shut it down, claiming that the paan counter was blocking the street.
CCB rules allow authorities to remove roadside stalls if they cover any portion of the road whatsoever. Salman, a proud man who believes in working hard to make a living rather than begging, took up the issue with the concerned CO of the cantonment board. A few days later, he was successful in having his business up and running again.
A lively and friendly person, I notice the amount of people who greeted Salman while passing by his paan stall. "I have a lot of friends. Most times people come to meet me and I don't even remember where I know them from," he says while telling me about how kind the local people have always been to him.
His face lights up when I ask about his wife, who he describes as the incredibly kind woman he shares his life with a healthy young lady who goes out of her way to take care of him. The couple, both coming from underprivileged households, had always dreamed of seeing the inside of a plane. Only a few months ago did they finally get a chance to travel on a plane outside the country.
When his friends offered to buy him a rikshaw that he could rent out as an alternative source of income Salman declined. He instead requested to be aided in performing Umrah (religious pilgrimage). Soon after his friends managed to finance their trip, Salman and his wife flew to Makkah to perform Umrah. He describes his experience as the most awe-inspiring of his life.
However, despite his positivity, Salman has seen his fair share of struggles, losing his mother to cancer, when he was only 17 being one of the most traumatizing. While talking about her battle with cancer he says, "Even today, after all these years, it feels like it just happened yesterday."
To say Salman's life has been smooth sailing would be extremely far from the truth, but as he sits with his head held high and a smile on his face, I see nothing but strength in the young man before me. When asked if there was anything in particular he'd like to add to the interview, he simply responded with how grateful he was for everything God had blessed with him.
One of those superheroes is Salman bhai who, driven by religion, dignity and a love for his family, sits at his paan stall every day with simple hopes and dreams, but immense courage and resilience.
Today, a 23 year old married man, Salman hopes not for money or fame. But simply to run his paan business, support his family and someday have children.
