KOZHIKODE: The childlike character sitting at a small Eranhipalam shop would attract eyes of many with illuminating innocence. But here is a grown-up man who is less than four feet tall and cannot move on his own by the tryst of destiny.
As a child, Darvas, 43, was as energetic as any. When he was 5th grader, he partially collapsed after being hit by some disease. The TD Colony resident's body stopped growing since. Now he ekes out a living from the petty-shop for him and the family with two boys. Unable to move, somebody carries him to the shop in the morning and takes back to home by 10 pm.
"Bedridden as a child, I had been on medication for many years," he said. Though his movements restrained, he wished to marry hoping she would help him. Thus came Subaida having standard height and physique to his life. "Thank God, she stayed with me and is still helping me," he says. They got two boys - Shuhaib and Gulam Muhammed. The elder one Shuhaib, a Plus 1 student, helps his father at times when he is free. "But it is tough for me to continue in the same spot in a chair for almost 12 hours."
It was due to the mercy of the corporation he received this tiny shop. He has a daily sales of Rs 500 but has no savings. "My life is a struggle," he said. "Many opposed me marrying a normal woman. When my children were born, they teased me. Now my children are taller than me. I pin hopes on their future. If they win, I also win. If they fail, I also fail. Hope they will make me win."
