“I am just a normal auto wala who’s been driving a rickshaw since the age of 17 to earn a living. I came into this field because of the family circumstances. Papa ki tabiyat theek nahi tha. Tabse mein hi Ghar chala raha hoon. Now I am 46 and I fend for a family of 5. Before Covid, I used to earn decent income through driving. But Covid changed my life completely.

During the second phase of the lockdown, I began experiencing sore throat, body pains, and prolonged coughing. At first, I thought it was COVID symptoms. However, things turned from bad to worse and it got to the point that it was painful to even sip water for me. After a couple of days of experiencing these strange symptoms, I immediately went for COVID testing. But to my surprise, it wasn’t COVID as I was anticipating. I learned I had tuberculosis (TB) upon the test and diagnosis at the Government hospital in Musheerabad. It was a peak lockdown period and I had to take care of my family. My wife was traumatized when she learned that I had TB. But thankfully, I was counseled by the medical team to be able to get through that phase. I believed in the process and went ahead with the treatment for the course of six months. After the treatment, once I was no longer infectious, I began volunteering with the local health department to provide awareness for the common public.

Now, I dedicate a few hours everyday in volunteering for the TB Disease Control programs conducted by the government with the association of an NGO named TB Alert India.

I pick up and drop off patients at the Government Fever Hospital (Koranti Hospital) in a special health auto provided to me. I also participate in health awareness campaigns initiated by state government officials as part of the TB Elimination program.

Being an auto driver for the last 30 years, I certainly feel blessed to contribute my bit for the welfare of the public and it’s my way of giving back to society.”