The lighthouse

“When I was 10,there was a chemical explosion in my home. Life suddenly seemed too difficult. However,with time,I adapted and felt it would be more painful to give up on my dreams,” says the 39-year-old Shaikh. Youngest among seven siblings,Shaikh decided to learn typing after completing her graduation. Taking the suggestion of her family and friends,she went for artificial hands only to throw them away later . “I was not comfortable working with those artificial hands so I started working without them,” says she. However,she was not satisfied with just the knowledge of typing and kept trying various new things until she met Pastel Sable,owner of a DTP shop,who took her on as a trainee where she learnt the ropes while drawing a salary of Re1 per day.

“Gradually,I learnt all the work there and was promoted to the post of institute in-charge with a salary of Rs 250 per month. This was one of the most memorable and most encouraging moments of my life,” she adds. Her thirst for knowledge seemed never-ending as she joined Aikya Bharti Translation Bureau,where she learnt typing in Marathi,Hindi and many other languages. “After working with the translation bureau for four years,I joined Sainath Publishing House,where in the short span of six months,I learnt scanning,photo-editing,card designing,printing and making bill books.

But my life took a new turn when I applied for financial help under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna (PMRY). From whatever money I received from PMRY and my family,I started my own business at my brother’s home with just one computer. Gradually,after some help from my brother,I bought some more machines like a photocopy machine,a printer and three more computers. And that’s how Sajat Enterprises,which was named after my mother,was started,” says Shaikh.

Apart from imparting technical skills,she also wants her students to be fearless and determined. “I don’t want to adjust when I have the capability to work and make my own and others’ lives better,” says a confident Shaikh,whose story is a source of inspiration,even for her own family members. As her brother Shaikh Rafi Ahmed adds,“Inspite of losing her hands,she is by no means incomplete. In fact,she is very confident and full of life. She inspires everybody around her.”

“We feel that we need to learn so much from Naseem madam. It’s not only just the art and technique of working on the DTP machine,but also her positive and confident attitude that makes her so full of life and a person to look up to,” says Sudha,Naseem Shaikh’s student. In Shaikh’s own words however,the journey has just begun. “Learning is a never ending process and am still hopeful that I would find something else that I want to learn. As of now,I am enjoying my work,” says the gritty lady.