Fifty-six-year-old K Mohammed, an auto driver for the past 33 years, has been an inspiration for the free service he offers to the medically needy.
Whenever he receives a medical emergency call, he does not hesitate in making quick arrangements while shifting passengers to another auto and rushing to the spot.
The result is that people in a medical emergency – and who know him – first call him instead of the ambulance service.
“I was deeply pained to see people recording videos of accident victims on their mobile phones and taking pleasure in forwarding them to their friends rather than rushing the victim to a hospital. I then decided to launch my free service in November 2014. I am happy that I have been able to save at least 20 accident victims and rushing at least 50 women in labour to the nearest hospital in time for the delivery,” he says.
Mohammed, a resident of Akash Bhavan in Mangaluru, operates from an auto stand in Kottara, working on fixed timings from 8 am to 6 pm daily.
While many appreciate his service, there are also several people who do not hesitate to play pranks on him. He gets several calls wherein people give him wrong information.
He says, “Not all people are alike. Sometimes I get calls from people saying that a woman needs an auto as she is in labour or that an accident has taken place at a particular place. There have been several instances when I have shifted passengers from my auto to another auto rickshaw and rushed to the spot only to see nobody there. The mobile phone of the caller would be switched off and when I inquire with people around, I am often told no accident had taken place there, or that no woman was in labour. But I don’t get frustrated with this.”
Mohammed started his journey as a bus conductor and soon purchased an auto of his own.
On an average, he earns about Rs 500 per day.
Recollecting an incident, he said, “Once near the Mangaluru railway station, I saw a family of four blind people walking. Of them, two were finding it really difficult to walk. During those days, Hampankatta used to have traffic signals and crossing the road was a big challenge for them. I asked them where they were going. I made them sit in my autorickshaw, not only took them to the KSRTC bus stand, but also saw that they boarded a bus to Hassan,” he said. Mohammed had even bought bus tickets for them.
Mohammed has been felicitated locally, but his dream is to continue serving as long as he drives the auto.
