Innama’al usri yusran (Verily, along with every hardship is relief) is a universally accepted wisdom of the Holy Quran. It helps people endure suffering with stoic patience and ultimately emerge as victors in life. Amin Mansoori, a young man without hands, has written the success of this dictum with his feet.
Mansoori was born into a poor family in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh. His poverty was more than material depravity – he didn’t have hands since birth. Yet, he pursued education with passion. He completed his graduation from Indore. He learnt to write and operate computers with his feet.
Amin’s father Iqbal is a tailor and has struggled to educate Amin and his siblings with a meager income that he has been eking out.
“Several doctors suggested that I get help with artificial implants, but I started living with my present condition,” he said in a local media interview.
Amin never saw his impairment as a limitation because he was intellectually gifted from a young age. In 2012, while he was a class eleven student, he created a solar cooker project that was chosen on a national level. He was recognised for this.
Last week, he emerged as the topper of the exam for selection of patwari or lekhpal (or land record accountant) in his district. He is perhaps the sole Indian to achieve such a rare feat with feet. He scored 127 marks out of 200 in the Locomotor disability category (divyang category).
Ameen said that he used to study for almost 12 hours every day, and that during the downtime he practiced writing fast with his toes.
Amin told the local media that he had made up his mind to join the government service just after completing his graduation. “I am lucky that I am through my first attempt itself. It’s all because of devoted support from my family,” Amin said in an interview.
He said that no one can complain that paucity of resources or physical abilities can mar one’s chances of moving ahead in life. “Those people who are getting all the facilities, they should also work hard and success will definitely be in hand,” he added.
The job of a patwari requires the official to keep track of complex land records in rural areas, especially those lands that are connected with agrarian purposes. Amin has prepared himself to perform such a difficult task with honesty as this job is believed to bedazzle officers with lust for lucre as disputing parties often offer a lot of bribe.
His success story is being discussed all over India, and rightly so.