Surviving against all odds

Ravi an tailor, afflicted with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
facing life courageously and is conducting tailoring classes

Though life is a mystery, it still throws up lots of surprises, some good some bad. And when something goes wrong one should not worry, instead should face it courageously and try finding a solution for it. A living example for this is B Ravi, a tailor by profession.

Everything was fine with Ravi until 1993, when he was afflicted with Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA), a debilitating autoimmune disease resulting in stiff joints accompanied with excruciating pain and finally the joints lose all their mobility and become deformed.

Even today, he struggle hard to walk, can't lift the weight, he lifts-up himself very slowly from the chair, try to walk independently, he cant even use walking stick has he has lost the mobility of hands too. Amidst all this odds, facing the problems courageously he is leading the life and is taking tailoring classes at his institution in Irwin Road.

He learnt tailoring from his grandfather in his spare time during his school days when he was still a kid. But he never expected that this avocation would become his life saving profession that one day would earn him his daily bread. When his father was suddenly struck with paralysis, he discontinued his SSLC studies and had to look after the family.

He took up tailoring and began practicing it with keen interest, so much so that he even began tutoring to about 250 students. But in 1993 after he was diagnosed to be suffering from RA, the pain in the joints began to get so worse that he could not step out of his house. One year later when he went to see the Institute where he taught tailoring, supported by his family members, he was in for a great shock at the mismanagement.

He immediately decided to manage the Institute on his own and with great inner will and strength he started taking the classes again and for the next 8 years he coached the students personally for which around 30 students had enrolled.

So far he has trained thousands of students including some disabled persons. One son BR Akshay is studying Medicine and the other BR Shankar, who underwent an open heart surgery when he was 25 days old, is now studying 8th standard.

"I lost hope of taking up tailoring again, when I was suffering from severe joint pains. I thought I reached the end of my life as I was completely dependent on others. But my children, students and family members stood by me during the hour of the crisis. Now I enjoy my work and continue imparting training to others till my last breath', says Ravi.

`Even today I suffer from severe joint pains while walking, but I have learnt to tolerate it, as life has to go on and I want to continue to look after my family members. In the beginning I started cutting clothes holding light weight scissors which took several hours to cut. But as days passed, I gradually increased the weight of the scissors and now I am able to hold big scissors but not for long," he said of how he coping up with his RA.

`Even I tried to stitch the clothes using motor for machine, but I failed to stitch it perfectly and now I only cut the clothes. I travel by auto daily and manage to step till shop. Sitting in place, I teach the students how to cut the materials and stitch it,' he added.

`I have tried all sorts for medicare from past eight years, some doctors state that there is no such medicine is still invented to cure this disease. Now, I am undergoing Ayurvedic treatment and managing the things,' he added.

Speaking to Express an private clinic orthopedician said that `patients suffering from RA usually depend on someone and find difficult to do their work. But Ravi has a very good will power,' he added.