Propagating a difference at the Sammelana

GABGAVATHI: Mubarak was busy attending calls and giving information to the public when Express first approached him first on Saturday. A second attempt to meet him, this time at noon, too went in vain.Mubarak is the president of Pandit Puttaraja Gavai Vikalachetana Samiti, Koppal, and has set up a stall at Sri Channabasaveshwara Stadium in Gangavathi, the venue of 78th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. He said that the idea of setting up a stall first came to him when he was mulling on participation of the differently-abled people. “This sammelana became different by giving an opportunity for the differently-abled.”The walls of the stall flaunting the banner of Welfare of Disabled and Senior Citizens Department, Koppal, displays several flexes giving information about the differently-abled and slogans about their rights. The stall sells books that provide information about such people. “More than 500 books and booklets relating to the usage of wheelchairs, hearing aids and artificial legs have been sold,” he added.On the public response to his stall, Mubarak said, “The visitors to my stall has increased, primarily due to word-of-mouth publicity. I am getting non-stop calls from the differently-abled.”A stone contractor by profession, Mubarak says that he is trying to spread the message that being differently-abled is being blessed. “It doesn’t matter how much I earn, but it is important that I do not beg. I am confident that I can help others.”