Man on crutches walks miles for a 'cause'

New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) 42-year-old Tapan Ghoshal recently walked upto Delhi from Kolkata on crutches, literally wearing on his ragged sleeve messages for society.

Pulse-polio campaign and moral support to the disabled were the causes that helped him to overcome abject poverty and the blisters on his hand.

"I got support and love in abundance on my way. It kept me going," he said speaking to UNI after reaching Delhi on November 27.

A small tea-stall at Dumdum cantonment keeps his hearth warm. His absence from shop meant that the household would be deprived of the little provisions he got. His wife, Momita Ghoshal, can't run the enterprise.

Still, he allowed his absence, reflecting a measure of his conviction. "Prospects of polio turning epidemic frightens me.

Some one has to think out of box. Why not I," he said.

"Besides, the handicapped live in darkness. I want to put up as an example for them to break open the shell," he said.

Asom Excise Minister Gautam Rai, he claimed, bore the expenses against his long walk. Ghoshal was received by LM Shukla Vaidya, Asom MP, at Asom House on November 27.

Ghoshal also expressed a wish to get an audience with President APJ Abdul Kalam.

UNI SSS RP BD1733