“Driving made me feel emotionally balanced” says Sayer Abdullah, “I would drive to far off places on my own. I used that time to focus on myself and not to think about the future”. There would seem to be nothing out of the ordinary for someone to say that, until one gets to know the story of the man behind it. Meet Sayer Abdullah the one-handed adventure sports driver from Anantnag, Kashmir.
Back in 2007, when Sayer was a Class 5th student, a routine drive to his school on his school bus one morning, turned tragic when the brakes failed. The bus fell down a gorge, turning upside down. The impact killed one of Sayer’s friend, while left him with a fractured right hand, which had to be amputated.
It was a life altering event for a young 10-year-old boy who saw all his dreams come crashing. But today 14 years later he is anything but handicapped and takes on challenges head on, driving through the toughest terrains in the mountainous region of the valley.
It was his parents and friends who never gave up on him and pushed him not to let his disabilities stop him. Sayer adds that his father would never allow anyone to help him, including his mother, saying that even if it takes time he should grow independent. Over time, he learnt to tie shoe laces, wear clothes, bathe, comb, write, eat, play and carry out other activities. Being fascinated by driving since his childhood, his friend Shafat pushed him to pickup wheels after his accident and taught him to drive with one hand. Soon his passion took over and it did not take him long to master it. As soon as he turned 18, Sayer had his driving license in hand.
With a yearning to drive off-road on roaring streams and rocky terrains, Sayer approached the ‘Kashmir Off-Road Club’. Initially apprehensive of accepting him because of his disabilities, the members had all their doubts set aside seeing Sayer behind the wheels, when they took him on a trial run.
Today, Sayer is pursuing LLM at Nalsar University, Hyderabad and leaves no opportunity to off-road the length of any terrain. He dreams of representing India one day on International off-roading races. Signing off he says, “Koshish karne waalon ki kabhi haar nahi hoti”.
