Gattipally Shivpal, has become the first dwarf in India to get a driver`s license. The 42-year-old man with a height of about three feet has become the first to complete his degree as a handicap in his district Karimnagar. Gattipally Shivpal finished his degree in 2004.
Gattipally Shivpal Said :
“People use to tease me because of my height and today I am nominate for The Limca book of records and many others. Many short people are contacting me for driving training.”
I has decided to start a driving school next year for physically handicapped people.
Gattipally Shivpal presently works at a private firm here and says that he came to Hyderabad in 2000.
“I am the eldest sibling and the only dwarf in the family,”.
Narrating his struggles with finding a job to sustain himself in the city, Gattipally Shivpal said that he feature in a movie and a daily soap initially but could not sustain in the industry for long.
Gattipally Shivpal Said :
“People were not ready to offer me a job as I was handicapped. Through a friend, I got a job in a private company and now I have been working here for the past 20 years”.
“To commute, whenever I booked cabs, they used to cancel the ride. When I used to go out with my wife, people passed bad comments. That`s when I decided to own a car and ride it,” he added.
Enthusiastic to learn to drive, Gattipally Shivpal surfe the internet and found a video uploade by a man in the US.
It explain to him the modifications require in a car tolift the seat and other equipment up to his height.
After getting a car modified, Gattipally Shivpal learnt car driving from a friend.
His struggles did not end here, as getting a license pose another challenge as the transport department had certain guidelines for height.
Gattipally Shivpal said that after appealing to the authorities, he obtain a learner`s license for three months and then receive a driver license after giving a proper driving test with an official sitting beside him.
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