Bedridden man makes a spirited fight making seed pens

This physically challenged man is a campaigner against plastic waste

Adoor: No effort is too small to make a difference. The efforts made by a bedridden man here is testimony to this adage.

Shaji, 48, has been confined to bed for the last 20 years but he lends a hand to Nature by making seed pens -- ones that give rise to saplings once discarded.

These biodegradable pens filled with seeds are eco-friendly alternatives to plastic pens.

Shaji uses craft paper to make seed pens. Seeds placed inside the paper tubes grow up into plants bearing vegetables, when they are thrown away. Often he deposits spinach, brinjal and green chilly seeds inside the pen.

A resident of Poothankara near Enadimangalam in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, Shaji was paralysed in 2000 after falling from a building while working as a welder in Gujarat. His spine got damaged in the fall. He underwent various treatments in Gujarat and also after returning home. However, his condition did not improve after years of treatment.

He acquired the skills for making paper pens from the Facebook group and WhatsApp groups of physically challenged persons that he joined.

Paper for making the pens is being supplied by a friend in Palakkad. Other materials for making the pen are brought from the market by his brother's children. His mother Gouri also helps him in pen-making.

He has so far sold 3,000 pens. The price of a pen ranges from Rs 6 to Rs 8.

Well-wishers may contact him on his mobile phone. The number is: 9605585257.

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