Setting a precedent: Driven to make his mark, despite disability

Working with a single hand, an artisan finds solace in woodcraft.

ISLAMABAD: Zameer Ahmed has only grown from an accident that left him single-handed at an early age. The artisan from Hyderabad takes pride in beating the odds as he chisels away at wood. To help support his family of nine siblings, Ahmed started working in a factory, where an accident left him with a single arm when he was 15.

Determined to find a way out, Ahmed started playing football. “There isn’t a stadium in Pakistan where I haven’t played. But when I and some other players were unable to pay Rs15,000 bribe to play foreign matches, I quit the game in utter disappointment,” he said.

But instead of harping over lost ambition, Ahmed moved on to carve his own niche in wood craft. “It wasn’t easy — both your hands are required when working with wood.”

His mentor Shafeeq Ahmed Khan, however, kept him going, “The most difficult part is to drive a nail into wood with one hand. But then I realised that if I wanted to do something, I had to figure out a way.”

Despite having so much on his plate, Ahmed still finds time for doing his bit. As the first disabled artisan to carve the trophy for ICC World Cup 2011 in wood, he contributed his complete payment (Rs50,000) to a poor handicapped man to help him with his daughter’s wedding.

“If someone needs a wheel chair, I’ll help them connect with the people who can guide them,” he said with a proud smile.

Furniture, jewellery boxes, doors, cabinets, closets are all up Ahmed’s alley. However it’s the smaller things that give him satisfaction. “I love making engraved key chains. When I see a customer get all excited seeing their name carved out of wood in a key chain, it gives me immense joy,” he said laughingly.

Owning his own workshop might be further down the road, but for now he makes money from the occasional cultural festivals that are organised. Earlier, he would set up his stall at the Arts Council Karachi every Sunday, where he now trains disciples interested in learning his craft.

With a zest for life, this artisan strives every day to set an example for others. The piece that he is most proud of is a one-inch-thick model of the Mazar-i-Quaid. “It is one and a half inch tall and was even aired on TV in 2007.”

Currently saving for his daughter’s marriage, Ahmed does not believe in beggary. “I will never beg. As long as I am healthy I will continue working till Allah wills me to.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2012.