Saving Lives

Fateh Mohammed Mujahid from Khed-Shivapur in Maharashtra's Pune district comes across as an unassuming man. But this autorickshaw driver, who is in his 50s, has the eloquent blessings of at least 4,000 people whose lives he has saved over the past three decades.

Fateh Mohammed and his autorickshaw have earned fame for rushing to the help of people who have met with accidents on the roads.

"I have saved over 4,000 lives so far," says Fateh Mohammed rather haltingly. This inarticulate good samaritan needs to be constantly prodded by his relatives to speak about his work.

Fateh Mohhamed rues that he had not been able to reach 3,000 other accident victims alive to the hospitals during these three decades.

He recalls one particular incident that had occurred in 1986. An autorickshaw was carrying 13 school children when a truck crashed against it. Fateh Mohammed, in his own autorickshaw, was near the accident spot and he immediately rushed to the help of the children. Six of them survived but seven died.

It was a police head constable who had initiated Fateh Mohammed into this good samaritan mission. "This head constable by the name of More encouraged me to help accident victims," recalls the autorickshaw driver.

Having saved so many lives, Fateh Mohammed has gained quite a reputation and awards too have followed. "I have received eleven awards so far for my service to the society," he says.

"I have been helping accidents for three decades and wish to continue to do so till the last," says Fateh Mohammed. His son, Mushtaq, too has started following in his footsteps now.