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“At home I plant banana trees and make copra. I participate in the disability rights movement”

Feroz Khan (47) from Agatti Island in Lakshadweep describes himself as a conscientious worker. “I give my 100 per cent,” he says. “I don’t entertain friends or use my phone when I am at work.” Feroz currently works in the capital of the union territory, Kavaratti Island, in a restaurant where he cleans tables and washes utensils. Although the restaurant provided him accommodation he prefers to stay in a small rented house.
 
The third of five children born to M.K. Aboobaker, a school cook, and (late) A.P. Subairath, a housewife, Feroz discontinued his studies after Standard 5 because he thought to himself, “A person like me can achieve nothing from education. I had better learn a skill and earn.” He worked a number of manual jobs from sweeping roads to selling copra (dried coconut). He says his minor locomotor disability (born with a shortened, crooked leg) has cost him many job opportunities: “I once travelled all the way to Kochi for a job but they rejected me when they saw I was disabled. On one occasion, an employer asked me to send a video clip of myself walking and then rejected me.”
 
His family house is on Agatti where he lives with his father, two sisters and their families. His niece Ramseena, an ayah (maid) in the local anganwadi (government-run crèche), says although her uncle frequently switches jobs, he connects with people and is able to quickly find a new job. She describes his leisurely routine when he is at home between jobs. He doesn’t wake up before 10 a.m., has all his meals late, likes to drink tea all day long, tends the goats, plants banana trees, cycles around town, and watches films on TV or his mobile. “Whenever he has cash in hand he goes to the market and brings fish or chicken for the family,” says Ramseena.
 
Once in a year, Feroz’s family sells copra for export to Kerala. It’s a small operation: they have around 10 coconut palms that provide a modest quantity of coconuts. What they don’t need for domestic use (raw coconuts for cooking, husk for fuel etc) they turn into copra. They set aside some of the copra to make coconut oil for their own use. Feroz lends a helping hand in the copra-making and oil-manufacturing processes. “He will be coming home soon,” said Ramseena. “He is planning to do the qabar ziyarat ritual, visiting his mother’s grave to recite a dua [holy verse].”
 
Feroz is an active member of Lakshadweep Differently-abled Welfare Association. He participates in strikes and protests demanding disability rights and calling for inclusion.