His brainy touch tunes bikes

TIRUCHY: Tracing his expertise in motorcycle mechanics back to the days of repairing cycles, S Kannappan, who lost his sight at the tender age of four, says, after learning thoroughly about cycle mechanism, he wanted to expand his knowledge and worked as a helper at another two-wheeler workshop in Achadikara Theru for a year. Later, Kannappan joined as a junior mechanic in a shed owned by Kaliyamurthy in Woraiyur and started learning how to rectify the snags in the chain sprocket, choke and gradually the whole engine. “Since then, I have been working on two-wheelers of all kinds,” he says, adding that he started out on his own a few months ago with the help of his uncle and his friends. Kannappan, who is paying a monthly rent of Rs 750 for the shed which he took on an advance of Rs 25,000, makes at least Rs 4,000 every month. He has about 50 regular clients and services at least two vehicles in a day. “I owe this all to my uncle and my friends who have been with me always in my endeavours,” he says.When asked to compare his work with his counterparts who have the use of all their faculties, Kannappan says, “Nothing to be compared. In fact, I have one big advantage over other mechanics. I can repair bikes even in darkness!” laughs Kannappan