Thanks to these brave champions of democracy, who did not let old age or adversity come in the way of casting their vote, the city saw a jump in voter turnout of over 11 percentage points
When Edward Moorthy (47) from Orlem, Malad, walked into his polling booth yesterday, polling officials and other voters nearly broke into applause. The feisty businessman (he runs a small consultancy) has only one leg and no hands.
Edward Moorthy gets his foot inked at a poll booth in Orlem, Malad. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
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Moorthy lost three limbs in a train accident between Mira Road and Bhayander while on his way to work a couple of years ago. Ask him about the accident and Moorthy merely replies, “I do not recall how I fell. I only know I lost my limbs after that.”
Today, though, Moorthy is an example of courage and resilience. Rather than moping about his fate, he is concerned about that of the nation and he was absolutely determined to go to the booth yesterday. Moorthy’s wife accompanied him, but he is so self-reliant that he did not need her help to walk or press the button on the EVM.
“I used the stump of my arm to press the button. I think the staff members were awed, judging by the way they were gaping at me. I must add that all of them were extremely cooperative.” Moorthy had his foot inked to show that he had voted. He placed his foot on the table with some help and an officer applied the ink while others in the polling booth looked on with a mix of curiosity and admiration.
Moorthy used prosthetic limbs earlier, but discarded them because they were too heavy. He has come a long way in dexterity, though, and can place phone calls without much help. “I ask somebody to place the mobile phone on a table in front of me and then key in the numbers with the stumps of my arms. It is simply a matter of having the courage to overcome difficulty and perform everyday tasks. I always take that as a challenge I have to conquer,” he says.
When he was asked what he thought about the low voter turnout, Moorthy said, “If I could have the courage to vote, I think every Mumbaikar should have risen from his comfortable seat, stepped out of air-conditioned comfort, shaken off his apathy and come out to vote.
While some people tried to vote but could not find their name on the list, there is no excuse for people who did not vote for random reasons.” “It is very important that we all vote so that our voice is heard,” he signed off, adding, “I am never depressed. I have God’s blessing.”
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