PANJIM: Jose Vaz’s life is a testament to the old adage, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Despite being struck by the debilitating and life-threatening polio disease during infancy, Vaz refused to let his circumstances define him.
As a child, Vaz was a bright student at Navdeep High School, but his fragile body couldn’t keep up with his sharp mind, and he was forced to give up his studies after the fourth standard. He became dependent on his mother, who worked as a maid at her landlord’s place, to cater to his every need.
After his mother passed away, leaving him alone in the world, Vaz found himself living in a crumbling mud house, surviving on the kindness of his neighbours, who gave him food.
But with no financial support, his future looked bleak until a friend suggested he try his hand at trading country chickens.
With no money to start, Vaz’s friends lent him a 100 rupee note, which he used to buy and sell country chickens at a marginal profit. Despite the market being overrun with cheap broiler chicken, Vaz persisted for 25 years, changing three buses to travel to Mapusa to buy chickens, and then selling them in the Shiroda market.
The oldest chicken vendors at Mapusa, Julie and Basul, rave about Vaz’s honesty and give him chicken on credit, knowing he’ll never cheat. Even the chicken vendors in Mapusa market help him load and unload his consignment.
Vaz’s health may be deteriorating as he ages, but he refuses to give up. “I am ageing and my limbs have become lifeless but I will carry on with this trade as long as I am alive,” he says. He’s been blessed with three beautiful children and his dream is to reconstruct his house.
Though he could have applied for a government job under the reserved category for Persons with Disability (PwD), Vaz has no regrets, content with earning a livelihood through his own hard work and determination.
