Hyderabad: Tyrion Lannister once said, “I am guilty of a far more monstrous crime, I am guilty of being a dwarf.” It must be noted that a dwarf may be small by size by not by their strength, proves Gattipally Shivalal, the first dwarf in the country to obtain a driving license.
The 42-year-old, Shivalal, a resident of Kukatpally who is only three feet tall, felt the need to be self-independent as he was unable to bear the consequences of having to travel in public transport.
Shivlal depended on public transport to commute as he was unable to drive. He used public transport and cabs, where people would pass nasty comments on his height, which made him uncomfortable and pushed him to learn to drive a vehicle.
His intentions to learn driving became stronger when he came across a video of a dwarf man driving a car, in the United States (US). Shivalal travelled all the way to the US to understand its mechanics.
Convinced that that driving was possible for him, Shivalal returned to the city and contacted a man who custom-made cars in Hyderabad.
Shivalal now teaches his wife to drive a car and plans to open a special driving school in the city to help more dwarf people become independent. His automatic vehicle, without gears, has been approved by the government of Telangana.
Shivlal who holds a record in the Telugu Book of Records, Limca Book of records had a special request to the state government. “I would like to request the state government to lend some support so that many can like me can learn to drive and become independent,” he said.
