Saji Thomas, 45, from Thodupuzha in Idukki, Kerala, was born deaf and mute. But, he did not let his shortcomings prevent him from achieving great heights in life.
Saji shot to fame for designing and building a two-seater ultralight aircraft with used and recycled materials. His story will now be featured in the latest programme in Discovery channel titled 'HRX Superheroes', which will be hosted by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan.
Due to his disability, Saji had to drop out of school, but he always wanted to fly his own aircraft one day, and he was successful in doing so in April 2014.
"I was initially inspired by the helicopters which came to sprinkle pesticides on the rubber plantation near my house in my childhood. When I was 14, I got a chance to get in into a helicopter and fly as a co-pilot. I got very much knowledge about the aero planes, copters and addresses of many of the aircraft manufacturing companies from the pilots," Saji wrote on his website.
"HRX Superheroes" marks the debut of Hrithik as a presenter on the small screen. It will showcase the inspiring stories of real-life heroes, who have overcome their limitations in life.
Apart from Saji's, the series will also feature the stories of eight other heroes: Harshini Kanhekar (India's first female fire engineer), Kalpana Saroj (a Dalit entrepreneur), Navin Gulia (handicapped, yet an adventurer, philanthropist, and a motivational speaker), Sangram Singh (wrestler), Sudha Chandran (lost a leg but became a well-known actor/dancer), Shekhar Naik (visually impaired cricketer), Subhreet Kaur (lost a leg and a dancer) and Virendra Singh (deaf athlete-wrestler).
The premiere episode of the programme was aired on 2 November. It will be aired on every Monday and Tuesday at 9 pm on Discovery India. The show's repeat telecast is scheduled for at 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
