Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, May 22: Abdul Sattar Goodinabali, an auto driver by profession who lives in Goodinabali near here, who has time and again proved himself to be a honest and altruist person, and who has already been bestowed with the title of 'Netravati Veera', emerged yet again as a honest person to the core.

Three women had travelled in the auto rickshaw driven by Sattar to Panemangalore from B C Road on Wednesday May 20 evening. When alighting from the three-wheeler they had, by oversight, left behind a bag containing ornaments, cash, and valuable documents.

When returning after performing namaz at a mosque nearby after parking his auto rickshaw in Panemangalore rickshaw park, Sattar found that there was a bag on the passengers seat. He immediately kept the bag in a safe place, and was searching for ways and means to contact these woman by checking whether any of their telephone numbers were available, he found that the women had hired another auto rickshaw and were searching for him.

When the two auto rickshaws neared each other, the women asked Sattar, after which he handed over the bag after making some preliminary inquiries.

When the women, overtaken by elation at recovering their valuables, offered to reward Sattar for his honesty, he politely refused to accept it and sent them away. Sattar had been in the news in the past too, a number of times for his honest deeds. In addition to working as auto rickshaw driver, Sattar is also involved with social service initiatives, many a time proving to a saviour of the people at critical times.

A few years back, he had jumped into River Netravati that was in full flow, after seeing that a mother and her child had jumped into the river from the bridge to commit suicide, and saved both of them. In recognition of his humane approach and adventurous deeds, Kolya Ramananda Swamiji had felicitated him publicly, apart from handing him the title, 'Netravati Veera'. Since then, he has come to be known with the name, 'Netravati Veera' all over this taluk.

Sattar's popularity has been rising with the passage of time because of a number of selfless and timely services he has rendered to the needy. Media has not lagged behind in throwing light on his exemplary deeds and achievements as and when he comes up something that is worth appreciating and emulating.