"I could climb trees from childhood. So, I thought why not take it up as a profession?” says, Sanatan Das. Climbing coconut, palm and banyan trees as high as 70-80 feet to fell them down or cleaning the bed of ponds by diving ten feet underwater, is his means of livelihood.

Sanatan Das identifies a tree through touch and makes out its circumference by looping his arms around the trunk. He begins his work by setting up a makeshift scaffold, a little above the ground level. He sets up several scaffolds and he goes up by putting his arms around the tree trunk.

He forms a definite idea of its length by running his hand over the leaves and the trunk and then fixes a price. The pricing varies from Rs 200 to Rs 500 for tree. There are times when he gets much more. "I once got Rs 1,000 for felling a palm tree that took almost ten hours,” says Sanatan Das.

His visual impairment is no impediment to his profession. In fact it has been it has been an advantage. Sanatan Das need not be frightened and panic-stricken when looking down from top of a tree, be it- coconut or banyan tree, as people normally would. Sanatan Das is also proficient in cleaning ponds and can dive ten feet under water to reach the bed.

Sanatan’s only wish is to have his sight restored that he lost due to small pox in childhood. An NGO did arrange a donor's eyes for him. But hospital authorities were of the opinion that his vision cannot be restored. But he has still not lost hope.