Sándor Karvai

My story could start like in a fairy tale, as in “when the three sons of the poor peasant first saw the light of day..." but unfortunately I have not seen it, so the truth is that on April 26, 1975 I began my journey into the utter darkness.

My childhood went by just as it did for any village boy worth his salt: I rode my bike, I rode a motorcycle, I had some big falls - resulting in a number of dressing-downs from the family. I was an athlete at the school for the blind for years, I was best at sprints and I also played some ball, with bells. Since my brothers were learning to drive, it was not a question for me that I had to try this as well. Maybe because it ws forbidden fruit or because people always want what they cannot have, but during my entire life driving remained my great love. Due to my age I first became familiar with the wonders of the East - the Trabant, the Wartburg, the Dacia and the Lada - but to this day they excite me more than the modern luxury brands.

The fairy tale could then continue with the story that the poor fellow met a princess, they fell in love and in spite of the old king’s wrath they got married. The little princess was born and they lived happily ever after…” But this is not a fairy tale. There was no princess, no little princess, just two people who are more important than anything or anybody to me. They are the people I live for, the people it is worth getting up for, the ones I am most proud of: They are my family.

My wife and I have been together for over 16 years, it’s been that long since I’ve been working in Pest. This means close to 200 kms of bus travel daily, so over time a new love has come into my life: radio. During the long, boring hours often it was my only companion, so after a couple of years I have come to realize that I wanted more than just listen, I also wanted to do it. But when someone is blind and there is no influential godfather or uncle... Well, I still did not give it up: I do internet radio and guest hosting, etc., but practically that's it. In the end what remained was my original work, pen repair, and the hope (as hope dies last) that my time shall come. A few years ago, thanks to my friend Sandor Nagy, I began to test cars at one of the commercial TV stations. One of my greatest joys was to be able to drive a Lexus RX400, but it was also unforgettable when I drove an amphibian military vehicle. Thanks to another dear friend, Barna Kőváry, for some time now I could become a part of the National Rally Championship. This consists of me navigating for him at the prologue stage where I dictate from a braile itinerary. Unfortunately I can only do it there, as at the race even the 10th of a second matters, and unfortunately it is a fact that it's slower going to read with a hand than with the eyes...(On one occasion I lost my place but with Barna's help we found the right path soon. Of course on this occasion this is not the essential thing, it's entertainment, it's fun, that both us and the audience have a good time. Still, maybe the most beautiful moment was when this year Barnus let me take the wheel and after eleven or more years he went back to his seat on the right side, to navigate. Three laps on the clay racecourse – well, that was fantastic, not to mention all the love, all the care that I received from the racers, the organisers and the audience… And if I’m not busy with rallies, testing cars or doing radio, I am lecturing my family about safety. Safety that I view most crucial, both in moving about and in all areas of life. Of course it's rather difficult to talk to a teenage girl about this with conviction when she sees that dad is taking a gocart out for a spin and the day after he is driving a bus. Occasionally I talk to her about a man whose name was Ayrton Senna, someone whom I had a great deal of respect for his accomplishments and for his humility when it came to horsepower.

And the fairy tale is not over yet… “Our hero is now preparing to journey across the mighty seas – along with the Queen and the Princess) where the topsy-turvy camel is making his home…” and why? My family and I have had a dream for a long time, to get to Africa, but in the context of an organised tour; that's not a great enough challenge. The family got it in its collective head to enter the Saharun, in the race category to boot. In addition to racing, one of my most essential goals is to visit the Institute of the Blind in Tunisia and with my story show the way to those who share my fate, to be able to say: our dreams exist so we can make them come true and if we really want them, they will come true.
Because I believe, I know, that life is beautiful!