“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart”, once said Helen Keller.
I spent a day in the ‘Blind School of Kolkata’ and realised how true the words are. It’s a place where visually impaired children get education which not only makes them educated but also imparts vision on their inner souls. The children get to see life through such vision and lives every moment overcoming their disabilities.
The Blind School is an initiative by the Blind Society. Their motto is to provide the children without sight, not just quality education but also a proper environment that they would need to grow like any other normal child. Children starting from age 10 can take admission here. The school provides them with education through braille and other systems available now a days . The even more remarkable part of their initiative is that they provide such education and a healthy environment, free of cost, to the children who are below poverty level.
Blindness is a curse to many and such institutes are very less in number in our state. Hence this school is thrives to reach out even to those children who do not belong to the neighbourhood. Thus they are providing residential facility along with food, in the lowest possible cost to those who come here from distant locations.
The impressive and inspiring part of this whole initiative is that Some teachers here are also blind. Thus they relate and understand the students even better and are able to shower them with the utmost care. The students and teachers, on a mutual plane, reciprocate each others feelings and therefore a blissful bond is created. Together they share joys and sorrows, fight odds and darkness. Hand in hand they are riding the roller coaster called life.
This school for the blind children who have not given in to the strike of fate and are fighting their battle against eternal darkness. Their eyes may not unveil the dark, but their hearts are out to do so. They are striving to attain the light of knowledge that can wash away the darkness of mind and help them explore the world. They venture into the world of art and music and soak into pure bliss.
As a photographer I always feel that I must use my eyes not to just capture beautiful frames, but the hard truths of life and bring it in front of the society to make some difference. The children of the school reiterates once again, live life to express, not to impress.
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