Beyond education: Malerkotla institute instils cultural unity among visually impaired students
Usman Obais of Kashmir and Gagan Deep Singh of Mansa are among the 23 visually impaired ‘scholars’ who feel privileged that their alma mater in Malerkotla—House for Blind and Disabled—besides imparting academic qualifications and empowering them digitally, instilled in them respect for different cultures and religions.
“Had I continued to live at my native village in Kashmir I wouldn’t have been able to imbibe the elements of communal harmony that I did here after spending time with people from different religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians,” said Mohammad Obais, who is pursuing an MA at Government College, Malerkotla, while continuing to stay at the boarding house in the school. Obais’s father is a retired military personnel and usually visits the school to pay gratitude to his son’s teachers, who are also visually impaired.
Gagan Singh from Mansa, who is a graduate now, says he has no words to pay gratitude to his visually impaired teachers and the secretary of the management committee, Jagat Singh Thakur, for the personalised training they imparted to him in all spheres of life. “As they know the pain and agony of a visually impaired child, they never let us feel dependent on anybody, including our parents. It is due to their persistent efforts that we are ahead of our siblings in academics, extracurricular activities and have the confidence to walk on any tough terrain,” said Singh
Chairman of the management committee, Usman Siddiqui, said the institute had been working for the welfare and education of visually impaired persons from across the country for over five decades. It stands as a beacon of aspiration for disabled people, transforming their dreams into reality. The institution had emerged as a centre for empowerment through learning and inclusivity. It embodies the unwavering dedication of the organisers to provide high-quality training and holistic development to individuals who are enabled to appreciate the beauty of the world with the mind in place of the eyes.
Students also have the privilege of sharing culturally enriching moments with people from across the region through various functions. They relish elements of local culture, princely cuisine and folk music through special functions, for which locals have to wait for the nod of the school authorities.
Chhottey Lal from Delhi believes that he could not have enjoyed or learnt about the versatile lifestyle of Malerkotla, where people from all walks of life preach humanity instead of restricting their religious activities to their own sect, had he not been introduced to it here.
Siddiqui appreciated people in the region for having come forward to support the institute. While office-bearers and activists of various social, religious and constitutional bodies have been encouraging the students by organising functions here, a local branch of an International Service Organisation has come forwards to adopt it as their star project. During his recent visit to the school district governor Bhupesh Mehta and PDG Amjad Ali announced that the organisation would ensure that none of the old and passing out students remained unemployed. “Besides empowering them with quality education, we will ensure that they get honourable employment at our organisations,” said Ali.
Ludhiana