Good samaritans

Spreading light
Candles sold by the Blind Association illuminate many houses during Diwali, what is soul stirring is that the people making them can never see its light.
WOR D S | F lO Ri n a S O R en

s you enter the campus of The Blind Relief Association in the heart of Delhi, action strikes you. You will find children working on the computers, some are seen busy making paper bags while others playing around. If you miss the board at the entry gate, there is not much to give away their visually impaired state.

As the festive season approaches, all road leads to the Association gate as their Diwali mela is a must-attend event for many. This week-long event held annually a week before Diwali helps the Association in gaining some revenue and at the same time the world outside gets to see the wonderful products that inmates make at the
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centre. The lovely candles and diyas made here are popular among one and all. What is striking is their wide variety, from small swastik diyas to the latest candles in long bamboo stand, they are a must buy for Diwali. As per P C Mehta, Dy. executive secretary, The Association every year puts up stalls selling

Good samaritans

Clockwise from left: Colourful diyas made by blind people; A faculty member playing chess; Terracotta lanterns made at the centre

candles, diyas, paper items besides few other products and we make a sale of `80-90 lakhs. This helps us in funding many of our internal costs. There are 200 other stalls which also participate from across the country. The 200 NGOs and organisations that participate in the fair are given free stalls and in return it gives a wider perspective to the Diwali mela with a wide variety of quality products which visitors get to buy from the Blind Association Diwali mela.

in the society. The residential school here is in no way different from any normal school in term of courses and extra curriculum activities. As I entered the computer section, I was amazed to see so many students working on the computer, while some were completing their assignment, others were surfing the Net. The only difference, they had the audio track guiding them through all their activities. The Craft section had young students making beautiful bags; they had their own way of

measuring the size and making each gift bag a perfect piece in itself. The instructor, who has been teaching the students, says they master the art very fast and after few days of guidance they can make bags and gift tags without any assistance. A 19-year-old volunteer from Yemen, Sala who has been helping in the craft sections is amazed at the dexterity these students show while making their products. They are so self-sufficient, once they learn the art they do not need any help from anybody and what is

Making a change
Having started way back in 1944, the Association imparts education to many blind students from across the country besides providing various vocational courses. The residential school here looks after every need of the students till they find a strong footing

Started way back in 1944, the Blind Association imparts education to blind students from all over India
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Good samaritans

surprising is that they are pretty quick at their work too. Sala is in India doing her Bachelors in Social Work and says being part of the Association has opened a completely different world for her and she would continue helping here as long as she can. The candle making activity which has become synonymous with the Association itself

HigH points
Upcoming sports Meet some of our students are working as principals in various respectable colleges near 100% placement in all training courses

`80-90 lakh sale of own products during Diwali mela

has many people working here with the help of few visually abled volunteers helping the inmates in this section. It was heart-wrenching to see such wonderful and colourful candles being made by people who will never be able to see the glow of these candles. However, what is amazing is to see how these candles and diyas have become an integral part of Delhis Diwali. The centre does maximum sales during the mela, however, candles are made here throughout the year. Since it is all hand-made it takes a long time to produce the said numbers as the demand for these candles are huge. It is amazing to see how they have been innovating with the designs and style of these candles. While the basic candles are produce in all sizes and colours, there are many superbly designed diya stands and candles. Very competitively priced, these diyas are perhaps the best way to bring happiness into the lives of those making these wonderful pieces.

Left: Bamboo candle stand made by blind children; Bottom: Students at the centre also make mobile pouches and other things

SucceSS StorieS
Keeping in mind the changing times, the curriculum and courses have been tailored in such a way so that the students passing out from here find a place in the job market outside. Courses like call centre training, IT training and massage training have helped the students in a big way. Mehta says, We aim at providing the right education to our students and help them be self dependent. They should have equal opportunity and their lives should not be any different from other individual. We feel very proud to reveal that today students who have passed out from our school are lectures, principals and teachers in various colleges. One of our students also joined Microsoft at a monthly salary of `1 lakh. Neelu, who has been with the Association for the last 16 years says, life is no different here, the students all work very hard and also have fun. They play games and there are few like Rajpal who are gadget freaks. There are some who can sing well and some who are pranksters, so overall it has been a very gratifying experience being with these special friends. Action and activities do not stop at the centre, once the Diwali mela is over, preparations for the national level Sports Meet for the disabled will start in full swing. This is the largest sports event for the visually impaired and participants from across the country will come to be a part of the meet. One milestone after another, the Blind Association with it wonderful students have been making successful inroads in the world outside.

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Of grit & glamour

Chhavi Rajawat set an example for many of us when she left a flourishing career to get back to her roots and pull her native village Soda out of darkness.
WOR D S | Me ghn a S ha R Ma

ne look at Chhavi Rajawat and one can hardly say that shes the sarpanch of one of the most backward villages in India Soda. Young, articulate, well-educated and one with a vision Chhavi, an MBA graduate, shattered all myths when she quit a flourishing career to return back to her native village. Soda, situated

60 kms from the city of Jaipur falls in the Tonk district, which is home to more than 12 lakh people. The district has an average literacy rate of 53 per cent, lower than the national average of 59.5 per cent but Chhavi is determined to change that through e-education, one of the easiest ways to pull the village out of illiteracy.
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Back to the roots

Taking up a challenge is not everyones cup of tea. But for Chhavi, goals and aspirations never end and the quest for life goes on. Chhavi did her schooling from Rishi Valley School (Andhra Pradesh) and Mayo College (Ajmer), and attended Lady Shri Ram College

Good samaritans

Chhavi strongly believes that computerisation will lift the veil of illiteracy from her village
at the University of Delhi. She left a successful corporate job to uplift the village she was born in. Ask her why and she says, The villagers. It was their idea, their dream and their desire. They chose me because of the faith they have in my family. They got my grandfather unanimously elected as Sarpanch post his retirement from the Army back in 1975. Between my grandfather and me theres a gap of 20 years which saw many others in the village become sarpanch. They have great trust in our family and that is the reason they were keen to bring me in. More than 90 per cent of the educated and skilled people live in cities and become a part of a rat race. And out of that 90 per cent educated 20 per cent of the village people are settle abroad. They forget the very fact that our country needs them. Chhavi is out of those 10 per cent educated people who give up their comforts and glamorous city lives and work for the welfare of rural India. At this point of time, the people of Soda not only appreciate her but also feel proud of her. Now Chhavi resides in Soda itself and takes all the crucial responsibilities for the improvement of the system which a village sarpanch should undertake. to improve the condition, how could I possibly expect and outsider to come and do so. My purpose, given the education, is just to be a bridging agent - between the village and the government as well as the non-government sectors, says she adding, My vision is to uplift and develop my village in totality thereby creating a model village, the development works of which could be replicated in other parts of rural India. Chhavis journey has been quite challenging so far. Getting funds sanctioned through the district headquarters have been rather slow and, receiving support from outside is also very difficult. However, she says that when the support does come through (and now it has slowly started to) it is extremely satisfying to see the change it brings to the lives of the villagers. Credited as the changing face of India, Chhavi also represented India at the UN poverty summit recently. She feels that computerisation will lift the veil of illiteracy from her village. The youth in the village is mostly unemployed, as they couldnt complete their higher education due to absence of any college nearby. We want to change that with e-education, says Chhavi. After taking over as sarpanch, she also launched a website, www. soda-india.in, where she regularly posts about funds allocated for projects such as a village bank, community centre for weddings and cataract surgery for the needy. She leaves a message for the youth of India, Dont run away from your roots because that is your foundation and the nations foundation too. If you want to make a difference, you have got to start at the bottom.

time for change

Chhavi never really thought of following her grandfather Brig. Raghubir Singhs footsteps. She says the decision was a very sudden one. I agreed because I had been visiting my village since my childhood and, noticed that in spite of funding for rural development having increased over the years, the situation in my village was only getting worse. The village has been my home and I thought if I, did not do something
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To serve her village, Chhavi Rajawat left her job and comforts