Children of a lesser god. No more

“You are welcome, Namaste,” communicated Gudia through her sign language to principal secretary, Handicap Welfare, Rohit Nandan on Tuesday. She had come to attend the ‘Advocacy meet’, organised by Sense International, on the deaf-blind children in Hotel Park Inn.

Through her sign language, she told the chief guest that she was trained to perform her daily work and did some work in the fields too.

Gudia, who belongs to Basti, is blind and deaf since birth. She has known sorrow like a twin brother right since her birth. Her mother died after her birth and her father abandoned her and sent her to her grandpa’s (Nana’s) home.

There she grew up like the earth sometimes grows into a tree, just like that. But one day an NGO working for special children spotted her and started training her. Now, she is able to perform her daily chores like cooking and cutting of fodder and grass for the animals. She does all this with a sense of devotion and a smile on her face, making her family members all the more dote on her. “At least now we can understand her feelings,” said her sister who accompanied her to Lucknow from her village in Basti.  “Today Gudia is a very good cook and enjoys working in the kitchen,” she said.

Gudiya says she wants to start earning and for that she wants to get some professional training.

Similarly, Ram Dayal, vice president of UDAAN, an NGO working for the betterment of the deaf and blind people in the country, faced several hardships in his life. He was born blind but lost his hearing abilities slowly when he was in the high school.

For him it always was a double whammy. He was thrown out of the blind school as he was also deaf. Then he was not allowed a writer by the Allahabad Board in the High School exams because he was not able to hear and the writer had to shout for communication. Even then Ram Dayal never gave up and continued to study. “I don’t have any degree but I have the knowledge, I want to earn my bread without disturbing anyone,” he said.

The Shikshit Yuva Sewa Samiti with the help of Sense International India has helped him in helping his father in his shop.

Meanwhile, Nandan has directed the officials of his department for releasing Rs 10,000 as loan for Ram Dayal’s shop and fix a pension for young Gudia so that she can lead a purposeful life.

Talking to HT, Nandan said, “These special children should be given professional training so that they could lead quality life.”

Programme manager, Sense International, BG Mathews and director Shikshit Yuva Sewa Samiti Gopal Krishna Agarwal were also present on the occasion.