207th birth anniversary of Louise Braille observed in Jorhat

Blind walk by Jorhat College fraternity to build awareness on eye dotion

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, Jan 4: Marking the 207th birth anniversary of Louise Braille, popularly remembered as the messiah of the blind, students and professors of Jorhat College, under the initiative of Principal Devabrata Sarma, took out a unique procession in Jorhat on Wednesday that almost brought the town to a standstill. Both students and the teaching staff of the college voluntarily blindfolded themselves and took part in the procession to propagate the importance of eye dotion among the people. Notably, blind students of the Jorhat Blind School also took part.

Though such blind walk had earlier been organized in several countries of the world, including few cities of India, this blind walk is the first of its kind in the eastern part of the country. The blind walk was iugurated by Dr nigopal Goswami, president of Jorhat College governing body.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Devabrata Sharma informed how Jorhat College had been collaborating with five schools, including Jorhat Blind School, and how the college had been developing educatiol audio CDs for all the blind students of the State.

Describing her experience on becoming blind for a day, Assistant Professor, Meghali Das said, “It gives me immense pleasure to take part in the procession blindfolded as it has made me learn instantly the difficulties faced by blind persons and how they overcome them. Today even just for few minutes it had become difficult for us to mage walking and ascertaining who is in front and who is behind us. And that is why I feel that we should all dote our eyes and today’s programme will to some extent create awareness among the people about eye dotion.”

Professor Geetartha Goswami said, “Words will not be enough to describe the kind of feeling I have got after taking part in the procession blindfolded. A feeling never experienced before. Though there was some apprehension about walking in the busy streets of Jorhat by intentiolly becoming blind but now that we have already started, the fear of falling down or getting hit by someone or colliding with any moving object has suddenly left our brains. We have realized how hard it is for blind people to lead their lives and this feeling has inspired me to dote my eyes so that another person gets to see the light of the day.”

Today’s programme was undertaken to commemorate the 207th birth anniversary of Louise Braille and was meant to increase empathy for the blind and other differently-abled people on one hand, and to build awareness for eye dotion on the other.

Earlier, Jorhat MP, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa iugurated the approach path and roofing shed to the girls’ hostel and toilet block of Jorhat Blind Institute, commemorating the birth anniversary of Louise Braille, the inventor of Braille system. The construction was possible due to the contribution of donors to the District Development and Relief Fund, Jorhat, that included Adang Zamir and Aren Changkiri, galand, Punjab tiol Bank, Krish Sharma, Corporate Law Group, ICICI bank, CKB Commerce College, ASEB Pensioners’ Association, Drug Dealers Association, Axis Bank, All Assam galand Pensioners Association, NESSIA, Senior Citizens Forum, Jorhat, Kaklata Bank, Oriental Insurance Co, LICI – K.B Road Branch, Cloth Merchant Association, JB Road Business Association, Jorhat District Jewelers Association and Indian Bank.

However, notable contribution was from a Mokochung-based group, ‘I Love Mokochung’ represented by Aren Changkirie, Arsashi Ozukum, Liyan Aier and Along K Ao who doted more than Rs 1 lakh towards the construction of the blind institute. Even during the recent floods that ravaged Jorhat after an embankment of the River Bhogdoi was compromised, the same group had collected over Rs 1 lakh and handed it over to the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Virendra Mittal, thus showing the universal bond of brotherhood existing between the Assamese people and the ga people.

MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in his speech, besides describing the importance of the Braille system in the life of a blind person, also lauded the efforts of the Jorhat DC Virendra Mittal for making the toilet block and roofing shed possible and felicitated each of the donors, including the ga team led by Mokochung district spokesman Temsu Wathi Ao.