Muniappan.

The blind student to whom I sent a sum of money to buy his college text books through the association. A sum sufficient enough to make me feel that I did a charitable work by helping the poor and the distressed.

Then I saw him at the premises of the Blind Association whilst reading to a blind student pursuing hisP.G.I was clearly taken aback.For I had conjured a frail, poorly dressed person but was confronted by a tall and strapping lad speaking on the mobile.I wondered whether my deed was really charitable. He seemed well fed decently clad and could afford to make calls from his mobile.

On enquiring the blind students about their financial status they said that the govt provided them free accommodation ,food, cane ,cooling glasses ,braille watches and money in form of scholarship if they pursued UG or PG courses.Some NGO's conducted regular reading classes ,gifted them mobiles,cassettes ,clothes and paid for their extra curricular activities.

These blind students hailing from the low strata of our society keep pursuing one PG course after the other since, then they are assured of monetary assistance ,till such time they are appointed by the govt as teacher's in govt schools with a handsome salary.

There fore the blind students I meet are the lucky one's unlike those who are ill informed of the governmental benifits and wander around singing and begging.

Yet my heart contracted when a visually challenged room mate of Muniappan said'' Ma'am during holidays we go off to meet our parents and relatives in our home towns or villages but Muniappan ,doesn't go any where because he has no where to go.''

This blind orphan calls me without fail on occasions like , Mother's day , Dipavali in a gruff but hesitant voice to wish me.'Festivals and occasions' when the pain of a loss is felt acutely and contrives to lift my flagging spirits.