New year'sgift .....
Another New year gift came knocking through the phone.This one was from my favourite, totally blind student Rajendren who greeted me with the good news that he has been called for certificate verification to the much coveted post of a teacher in govt schools.He said that he would like to meet me in person and convey his gratitude for helping him . I asked him to come over and he said he would at 5 pm. '
Rajendren my blind companion for a year and a half at the 'Association'.I met him in January 2008 and was struck by his beauty ,colour ,height and his fluency in English.At the age of 28 he had completed B.A in English and B'ed and was waiting for the 'job'.Meanwhile he earned money by typing in braille for research scholars[vi lecturers,]weaving chairs,tutoring wealthy young blind children to write and type in braille and as a computer instructor!In off hours he was a permanent fixture in the sprawling verdant campus of the charitable institution.His attendance was regular, probably to ward off boredom and to seek company of those similarly placed .
Reeling under my grief ,I started visiting the Association quite regularly, mainly to see the smile light up on this handicapped youth on hearing my footsteps. We spent several hours under the canopy of trees , I dictating or reading from books to shore up his chances in the job market and he typing in braille or listening and often times interrupting me with questions that had nothing to do with the subject at hand He comes from the dirtiest part of the city ,sharing a hut with his parents,elder brother and that brother's wife.Yet his spirit is not cowed and I always found him smiling and making light of his disability and the station in his life and cracking a few jokes at his plight.He has a certain knack of talking to women .The list of girls [normals, partials and totals] drooling over him and literally eating out of his hands would turn any young man in a decent job turn green with envy!
Spending few hours with him listening to his unusual views and activities ,like gathering support and voting for 'Traffic Ramaswamy' a crusader against corruption,taking part in motor car racing i.e reading the map in braille and helping the driver reach a particular destination and his extending to me an invitation to dinner in a 3 star hotel -a gift voucher he had received, in trepidation, unsure of my reactions and his desire to own a piece of land, kept me diverted from my grief and made my life meaningful.
The bell rang on the dot at 5 .`He stood there smiling . He had come alone!On taking his seat he thanked me .I enquired whether he was thankful to me for helping him pass, first year M.A English.His reply'' No'' smilingly delivered but emphatic, rattled me.I had taken a lot of pains to study the course book and prepare him for the exams. I asked ''Then what are you thanking me for'' ?He replied ''For your company ,your knowledge regarding history and current affairs and in clearing some of my misconceptions'' .
I was flummoxed. All this while I was under the impression that I was helping a poor blind man to better his career prospects but to this youth my general and historical knowledge and information was more helpful!!
His smiling countenance had brought a little sunshine to my life that had suddenly become bleak and he has relished my company for being a source of knowledge and information, which he was thirsting for but couldn't quench it on his own!
Rajendren my blind companion for a year and a half at the 'Association'.I met him in January 2008 and was struck by his beauty ,colour ,height and his fluency in English.At the age of 28 he had completed B.A in English and B'ed and was waiting for the 'job'.Meanwhile he earned money by typing in braille for research scholars[vi lecturers,]weaving chairs,tutoring wealthy young blind children to write and type in braille and as a computer instructor!In off hours he was a permanent fixture in the sprawling verdant campus of the charitable institution.His attendance was regular, probably to ward off boredom and to seek company of those similarly placed .
Reeling under my grief ,I started visiting the Association quite regularly, mainly to see the smile light up on this handicapped youth on hearing my footsteps. We spent several hours under the canopy of trees , I dictating or reading from books to shore up his chances in the job market and he typing in braille or listening and often times interrupting me with questions that had nothing to do with the subject at hand He comes from the dirtiest part of the city ,sharing a hut with his parents,elder brother and that brother's wife.Yet his spirit is not cowed and I always found him smiling and making light of his disability and the station in his life and cracking a few jokes at his plight.He has a certain knack of talking to women .The list of girls [normals, partials and totals] drooling over him and literally eating out of his hands would turn any young man in a decent job turn green with envy!
Spending few hours with him listening to his unusual views and activities ,like gathering support and voting for 'Traffic Ramaswamy' a crusader against corruption,taking part in motor car racing i.e reading the map in braille and helping the driver reach a particular destination and his extending to me an invitation to dinner in a 3 star hotel -a gift voucher he had received, in trepidation, unsure of my reactions and his desire to own a piece of land, kept me diverted from my grief and made my life meaningful.
The bell rang on the dot at 5 .`He stood there smiling . He had come alone!On taking his seat he thanked me .I enquired whether he was thankful to me for helping him pass, first year M.A English.His reply'' No'' smilingly delivered but emphatic, rattled me.I had taken a lot of pains to study the course book and prepare him for the exams. I asked ''Then what are you thanking me for'' ?He replied ''For your company ,your knowledge regarding history and current affairs and in clearing some of my misconceptions'' .
I was flummoxed. All this while I was under the impression that I was helping a poor blind man to better his career prospects but to this youth my general and historical knowledge and information was more helpful!!
His smiling countenance had brought a little sunshine to my life that had suddenly become bleak and he has relished my company for being a source of knowledge and information, which he was thirsting for but couldn't quench it on his own!
posted by K.C. Sujata at
10:38 PM
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