Blind students to light up Diwali

NEW DELHI: They can't see but they spread light all around. Visually-challenged students, trained in candle-making by the Blind Relief Association, brighten up your home every year with the ornate candles and diyas they make for Diwali.
The Blind School Diwali Mela, which began on Wednesday and will be on till October 15, saw people making a beeline for the diya stalls on Wednesday.Customers too don't mind paying a little more than the market price for these beautiful diyas. Said Rashi Kapoor, a school teacher, "It gives me pleasure to buy from here as the money goes for charity. Also the variety and quality of diyas and candles sold here are the best. I come all the way from Gurgaon for this mela every year.''
At least 200 varieties of diyas and candles of different shapes and sizes are made every Diwali. Said Shiv Kumar Misra, trustee & treasurer, The Blind Relief Association, Delhi, "Our basic philosophy is education, training and rehabilitation of the 200 students and 100 adults in the institute. The Diwali mela gives us the maximum revenue Rs 50-60lakh to run our organisation. This mela has become an institution in Delhi for the past 30 years.''
Some of the visually-challenged students have been making candles for the past 20 years and even though they've burnt their fingers with the hot wax or bled because of cuts, they continue to work diligently with a smile on their faces. Raj Kumar (50) from Nainital, who was blinded at the age of 10, has been making candles for 15 years in the blind school. "I live in Badarpur and commute everyday by bus to come here at 10am and work till 5 in the evening. Even though I cannot see I get immense pleasure knowing that my candles will light up someone's house. I have to be careful while pouring hot wax into containers as I burn my hands sometimes,'' said Kumar, who was enrolled in the vocational training course.