Old & blind, but not without hope

as early as three in the morning, 80-year-old a. dhargarkar operates a clattering weaving machine to create a hand towel. with sleep eluding him, this retired visually-impaired school teacher finds solace in this textured work. it is meditative, he comments. r.iyer, 80, a former professor, shares words of wisdom gleaned out of a spiritual book he had borrowed from the institute's braille library.these books are a tremendous influence. i love to share these insights with my friends here, he states. surjeet singh, 70, a factory foreman from punjab is passionate about singing. says singh: we have a full-fledged musical orchestra here. what's more, we perform in mumbai and pune too. it's an exhilarating experience. dhargarkar, iyer and singh, are among the many devotees paying obeisance at their temple of shelter and love - the national association of blind (nab) lions home, sudder baug, khandala. run independently under the stewardship of z s kothavala for more than 20 years, it has extended a new lease of life to the visually impaired who are over 50-years-old. elaborates kothavala, our vision is to provide a sense of security and belonging as also to impart basic requirements of food, clothing and shelter to the relatively helpless 70 residents of this home. statutorily, it is a wing of the national association of blind (nab), a registered ngo, which receives grants from the state government for its survival. the emphasis here is to create a friendly and family-like ambience. when i took charge as chairman, it was like a passenger lounge - utterly disorganised. my mission was to induce life and love among the residents by catering to their basic requirements, health facilities and above all, provide a sense of purpose to their abandoned lives, states kothavala. a visit to this tree-ladenbeautiful campus provides testimony to the above. donned in beige pyjamas and kurtas, with attendants in tow, residents were strolling in a leisurely manner. additionally, there are enough activities to keep them occupied. this includes a weaving section and knitting machines. there is also a section to make candles, chikki boxes and eco-friendly bags and stationery. as asha ratnaparkhi, the centre's joint honorary secretary, who helps co-ordinate these activities says, some are so enthusiastic that they prefer to work till late too. we provide them pocket money of 20 rupees per day as an incentive. in fact, such is the output that our sales turnover crossed a lakh rupees last year. for the more creative or musically inclined, there is an orchestra too. the group's performances in mumbai and pune have been well received. considering the age of the members, however, the most important item on the agenda is medical facilities. says ratnaparkhi, we have a doctor who makes a weekly round and keeps a record of their health status. in case of any severe ailments, we admit them to the inlaks and budhrani hospital in pune. at the same time, however, as each member slowly succumbs to the ebbing away of life, there is a grim reminder of death in the neighbourhood. what helps them overcome the negative feelings, however, is a deep sense of camaraderie and caring. the biggest challenge, as with any institution of such a kind, is funds. with meagre government funds and rising costs, we are cash-strapped. donations are few and irregular, complains kothavala. but no one is giving up. hope reigns high as the elderly folk continue with their creative tasks. if things go well, there is a plan on the anvil to showcase their products at an outlet on east street. the nab is located at sudder baug, khandala road, khandala - 410302.