ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta name="Description" content="Latest annual report of Blind Persons' Association"> <meta name="Keywords" content="Blind school, Braille pres, Braille books"> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title>Annual Report 2010 - 2011</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <a name="top"></a> <table border="0"> <tr> <td width="10%"> <img src="logo.jpg" vspace="5" hspace="10" align="middle" alt="Logo" width="125" height="125"></td> <td align="center"><strong>BLIND PERSONS' ASSOCIATION</strong><br> (REGD. NO. S/20088 OF 1951-52)<br> 6B Panchanantala Road, 2nd Floor,<br> KOLKATA - 700029<br><br> PHONE - 033-24605548, 033-24377206<br> EMAIL: <a href="mailto:bpaindia@vsnl.net">bpaindia@vsnl.net</a> </td> </tr></table> <div id="navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="#general">Skip navigation</a></li> <li><a href="history.htm">A Brief History of Blind Persons' Association</a></li> <li><a href="news.htm">Organisational News</a></li> <li><a href="tribute.htm">A Tribute to Louis Braille</a></li> <li><a href="sketch.htm">Chronological Sketches</a></li> <li><a href="charu.htm">A Tribute To Charu Chandra Bose</a></li> <li><a href="articles.htm">Various Articles on the Problems of Blindness</a></li> <li><a href="booklist.htm">Braille Books</a></li> <li><a href="audiolist.htm">Audio Books</a></li> <li><a href="scholarship.htm">Kamalendu Bhattacharya Memorial Scholarship</a></li> <li><a href="tax.htm">Income Tax Benefit for Donors</a></li> <li><a href="brl.htm">Learn Braille System</a></li> <li><a href="contact.htm">Contact Information</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="general"> <center> <h1>ANNUAL REPORT</h1> <br>April 2010 - March 2011 </center> <p>We have been trying for decades to build up Blind Persons' Association as an organisation that gives sightless people the opportunity to work together with sighted volunteers for the amelioration of their conditions. This report contains in a nutshell the year-long activities of our Association with this objective in mind.</p> <h2>EDUCATION</h2> <p>We have established a multilingual computerised Braille press and library project, Lal Bihari Shah Braille Academia, at Bidyapalli, Malancha-Mahinagar, Kol - 700145, to produce important Braille books necessary for the higher studies of the blind students as well as books of varied tastes for general sightless readers. This year, we have published a few essential books in English and Bengali, such as :  A New Look at Modern Indian History by B.L. Grover (Remaining 4 of the 19th volumes have been completed),  3 Volumes of History Honors Part 1 for Graduation ,  Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay,  Jiban Smriti by Rabindranath Tagore, and 51 books in braille covering different fields of study.</p> <p>The foundation day of Nazrul Smriti Dristihin Vidyalay was observed in a befitting manner. Due to some un avoidable circumstances the ceremony was held on 12th, 2010 instead of 10th april. The foundation days of other two institutions Tarun Memorial School for the Sightless (7th Feb., 2011) and Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir (21st March, 2011) were duly observed by the students and teachers of the respective institutions through various cultural programmes. </p> <p>We have been trying, in spite of scarcity of funds, to arrange for tour for our students to bring some relief to their monotonous hostel life in recent years. All students reading in three institutions of our Association were taken on an educational excursion to Shantiniketan on 20th of March, 2011.</p> <p>This year, 3 sightless students residing at the hostel of Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir, succeeded in secondary, another inmate of the hostel passed higher secondary examination and a student became honours graduate. 2 candidates appeared in the last secondary and higher secondary examination from the same hostel. Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir of Krishnanagar received grant from the Central Government under the Deen Dayal Rehabilitation Scheme for conducting the school.</p> <p>This year, Kamalendu Bhattacharya Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to 10 sightless students studying in class XI.& XII.</p> <h2>CULTURAL ACTIVITIES</h2> <p>This year a few programmes on cultural activities were organized to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. On 22nd May, 2010, Rabindranath s birthday was celebrated in a homely and joyful atmosphere in the Lal Bihari Shah Braille Academia of Blind Persons Association. On 1st January, 2011, an evening cultural programme was organized at the Indumati Sabhagriha, Jadavpur in Kolkata. Renowned artiste Prof. Anasua Mukhopadhyay graced the occasion as President. Many members and volunteers of this Association participated in this programme of music, songs, recitation and other activities. Here in this programme, Rabindranath s  Jiban Smriti in braille, published by Lal Bihari Shah Braille Academia was released by famous reciter Shri Pradip Ghosh. A two-day cultural competition on different items was conducted by us at Calcutta Women s College in Kalighat on 19th and 20th February, 2011. A Huge number of sighted and sightless boys and girls from different schools participated in the competition. The students and teachers of Helen Keller Smriti Vidya Mandir staged a drama,  Dakghar of Rabindranath Tagore at Rabindra Bhaban, Krishnanagar, Nadia on November 30, 2010 and January 18, 2011.</p> <p>On 14th August, 2010 an all Bengal swimming competition for the blind was held at Indian Life Saving Society, Rabindra Sarobar, Kol - 700029. We arranged the aquatic meet in collaboration with the club. 105 participants including boys and girls came from different parts of West Bengal. The participating organisations and institutions were Blind Persons' Association, Society for the Welfare of the Blind, Voice of World, Anandabhavan Deaf and Blind School, Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir, Narendrapur Ram Krishna Mission Ashram Blind Boys Academy, Bharat Seva Mission, Moyna Ramkrishnayan Association, Ananda Bhawan Bishesh Shiksa other Karigari Prashiksan Kendra, Dipshikha Sports Club, Haldia Government College, and Jadavpur University. Two promising young swimmers, miss Reshmi Sharma and Richa Sharma, were present among the special guests, who have earned fame by crossing English Channel.</p> <p>An all Bengal sports competition was held on 27th January, 2011 at the play ground of Shaktinagar High School, Nadia, for the physically challenged boys and girls including blind, deaf-and-dumb and orthopedic. More than 300 competitors from different parts of West Bengal took part in the meet. The whole event was organized by Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir.</p> <p>This year, we paid homage to some great personalities like revolutionary Khudiram Basu at his martyr day on 11th August, 2010, Rev. Lal Bihari Shah, the pioneer in spreading education among the blind in India, at his birthday on 1st December, 2010, the inventor of Braille system Monsieur Louis Braille on 4th January, 2011, his birthday, the birthday of the great leader in the struggle for independence of India, Netaji Subhas Chandra Basu on 23rd of January, 2011 and revolutionary Charu Chandra Basu and sahidi  e-Aajam Bhagat Singh at their martyr s day on 19th and 23rd March, 2011 respectively. These auspicious days were observed in a befitting manner by the members and volunteers as well as by the students studying in the institutions of our Association.</p> <h2>AWARENESS CAMPAIGN</h2> <p>We arranged two exhibitions on Braille system and access technology at the time of Durga Puja at Deshapriya Park in Kolkata of West Bengal and at Hiranandan in Mumbai of Maharashtra. </p> <h2>Purchase of a flat for office cum resource centre</h2> <p>I have the pleasure to inform all our members, well-wishers and acquaintances that we have purchased a flat measuring around 1100 sqft. at 6/B Panchanantala Road, Kolkata - 700019. We convey our heartiest thanks and gratitude to all our donors and well-wishers for their extensive cooperation to collect the amount of about Rs. 25,00000 needed to purchase the same.</p> <h2>Programmes on Movements</h2> <p> This year we organized a number of movements demanding reservation in various govt.-jobs and Educational Institutions. Our movements inspired other organizations for the handicapped persons in West Bengal as also in other states of India to organize movements on similar issues. On 24th June, 2010, a few aspiring sightless candidates went to the office of the Board of Krishnanagar District Primary Education at Varna Parichay Bhavan to submit a petition seeking permission to sit for the selection test for the post of Primary Teachers hitherto denied to the sightless. The Zilla-Sabhadhipati of Nadia District Sri Manik Maitra, that day neither was courteous to meet the candidates nor decent-enough even to received the petition; instead he called for the police to evict the blind boys by force from the office premises. But such ruthless behaviour from the authority could not deter the movement nor could spoil its spirit. On 30th June, 2010, a mass-deputation was called up in front of  Vikash Bhavan to submit a five-point demand list including demands for appointments of sightless persons as Primary Teachers in Primary Schools, 1% reservation for the sightless persons in such posts etc. to the-then Education Minister Sri Partha Dey. More than 200 sightless persons from different districts of West Bengal, as also representatives from Uttar Banga Pratibandhi Sangram Samity and Bankura Sharirik Pratibandhi Unnayan Samity participated in the movement. The Education Minister refused to meet the delegates of the deputationists. An agitation was convened on 22nd July, 2010, in front of the office of the Kolkata District Mass Education Department to protest against the dilly- dallying tactics adopted by the authorities about the award of scholarships to the physically handicapped persons. The desigbnated officer talked with our delegates and assured them that he would collect details about the problem from the Head-Office and intimate us accordingly. He kept his promise. To press for the release of over due students scholarships and for the enhancement of the scholarship amount earmarked for the benefit of the handicapped persons, more than 150 sightless persons assembled in front of the office of the Mass Education Department to submit a mass petition to the minister Sri Tapan Roy, on 3rd September, 2010. The Minister was, however, not present on that day. The designated officer received the petition. On 17th February, 2011, different organizations for the handicapped persons assembled under the aegis of our organization at Raja Subodh Mallick Square and there from moved in a procession to Esplanade. The objective of this movement was to submit a demand note before the Chief Minister urging him to make it obligatory on the part of the Primary School in West Bengal to appoint otherwise eligible sightless persons as Primary teachers. We, the sightless persons, strongly believe that the problems of the sightless persons are not uniquely separate from the other problems plaguing our society. When oppression, exploitation, unbounded profiteering by the opportunist classes are wearing away the saps of the hapless common masses the handicapped persons also become victims. Therefore, they cannot remain silent spectators just on the plea that they are handicapped. They have to fight against those evils along with the other people shoulder to shoulder. The handicapped people in their own way will have to take up the cudgels for the eradication of the problems afflicting the whole society. Otherwise just by shouting out like  we want social recognition they won t get it. Our organization  Blind Persons Association considers that proper and actual social prestige or recognition for the sightless persons is interlinked with and lies in their responsibility in discharging their duties towards the whole society. If they can do it society will automatically bestow recognition on them, it will not need to be extracted. Out of this conviction we also joined with the right thinking people and philanthropic groups of India in condemning the man-made  Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. A mass deputation was organized by us on 22nd June, 2010, to place a note before the Hon ble Governor demanding punishment for the perpetrators of the crime and adequate compensations to the families of dead and other victims. From the different districts of West Bengal more than 200 handicapped persons took part in the agitation.</p> <p>Buddhadeb Sikdar<br> General Secretary <p><a href="#top">Return to top</a> <br>Return to our <a href="default.html">Homepage</a></p> </div> </body> </html>