ANNUAL REPORT

Blind Persons’ Association has passed another eventful year. It has enriched us with new experiences. Some of the noteworthy experiences are mentioned below for our members and wellwishers.

Education

The Association has been working for the promotion of education among the sightless people through its three blind schools and a braille press. Tarun Memorial School for the Sightless, an institution established and conducted by the organisation at Shyamnagar, 24 Pgs (N), has stepped into its silver jubilee year. The school observed its 25th foundation day through a cultural function at nearby Bharat Chandra Library Hall on 07.02.2005.

We have also taken up the task of expanding the school building of Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir at Krisnanagar, Nadia. Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir and Nazrul Smriti Dristihin Vidyalaya of Gangpur, Burdwan observed their foundation days in a befitting manner. The roll strength of these schools has increased during this year.

We try to organize educational tour for the students of our school every year for their mental development. They were sent on an excursion to the Botanical Garden at Shibpur, Howrah on 19.02.2005 with their teachers and volunteers.

Braille Press Project

Our braille press Lal Bihari Shah Braille Academia at Bidyapalli, Malancha Mahinagar, Kolkata 700145 has published quite a few books in braille in Bengali and English this year. Among these are Sharat Chandra’s “Pallisamaj”, Bibhutibhushan’s “Aranyak”, Selected poems of Jibananda and an exclusive computer manual for sightless users.

This braille press project was expected to be completed in 2006 at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crore. We could not make expected progress in respect of collecting funds and other resources. Naturally the project is likely to take a few more years to be completed and cost us additional funds on account of escalation of prices. The project is now in its second phase during which we are going to construct the first and second floor of the building and purchase additional braille embossers and computers.

Cultural Activities

We consider it our bounden duty to remember the great men of the country and the world. This year is being observed as the 125th birth anniversary of Helen Keller. Her 125th birthday on 27.06.2004 was celebrated through prabhat pheri, blood donation camp and a meeting at Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir, the school named after her. We also organized a seminar and a cultural function on this occasion at Gandhibhaban, Jadabpur University on 30.06.2004. Among the distinguished guests present were Dr. Sujit Kumar Basu,Vice Chancellor of Viswa Varati University and Sri Swapan Mukherjee, a Bengali biographer of Helen Keller.

Another meeting was organized at hhe assembly of Burdwan University on 19.09.2004. The braille edition of V.S. Brooks’s “Helen Keller, Sketch for a Portrait” embossed by Lal Bihari Shah Braille Academia was formally released on this day.

Moreover, the martyrdom days of Ksudiram Bose and Bhagat Singh, two intransigent revolutionaries of India’s freedom movement, were observed with due respect respectively at Nazrul Smriti Dristihin Vidyalaya and Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir. The organisation also paid homage to Lal Bihari Shah, the pioneer in the spread of education among the sightless people in this country, and Monsieur Louis Braille, the inventor of braille system on the occasion of their birthdays.

The 25th death anniversary of Tarun Sengupta, who played a leading role in the development of the organisation, was observed through a solemn function at Tarun Memorial School for the Sightless on 07.09.2004. Kamalendu Bhatacharya, former President of the Association whose contribution helped the organisation to reach its current position, was remembered on 08.02.2005 on the occasion of his 7th death anniversary.

Helen Keller Smriti Vidyamandir organizes all Bengal sports meet for physically handicapped people every year. This year the meet was held at Krisnanagar on 09.02.2005.

Social Awareness Campaign

Blind Persons’ Association considers it a moral duty on the part of the sightless people as social beings to extend their support to the victims of any natural calamity. The people of several districts of West Bengal were badly affected by flood in October, 2004. We in spite of our many limitations collected some relief materials and distributem them among the flood-hit people at Maslandapur, 24 Pgs (N). We also took special initiative to collect relief materials at Shyamnagar, 24 Pgs (N) and at Gobindapur, 24 Pgs (S) for the people severely affected by the tsunami of 26.12.2004. The collected materials were sent to the victims.

We arrange exhibition of braille and other tactile methods used by sightless people in their education to create social awareness. We organized exhibitions at public places like the puja pandals of Deshapriya Park and Pallimangal club during the Durgapuja in Kolkata. A similar exhibition was also organized at Poushmela at Shantiniketan. Exhibitions were held at Hinemarch Institute of Kanchrapara, 24 Pgs (N) and Ushagram, Asansol, Burdwan.

Besides, Southpoint High School selected our braille press complex as one of the six places which they visited as a part of their golden jubilee celebration during this year. Studets of All Bengal Teachers Training College, Calcutta Girls Education College, Muralidhar Girls College and Surendranath College (Morning Section) visited this project. We made arangements for a special class on children’s psychology for the students of All Bengal Teachers’ Training College at the braille press premises. This class was conducted by Sri Shibabrata Sengupta, one of the Advisers of the organisation.

Movements

Blind Persons’ Association is now an active participating orgaqnisation in the joint movement conducted under the banner of Sara Bangla Pratibandhi Sangram Committee. The Committee organized mass deputations to the District Magistrate of Nadia on 30.07.2004, to the office of the Chairman of Public Service Commission on 30.11.2004, to the Chief Minister of the state on 10.12.2004 and to the District Magistrate of 24 Pgs (N) on 15.03.2005 for securing rights of the physically handicapped people. We tried to exert our full strength in these movements.

The Association organized a mass deputation to the Chief Minister of West Bengal on 31.01.2005 protesting against the molestation of a sightless girl at Dhorandaha village under Thanarpara PS in Nadia district and demanding exemplary punishment of the perpetrators of the crime.

The we have time and again appealed to the state government for allowing sightless candidates to appear at public competitive examinations with the help of scribe and ensuring reservation of posts for them in government offices. All our appeals have failed to move the concerned ministry in spite of specific legal provisions and court verdicts. At last we have filed a Public Interest Litigation in the honourable Kolkata High Court in February 2005 seeking provision of scribe in the examinations conducted by West Bengal Public Service Commission and reservation of posts in offices under the government of West Bengal.

Saikat Kar
General Secretary