It's vision possible for the blind

BANGALORE: When G R Mukhta was speaking with this reporter at Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind in Yelahanka here, a girl passed by. Cutting the conversation with an excuse, she called the girl, "Kavya, I heard you have not performed in exams to your own expectations. Is it so?" The girl replied: "Yes maam, I had not understood some concepts." The `ma'am', after certain queries, told her to get the doubts cleared while the concepts are taught. "Stay updated always," Kavya was told, and sent back. Even as the conversation resumed, some more children were asked about how they fared in exams. Similar sweet reprimands followed. That's Muktha for her 116 students, always insisting them to be go-getters. Kavya was the first blind student to join Mathru on the Teacher's Day of 1991. Since then, over 100 of them joined the temple founded by Muktha. As the strength grew, more teachers were appointed to teach varied subjects, including music and arts. Young ones are taught up to X Std as per the state syllabus, while college-goers are helped with classes and study material in Braille. "With most of them being from rural side, they need to be imparted living skills like brushing, bathing, etc," Muktha says. Hygiene and cleanliness are the buzzwords on the premises of the residential school and they are ensured by the students. Being aware of the role played by computers and English language inshaping ones career, the 14-member faculty teaches them through Braille andaudio files. To make sure it's done professionally, Mathru recruits teachers whoare specialized in the job. Volunteers too are service-minded. Says Sujatha S V,who joined Mathru recently: "It's amazing to see students picking up life skillsand moving on. The way they hone their skills in performing arts like theatre,music and dance is equally amusing. I feel gratified helpingthem."Devi Prasad Pervodi, who lost sight while pursuing I PU due tohealth complications, got into the institution to further his studies, albeitthrough Braille. After having been mobility-oriented, he now feels confident. "Ican work on computers to process word and other documents," says Devi Prasad,adding he is good at singing too.Like him, Gowramma and Nagarathna__ who are good at kitchen work __ and many others too are confident to beindependent. They will either opt to work for Mathru or in their home towns. Toprovide jobs to such people, Mathru plans to set up vocational training centresoon. "We hope to see good hearts to open up in the form of donors andvolunteers," says Muktha.