Pandua is a small village town in Hooghly district of West Bengal. As a Communications Executive in a NGO, my primary duty was to personally visit the various centers under the penumbra of my organization and create reports. Accordingly, I visited an office and clinic located in a distant underprivileged village called Kamarpara, an hour's drive from Pandua railway station. I was warmly welcomed into the office by the teachers and members of the governing body. As I explained to them the cause of my arrival, I was provided with a pamphlet and the Annual Report of the centre which helped me get an impression about the organization. The center aimed at appropriate rehabilitation of the children and adults with disabilities. The vision of the organization was to create a non-threatening, non-discriminating environment within the society to provide equal opportunities to disabled persons. The primary objective was to provide vocational training to adult women with deafness.
The Clinic
I then visited the Clinic just next to the office. It's but a two-roomed affair with straw-roof, quite like the dark office room. I had in mind meeting the parents, kids, trainers and teachers and interviewing them. The first kid I met was Surajit Mahato, who came to the center from Magra.The 4 year old was suffering from cerebral palsy and lack of neck control. His mother was always with him and it's due to her able co-operation that young Surajit was improving. In the room where special education was going on, I met a lot of kids and parents. The trainers were teaching them basic bathroom and sitting manners, names of birds, animals, fruits and flowers, primary level communication and poems, addresses, own name and father's name. One of the trainers acquainted me with a kid called Suprabho. 4 year old Suprabho has an orthopaedic problem and mental retardation too. He was showing rapid development in response to the special education and physiotherapy. I wished him the best with all my heart. After a while, I went to the other room, where a mother was being taught how to stretch and message her mentally retarded girl child's feet in order to make her walk steadily. This was the physiotherapy room. The bricks of half of the ceiling had already vanished. An electric fan hang dangerously amidst the clutter of bricks. However, no one seemed to be moved. They were engrossed in their respective jobs. The physiotherapist paid little attention to the ceiling and went on with his task of providing treatment to the child. It was like watching a saint in meditation.
In the End
It's amazing how people there were working enthusiastically amidst all sorts of hurdles. The main problem of Pandua block was fund-raising which was difficult due to the distant location of the center. The center may be devoid of facilities, but the level of involvement of the trainers and parents was set at such a high note, that they could easily keep aside the problems and work together towards the well-being of the innocent ones. The effort that all the people puts in, is undoubtedly praiseworthy. I sincerely wished them best. As I bidded farewell to all the staff, I realized that this experience will make me a better human being. Today, I have seen people who love others more than themselves, and they indeed are among the blessed few. Pandua taught me how to love people, how to love – LIFE.
