Challenged but not hindered

“We took her to Sassoon Hospital. But there the doctor said there was nothing wrong with the medication and that it can have side effects but only in rare cases. My daughter became one of those rare victims of the medicine,” recalls Dwarka Tithandas Agarwal. The medicine had led to eruption of rashes all over her body,including around her eyes. Due to that,she became partially blind.

But,today Dwarka Tithandas is a proud father. His daughter fought against all odds and scored 82.4 per cent in the SSC examination. “She is very hardworking. I knew she would score well. But it turns out she exceeded my expectations,” her father said with a beaming smile.

When Preeti was six,she was put in Poona Blind School and Home for Blind Girls (Kothrud),a residential school. She studied at Maharshi Karve Mahilashram High School (Karvenagar). She is partially blind and cannot read what is written on the blackboard. “I depend on braille notes and an MP3 player. Besides,the reader is very helpful in understanding the concepts,” says the young pass-out. Hindi is Preeti’s favourite subject and she want to take up Arts in her advanced studies.

Earlier in her life,her family took her to every hospital they could. But now they have come to terms with the fact their daughter will never regain her normal eyesight. So much so,expressing his confidence in her daughter’s abilities,he said,“We have full confidence in her. In spite of her constraints,she will do well in life.”

Preeti’s mother works as an aid for the ill and the bed-ridden through a local nursing agency. Since Preeti can no longer stay at the residential school for blind girls,she is back with her family. “Preeti’s younger sister,who is a Class XII student,now helps her with her studies,” says the father.

Preeti’s blind schoolmate Geetanjali Mudliar,who also gave the SSC examination this year,scored 80.18 per cent. The similarities in the lives of these two girls does not end there. Like Preeti,Geetanjali’s father Prakash Mudliar is also a rickshaw-puller. “I can’t express how happy I am today,” he says. Geetanjali too lost her eyesight when she was around three years.

Elated by her marks,Geetanjali says,“I was little scared about how I fared in History,I had to put in a lot of effort. But I thoroughly enjoy Mathematics.” In her free time,she loves to listen to Hindi film songs. “I want to study well and become a professor,” Geetanjali adds.