A vision that lights up others’ lives

This is a story of a visually impaired teacher’s determination and sheer hard work that is being retold through the success stories of her students. Rahul had become physically challenged due to polio. Today,the 20-year-old is an engineering student in a Meerut college. Ranjit is hearing impaired,but thanks to his training at the Indian Technical Institute,he runs his own workshop at Muzaffarpur. Om Prakash,visually impaired,is a panchayat teacher.

Some 65 boys and girls,40 of whom are visually impaired,are part of Sangita Agarwal’s extended family. The 39-year-old,a PhD and a gold medallist of the University of Delhi,is a senior lecturer in Sanskrit at a college here and runs a school-cum-rehabilitation centre,Shubham,for the physically challenged from the lower income group. Sangita had started Shubham in 1993 with only two students. Today,students not just from Muzaffarpur but also Sitamarhi and Darbhanga in Bihar and even from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh come to Shubham hoping for a better future. Nearly 25 of her students are pursuing higher studies in Delhi,Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

“Every handicapped person is not as lucky as I am. I had the support of my parents and my businessman father ensured that I achieved whatever I wanted without any hiccup. I want these youngsters to take on the so called normal people. It’s not sympathy but opportunity that they want,” says Sangita.

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After her classes at the college,Sangita devotes her entire time and energy to Shubham. She has also engaged six teachers and some people have come forward to sponsor her students.

“I want to establish a full-fledged institute providing specialised training and medical aid to physically and mentally challenged persons. My father has donated 15 katha (approximately 20,415 sq ft) of land for the purpose. I have been meeting like-minded people to start the project,” says Sangita,adding that Shubham needs Rs 40,000 per month and she “invests” a large chunk of her salary here.

Unmarried because she wanted to devote her entire life to Shubham,Sangita says,“Whenever people insist that I take part in a religious ritual,I tell them that I prefer visiting Shubham instead.”