In the wrap-up post for the month of March I had regretted having lost the opportunity to serve the community on the 4th of the month which was my late father’s birthday.
We had then postponed the date to the 9th of this month. So on that day, me, my elder sister and B-I-L spent the afternoon in the Blind School, Lodhi Road run by the Blind Relief Association.
As already planned, we donated lunch for the children. Allowed by the school we also assisted in serving the meal to them. We arrived a few minutes late due to traffic and the distance. Lunch had already started at the scheduled time, i.e., 12.00 PM. The children, some of whom were inmates while others attended as day boarders, came in batches. So we served the coming batches.
The school has day-wise pre-fixed menu. We added a sweet dish which was ice-cream. The dining hall is big. The number of children, we were told, is around three hundred to three hundred and fifty. The school is well maintained and run by a Trust. A lot of private donations are also made towards meals, medicines, uniforms and other things needed by the students.
The best thing about the school is its cheerful and positive atmosphere. All the students of various age groups are very well behaved, nest and tidy, in proper uniform and look happy. The staff is attentive and caring. The arrangements are smooth and very orderly. It’s like a huge well-oiled machinery working systematically and noiselessly. We also saw the children attending various classes post lunch quietly working on their arts and crafts. The teachers appear to be well trained as well.
We took a round of the kitchen which was spotlessly clean. We were very much taken by the roti maker which could make three hundred rotis in an hour. The school gives vocational training to the students on candle making, book binding, computer operation, stitching (for girls) among others. The students also run a cafe, little known to the public, inside the premise where they make and serve vegetable sandwiches and coffee.
Every year before Diwali, the school holds a fair, famously called the Diwali Mela, wherein candles, cards and other decorative items hand crafted by the students are sold. This school and the fair is in the vicinity of my Office. I know how the products displayed in the Mela sell like hot cakes. I once purchased a huge candle and a bunch of envelopes from there. I still have those envelopes.
It is very difficult to navigate the traffic during the Mela time as a humungous crowd, from various corners of the city, throng the place. Our Organization, being welfare oriented, have often made substantial contributions to the school. I remember, once a lunch was arranged by the WIPS (Women In Public Sector) wing of our Office. I could not participate then but I always had a mind to do so if ever life allowed. This month by God’s grace, we did it and it was such a humbling and soul satisfying experience.
Postscript: Learn more about the school here.
Thanks Didi for this heart warming experience you shared. I have corrected my FB post. I’m sorry once again. 🙏
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Don’t be sorry. In fact, I was later thinking how does it make a difference? A Chatterjee or a Banerjee?
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🙏 that’s magnanimous
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This is really a beautiful way to honour your father’s memory, Geeta Ji.
And truly worth all the effort you took to reach there and do your bit. The dinning hall is looking so clean and well organised.
I’ve heard of the Diwali Mela there, there’s another Blind School in Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar, that hosts something similar. The handmade crafts by the children are always so special.
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True , Chetna. It was a very satisfying afternoon.
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A humble experience to honor your father!💕🙏
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Thank you so much Ganga
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What a way to honour and remember your father,Geeta Ji
All of us should donate to organisations doing such work.
The thing I liked most is the vocational training provided to them.
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Yes, Nusrat. The children are well trained there. You should see their Diwali Mela display.
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That’s a wonderful way of remembering your father. ❤️🙏
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Thank you so much Indrajit
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Such a generous gift to the community
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Thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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A noble way to celebrate a special day 🙏
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🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
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Social responsibility . . . Well-done Ma’am !
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Thank you so much 🙏🙏
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that is so nice that you could do that and I’m sure the kids really appreciated it!
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Thank you so much Carol Anne. God bless.
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Such a meaningful way to honour your father’s memory. What you’ve shared feels very real and grounded—the joy of giving, the discipline of the place, and the warmth of the children all come through beautifully. Must have been a deeply fulfilling day for you and your family.
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Yes, it was a very fulfilling experience Maha.
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Thanks Geeta for sharing this- your beautiful gesture and this wonderful institution
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Thank you very much dear Sadje
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You’re most welcome dear friend
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