Divyajeevan

Pragnachakshu

Let me talk of a Pragna Chakshu Lady. The beauty of the Sanskrit language is seen in this word. A person whose eyes of knowledge – Pragna – have opened up, is a Pragnachakshu. He or she may be physically blind. But internally she can see more than a normal person. She can see in future. A visionary with confidence in her vision. I do not know the English word for this term, so I will use it – Pragnachakshu.

On 26th January, 2001, we saw a massive earthquake. The epicentre was in Kutch but massive damage was done all over Gujarat right up to Ahmedabad. Waves & waves of people from all over India were coming to Gujarat with all kinds of help for the victims. The Chamber of Income-tax Consultants, Bomabay Chartered Accountants’ Society, the Sales Tax Practitioners’ Association, Giants’ Club of Byculla; Mumbai Stove & Petromax Dealers Association, Pydhonie; and several NGOs joined hands and decided to provide some help. A delegation of the Presidents/representatives of all these associations led by Shri V. H. Patil and Shri Narayan Varma reached a school cum hostel for blind girls – Pragnachakshu Mahila Seva Kunj at Surendra Nagar.

Smt. Muktabahen Dagli is the Principal, and herself, a Pragnachakshu lady. She took us around. The hostel was run from four little houses. They were purchased at a cost of less than Rs. 400 per square foot by different people. Even in Gujarat, that price meant that these homes were in a situation between a hut and a kuchha home. One house was given to Smt. Muktabahen by her family. The other three belonged to relatives who gave them to Muktabahen for running her hostel. All houses were damaged by the earthquake. So all the inmates –about one hundred blind girls were staying, eating and sleeping on the road, under plastic sheets. In January, Surendra Nagar is cold. And after the earthquake, it rained several times. Imagine the plight of these ladies.

Muktabahen takes only blind girls as inmates. Then she makes them independent. They should learn to wear clothes, use toilet, eat properly, cook their food, and manage themselves through the roads. By the time they are around eighteen, they should be able to do a small business and support themselves.

We were taken to their kitchen to see how blind girls were cooking the food. When I think of a school girl learning cooking for the first time, I get scared about their chances of hurt, of accidentally burning their hands, and so many dangers. This is about normal children. How would a blind girl! Well, there was a blind girl making chapattis and then heating them on the stove. I was scared. So were others in the delegation. Another lady was to fry bhajias. I love bhajia. But frying in a boiling pan full of oil! But this lady was comfortable. She started the gas stove herself. Let the oil heat. After a few minutes, the hot oil gives a different smell. She took a bit of atta and put in the frying pan. It started making that typical noise and gave out the smell of bhajia. So, she knew that the oil was ready. She mixed potatoes etc. with the atta and placed them in the pan. Judging the distance purely by estimate. First class bhajias were ready in no time. Then while the last lot was still in the pan, she put off the stove. She knew that the oil was hot. It will do its function for next few minutes in which, the bhajia will be ready. Why not save the gas for a few minutes! While her eyes could not see; her senses of ears and nose functioned more than they do for the normal people.

When we came out of the kitchen almost every one had tears in the eyes. It must be a rare scene to see eight tax consultants shaken up simultaneously. The tears were because of sympathy, because of the fear that we felt for the blind sisters, and for the knowledge amd joy that someone is doing such a great and next to impossible job of trying to make them independent.

Pragnachakshu Mahila Seva Kunj (PMSK) needed less than Rs. 2,00,000 for repairing all the houses. That was immediately promised. Then Shri Narayanbhai made an offer: “Muktabahen, if we give Rs. 5,00,000 more will you associate the name of our institutions with your PMSK!” (Of course, the funds would come from friends and relatives who would be contacted separately. The earthquake relief fund could not be used for more than earthquake damage control.) She replied: “ My elder brother, thank you for the offer. But please see how can I give the name for Rs. 5,00,000! I have started kindergarten classes, primary school and middle school. Next I will start a college. Then I will start a college for the teachers – P.T.C. college. Total funds required will be much more.”

Again the entire delegation was stunned. This lady is herself blind. She is taking care of hundred blind students who are now her children. She is on the street, under black plastic sheets. She does not know where from her next month’s budget will come. And she has a grand vision of a complete educational institution! We did not utter a single word, saluted her and came back. This is how our introduction with PMSK started.

In the year 2005, CITC representative Shri Vipin Batavia went to attend inauguration of the school, and hostel with a total budget of more than Rs. 1.5 crores. Today, the new completed building is ready and functioning. There is a Sanskrit Sholka: “If the Lord is pleased, dumb will start speaking and the lame will climb mountains.” We have seen the God’s blessings making possible what seemed impossible just in the year 2001. God blesses the courageous. The visionaries who have faith in their vision.

Then of course I have visited PMSK several times. Some stories:

Muktabahen was a normal child at birth. Around the age of five, she lost her vision due to some sudden illness. That day must have been a disaster. But she studied. Graduated. She married Pankajbhai who is also Pragnachakshu. Both married with the agreement that they will spend their life in service to other blind people. To avoid the chances that children may come in the way of social service, they will not have children!!! Now Muktabahen is the Principal of PMSK and Pankajbhai is the Principal of a similar school for the blind at Amreli.

When a blind child is born in a family, there is great shock, disbelief and agony. Initially, everyone is loving, sympathetic and kind to the child. Slowly, love gives place to disregard, casual indifference and then hatred. In a few years, next child comes and everyone forgets the blind child. Consider the case of this mother from upper middle class. She was ashamed of her blind daughter. She hoped that somehow the girl will die. The child was not be looked after, was not nourished, and beaten up for no fault of hers. With all this, the child did not die. But then the grandmother got scared. She felt that frustrated by her failure in having the child die naturally, the mother will try something unnatural to see the child dead. So one day, the grandmother came to PMSK and handed over the child in the care of Muktabahen. I happened to go there within a week. A four year old girl looking like two years old. Legs and hands resembled thin ropes. She could not speak. She was scared of the whole world. She would just cling to Muktabahen and not go to anyone else.

It is said that a child grows healthy with love. Food and nourishment are only complimentary factors. After two years when I went to PMSK, the same girl was freely playing around like a normal naughty girl. She had grown into her full age. Was talking and understanding every thing. It was her sole monopoly to sit in the lap of Muktabahen irrespective of how many guests were there and howsoever busy Muktabahen might be.

PMSK has plenty of such hi-stories. Muktabahen knows that when a family hands over a blind girl child to her; the family wants to forget the child. PMSK provides education to girls up to 10th standard. Then sends them to normal junior college and regular college upto graduation. This helps them mix with the normal society. They are also taught music up to “Visharad” and “Shiksha Visharad”. This helps a girl get a music teacher’s job in a primary or secondary school. Those who cannot study so much, are taught shorter courses of running computers; beauty parlour, etc. one year courses.

PMSK also finds a suitable groom for the girl when she reaches marriageable age, gets her married. Sometimes the parents attend the marriage, sometimes they don’t. After marriage, when the girl becomes pregnant, PMSK is her mother’s home. She will come to PMSK for the delivery. Really, a grand institution.

Mahatma Gandhi had said: “When you work for the poorest of the poor, the downtrodden; and try to make them stand on their own feet –literally and financially; God is always with you. You can never go wrong.” He has been proved right by Muktabahen and Pankajbhai.

If you ever go to Surendra Nagar, visit PMSK. Muktabahen’s phone numbers are: PMSK : 02752 293400; 293100.

Her address is :Pragnachashu Mahila Seva Kunj, Opposite Jalaram Petrol Pump; Near Lok Vidyalaya; Surendra Nagar Muli Road, Gujarat.

She has got enough experiences in life which can make us proud with her achievements. President of India Abdul Kalam honoured her by giving her “Stree Shakti Award”. And she can also make us feel small… when with all the comforts of life, we still complain. I have not seen Muktabahen afraid of difficulties. She is bold. As Galib has said: “When the difficulties cross all limits, everything becomes easy”. Out of my tremendous respect for her, I may be exaggerating. Please go to Surendra Nagar and see for yourself. Surendra Nagar is between Ahmedabad and Rajkot. Can be reached by road as well as train.

Pranam.