VISION IN THE DARK

IN THE 26 AUGUST 2023 issue of BW, I wrote a short one-page column titled.

- Krishan Kalra

The Dentist Who Lost his Eyesight but Gained an Inner Vision about this exceptional gentleman, Dr Jitender Aggarwal, who went through the catastrophic experience of losing his central vision, due to macular degeneration, at the young age of 29 and, instead of just 'accepting his fate' went on to create Sarthak that has done a lot of wonderful work for all persons with disabilities or PWDs (including the visually impaired) through about 25 skill development centres all over India as well as three 'early intervention centres' that try to prevent kids growing up as PwDs. Their 25 centres equip Divyangjan - as the PM likes to call PwDs - with adequate skills and also find them suitable jobs with leading corporates and the government so that they are transformed into useful members of society instead of remaining a burden on others.

A Pitch Dark Room

Sarthak has now set up a Global Resource Center (GRC) at Gurugram which has almost everything that a Divyang would need for his/her transformation. Before I mention all the facilities at this place, I want to share with the readers a life changing experience that about 15 of us - from Gurugram and Delhi - went through on a May 2024 afternoon.

We were led into a pitch dark room through a double-door entrance after leaving out our mobile phones and even electronic watches so that there should not be even a brief glimmer of light while we are inside this experiential centre called 'Vision in the Dark'.

Highly trained staff ushered us till the first door and then we were guided in by a VI (vision impaired) gentleman who kept repeating "please carry on along the table or railing on your right or left; there are no obstacles on the ground; do not worry; you are perfectly safe".