My Children… A Curse Or Blessing?

The Noble Laurette Rabindranath Tagore once said that

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of men.”  

Through this famous quote perhaps the great bard wants to encourage us to love and welcome children in our lives. Consider them as a blessing.

 

However, what if you were a blind mother from the bottom-most economic rungs of the society?

What if your only income source was a paralytic husband who somehow managed to make bidis in a cramped shanty?

 

What if you had not 1 but 11 children?

And what if 5 of them were blind from birth?

 

Would you still consider children to be a blessing…?

 

50-year-old Musharat Khatoon is such a mother from Sathmalpur village of Samastipur district of Bihar.

akhand jyoti 

Being poor was not her only curse.

 

A paralytic husband and 5 blind children topped her misery. To make matters worse, starting some 2 years back, Musharat herself became blind due to cataracts in both of her eyes.

 

Prior to her blindness, she used to manage a bit of earning as a hired farmhand. Blindness took that away too. The worst was that she could not take care of her ‘Blind 5’ anymore.

 

5 blind children, a blind mother, and a paralytic father wobbled and fumbled in a ramshackle shanty.

akhand jyoti 

Like a reality horror show they tried to survive in a dark and disabled world. Time and again Musharat had to call 1 of her 2 married daughters to take care of her and blind children. Sometime the daughters came, sometimes she would have to fend for herself.

 

All hope seemed lost, till one day Musharat heard an announcement, while lying desperate and hopeless in her bed. She heard that Eastern India’s largest Eye Hospital, Akhand Jyoti was organising a free eye camp in her village. That the hospital would do free eye surgeries for the needy.  

akhand jyoti 

In elation with a sudden spark of hope, Musharat twisted and fell from her bed, she crawled towards her main door and flung it open with a ‘thud’ to listen more clearly to an announcement that seemed completely surreal.

 

Her neighbours and bystanders quickly came to lift her up. They made her sit on the threshold. She calmed down and listened more attentively.

 

Yes, it was true… after all there might be a way to defeat her blindness.

 

She went to the village eye camp the next day, where Akhand Jyoti doctors gave her highest priority identifying her as a bilateral cataract patient. However, nothing could be done for her 5 children, who were born blind and could never see in their lifetime.

akhand jyoti eye hospital 

akhand jyoti

Following the diagnosis, Musharat was brought to Akhand Jyoti base hospital at Mastichak where her left eye was successfully operated completely free of cost, after which she was dropped back home.


On a follow-up visit to Musharat’s house, Akhand Jyoti team members found an overactive Musharat running about taking care of her children, cooking, cleaning, and doing other household chores. She had even resumed her old job as a farmhand and was earning a bit to manage the family better.

akhand jyoti 

akhand jyoti

Now the question remains… are her children a blessing? Or are they a curse? We do not know that, but certainly know that Musharat now has the capacity (with her renewed vision) to take care of her children and decide on that.

akhand jyoti 

According to WHO & IAPB Vision 2020

 

“Cataract Surgery is one of the most cost-effective, safest and fastest healthcare interventions to restore livelihoods and uplift the poor from poverty.”

 

Today with the looming dark cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more important than ever to look into ways to ensuring peoples livelihood…

 

Today more than ever cataract surgery remains as an important and precisely effective tool to fight poverty.

 

Today more than ever we need to help mother’s like Musharat fight curable blindness, so than as humans we may continue to contribute to the fruitful survival of humanity. 

 

We at Akhand Jyoti believe that

”Hum nazar hi nahin… nazariyan bhi badalte hain”  

 

meaning

 

“We not only restore vision… but change perspectives too”

 

#ChangingPerspectives

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Over the last 12 years, each day we have poured tremendous time, effort and compassion in reaching out to indigent people who suffer from curable blindness. Our work has taken us to extreme places, among the less fortunate people. Our efforts to restore sight for these people have helped them regain hope and dignity.

 

Most of our work remains free for our patients and is made possible by patronage.

 

Each day our volunteers and team members come across many inspiring recitals of personal growth and tussle. These accounts help us to keep going on with our mission and sustain our impact.

 

You too can help to make an even larger impact.

 

If you find any joy or stimulation here, please support us by sharing your donations. If you have donated earlier, we convey our sincere thanks and look forward to your continued patronage.

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Comments by readers:

 

Reply

Gajendra Singh Chauhan

02/01/2021

I am interested to help underprivileged people of my native village by having your presence there. I will give land free of cost. Please contact.

Akhand Jyoti Team

06/01/2021

Thank you so much for your kind gesture. People like you motivate us in our efforts to help the needy by giving equal opportunities in life. Someone from our team will reach out to you soon. Please take care and stay healthy. Wish you a very happy and prosperous new year.
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