The 18-year-old Anjali Kumari is one among the matriculation examines but not alike them. What makes her unique is her lost vision and paralysed lower body part due to medicine reaction in 2009. In spite of all these health ailments, she is presently the top student of her batch in Ranchi’s St Michael Blind School.
“It was during Dusshera in 2009 when I was suffering from high fever and admitted to a hospital. I was just 12 years and a student of class eighth. Doctors prescribed a medicine which resulted to reaction and I immediately lost vision of both my eyes. After six months, the portion from my waist to toes got paralysed. I had no option except for staying at home and undergo treatment for two years. During this time, my parents took me to Vellore’s Rehabilitation Centre where I learned ‘Braille’ within a week with the help of a friend Harsha Jain, daughter of Chennai-based elite family who too lost her eyesight just like me,” Anjali said.
Noticing Anjali’s love for studies, her parents admitted her to this blind school in 2012 after she successfully cleared the formal admission interview for Class ninth. According to her teachers and batchmates she is topper in every subject and never considers her disabilities obstacle in academics. Her father who is associated with a media house does part time jobs to fulfil the basic needs of the family members. On the other hand, her mother works as private school teacher to make both the ends meet.
Her father said, “Anjali is my youngest child. My second child, a daughter again is settled in Guwahati. I lost my son, the eldest child in 2004 in a road accident. Then, Anjali’s condition deteriorated but I did not lose hope as Anjali owns a sharp mind and has a bright future ahead.” Anjali’s parents have to hold her in arms from bed to washroom, car seat to classroom seat. She said, “Till date I do not have my own wheel chair. School people somehow manage me but at home it is very difficult. These hurdles have made me control urine for six hours. Afterall, I too can be self-independent without sympathy of my parents and relatives.”
Describing her aspirations, Anjali aspires to become a software engineer. “In these state board examinations, we are given a junior student as assistant who writes our answers. I am good in Braille so wish I could myself write the answers. Relying on others is against my principles,” she maintained. Her batchmates and teachers are sure that she will definitely be among top three rank holders of matric 2014 from her school.