It is a proud moment for the Blind Relief Association on Mr. Abhishek Thakur, alumnus and Managing Committee Member, being bestowed the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the year 2022.
This award is in the category of Individual Excellence – Shresth Divyangjan in recognition of the work he has done for the empowerment of persons with disabilities. The award was conferred to him by the Honourable President of India on 3rd December 2022.
Mr. Abhishek Thakur completed his schooling at the Blind Relief Association’s JPM Senior Secondary School during 1997- 2006. He holds an M.Phil and Master’s Degree from TISS - Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He is also an alumnus of the Prestigious St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. He now works as an Assistant Professor, at the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi.
Award for Mr. K. C. Pande
A hearty congratulations to our Executive Secretary Mr. Kailash Chandra Pande for having been conferred the NAB Sarojini Trilok Nath National Award by National Association for the Blind, Delhi in the 'Best Individual' category.
The felicitation ceremony MEDHA 2022 was organized by NAB, Delhi on the occasion of the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December in Tamil Sangam Auditorium, New Delhi. The award was presented in honour of Mr. Pande's selfless service and for dedicating his life to working for the empowerment of persons with visual disabilities.
Kizuna 2022
The ‘Sawaru Nihongo’ Group of the Blind Relief Association participated in Kizuna, a Japanese cultural festival, organized by Centre for Japanese Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University on 11 November 2022.
“Sawaru Nihongo" meaning Touch Japanese is a group formed in September 2018 to teach Japanese language to help former JPM students fulfill their desire to pursue study of Japanese, as well as to respond to interest of the other students and working professionals.
In their mellifluous performance, 17 students presented 2 Japanese group songs - "Shiki no Uta", a Japanese seasonal song, and "Sare Jahan Se Achha" (doko yori mo), a Hindi-Japanese patriotic song translated by Prof. Satoshi Hata of Ritsumeikan University of Japan, on the propitious occasion of 70 years of Indo-Japan friendly diplomatic relations.
Students worked diligently to make their performance impeccable. Mr. K.C. Pande (Hony. Executive Secretary, The Blind Relief Association), Mr. Varun Kumar (a volunteer teacher and Masters’ student, Jawaharlal Nehru University), Mr. Deepak Gupta (Coordinator of the team and Assistant Professor, Department of English, Motilal Nehru Evening College, University of Delhi) and Mr. Ajay Gupta (a peer teacher and Delhi University student) worked tirelessly to prepare the students for this event. Participants were facilitated with Braille scripts of the lyrics.
Besides, the team also shared the story of Japanese language classes for the visually impaired being run since 2012 by The Blind Relief Association and how 'Sawaru Nihongo Group' came into being in 2018 and distributed pamphlets that contained basic information on how the students learn Japanese Braille and appear for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
Hisashi SEKI a volunteer- teacher from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) currently teaching SHIATSU (massage) in The Blind Relief Association Delhi gave a demonstration of the Japanese martial art AIKIDO.
Mercer Visit
A 12-member team from Mercer that included Mr. Alan Capper, Global Leader of Application Modernization & Maintenance at MMC visited the Blind Relief Association on 12 November. The team toured the different units, spent time in the Candle Unit making and packing candles, and also interacted with the trainees undergoing Multi-Skill Training, a vocational course supported by Mercer Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
Make Happy, Be Happy
The team from pladis Global celebrated their "Make Happy, Be Happy" day with us at the Blind Relief Association on 17 November.
The Pladis team underwent orientation sessions in which they were blindfolded and asked to reach a certain destination within the campus, later they were handheld by the trainees to reach the same location.
The members expressed their surprise at the speed and ease with which the trainees led them. Pladis, which is supporting the bakery classes of the Multi-Skill Training also conducted a baking competition in the morning and the winning teams were presented gifts in the ceremony. Along with this the staff members also engaged in storytelling and interacting with the Multi-Skill trainees. The trainees presented a group song for the guests.
Farewell
The eighth batch of the Diploma in Computer Education (V.I.) was given a warm farewell on 17 November 2022. The batch consisting of 14 trainees, of which 13 are visually impaired shared their experiences, feedback, and gratitude for the organization and their trainers at the farewell.
Sports Day
The JPM Senior Secondary School held the Annual Sports Day on the 18 and 19 of November 2022, for the first time after the pandemic. While the events for the junior boys included the 100 m race, frog jump, and musical chair, the senior boys competed in the 200 m race, long jump, and shot put. The boys participated in the events with great enthusiasm and vigor. The winners were later awarded certificates.
While the Blind Relief Association is keen on empowering students with education and skill training, sports is also given equal importance to their growth and development. Along with their academic subjects, the school students also participate in dedicated physical training classes during the week.
Football with Turner & Townsend
A game of cricket and football on a warm winter afternoon was a lot of excitement and fun not just for our trainees but also for the employees of Turner & Townsend
A team of 35 members from Turner & Townsend Delhi visited the Blind Relief Association on 6 December as a part of their CSR Volunteering events.
The members spent time interacting with the vocational trainees and helping them in the Candle, Paper, and Sewing Units. The team also stepped forward to serve lunch for the residents and donated winter wear.
Mohan Veena Recital
Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a Grammy & Padma Vibhushan Awardee under the aegis of Spic Macay gave a Mohan-Veena Recital on 8 December 2022 at 11:00 am in the Gandhi Centenary Hall of the Blind Relief Association, Delhi. Accompanying on the tabla was Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra. The students found the lec-dem enjoyable and were found to be listening to the music very intently. Pandit ji also answered many questions from several keen students.
Vijay Diwas
Dr. Manoj Kumar who was formerly Corporal Manoj Kumar in the Indian Air Force and now a teacher at the JPM Senior Secondary School for the Blind was invited by General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff to the ‘At Home' reception held at Army House on the eve of Vijay Diwas.
Dr. Manoj attended the reception along with his wife and met there with the Honorable President of India, Smt. Draupadi Murmu; and Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. Many dignitaries including the Defense Minister of India also attended the reception.
Christmas & New Year Celebrations
The Blind Relief Association, Delhi strongly believes in bringing smiles to all its vocational training students with various initiatives. We make it a point that each resident undergoes a normal routine of life and enjoys all the festivities.
Keeping this in mind, we celebrated Christmas on 23rd December with all the trainees. The program was organized on the lawns of the Association on a bright sunny morning. There were games like spoon race and passing the ball which was immensely enjoyed by the trainees. We also played Christmas carols and other songs to which they enjoyed dancing. The cake was baked in-house and it gave a special touch to the celebrations. All the staff members came together to organize this special day.
How could we miss celebrating New Year’s Eve though we celebrated it during the morning hours of 31st December? A musical program was organized in which a few of our students, learning guitar from a volunteer Arhan of Class X, played some melodious songs. These participants also shared their wonderful experiences of learning guitar. Arhan and his parents who were also present for this program shared their experience of their association. After this program, the support staff took the students for a picnic at Sunder Nursery where they thoroughly enjoyed long walks, swings, games, and delicious food.
Mr. K.C. Pande, Hony. Executive Secretary of B.R.A graced both these events with his presence and was very happy to be a part of them. He strongly believes in practical and outdoor learning for these students which prepares them for their future life.
Other updates
1. In the State Level school competitions under the aegis of the Directorate of Education, the students of JPM School participated and won the following positions:
Extempore (Hindi - Junior) – Atul Yadav, Class VIII - First Place
Extempore (Hindi - Senior) – Ankit Kumar Singh, Class XII - Second Place
Poem Recitation (Senior) – Ankit Kumar Singh, Class XII - Second Place
2. From 13 November - 15 December, the second-year trainees of Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education conducted teaching practice in various inclusive and special schools in Delhi.
