Kolkata: Very few of us have probably ever wondered if the visually challenged join the Puja festivities and whether they, too, go pandal-hopping like the rest. On Friday, some of them did get to touch and feel idols at Kumartuli.
Salt Lake Cultural Society, which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, took a group of about 20 visually challenged men and women from the 'Workshop for the Blind', a Salt Lake-based welfare organisation, to Kumartuli on Friday to give them a feel of how Durga idols are made and how they "look" like.
Bereft of vision but not short in spirit, the excitement of the group was evident as they touched and smelled the idols. After reaching Kumartuli in a bus, they held onto the shoulders of their fellow mates, forming a queue as they entered the lanes.
Their faces reflected joy and wonder as they touched the idols of Durga and her children, the lion and the asura. They ran their fingers on the faces, arms and bodies repeatedly for a feel. "We cannot express our joy in words. We never touched an idol before. Today, we 'saw' goddess Durga in a way like we have never done before," said Kakoli Barui, a member of the group.
For the likes of Sakina Khatun, the most special experience was to feel 10 hands of Goddess Durga. "We only used to hear from others how the goddess looked.
Today, we touched the idols and got a first-hand feel of the goddess's 10 hands
and her eyes, said Subhra Sarkar, one of the members.
"It was beyond our imagination to have such an amazing experience. We express our gratitude to the Salt Lake Cultural Society. We are overjoyed," said 'Workshop For The Blind' secretary Swapan Ghosal, who is visually challenged as well.
Salt Lake Cultural Society vice-president Biman Ganguly said: "They used to lament that they could never get the real feel of Goddess Durga. We then planned the trip for them. We are happy that we could at least do something to bring smiles on their faces," he said.
Published in The Times of India by Suman Chakraborti on September 3, 2022