In a heart-warming display of inclusion and community spirit, visually impaired students from the Workshop for the Blind visited BA Block’s puja pandal on October 7 and, not saw but, felt the idols.

Students of the LB Block institute said that Durga puja is usually a personal celebration for them as they prefer staying home. “I stay home to avoid the crowds and even if we do go out, we do not understand the pandal unless someone describes the idol and theme to us,” said Kakoli Badal, a demonstrator at the workshop.

“Then once when I was visiting a pandal someone from the crowd said out loud that since we cannot see we shouldn’t come to pandals at all. It hurt me and thereafter I don’t go to pandals,” she added.

But at BA Block, the group of four were invited to touch the idols and decorations.

“This was a wonderful experience. The puppets (that was the theme of the puja) were huge, the goddess was wearing a velvet sari, the lion was sculpted skillfully and Ganesh had a big stomach,” laughed Kakoli. “We had visited Kumartuli in 2022 for a similar experience but back then the idols were not complete.”

Chandan Mukherjee, another student, enjoyed it too. “This year I’m staying at the institute but if I am home I usually visit a few pandals to imbibe the feel of celebration and connect with the people I know,” said the boy who also hummed the songs being performed on stage.

The block association was pleased to host the students. “We were happy they agreed to come and that we could make a modest contribution to their institution, which would help them,” said Arunava Das, immediate past president of the block. “They only needed someone to explain the pandal and idol to them and when they inquired about touching the idols, we readily agreed. It was nice to see them enjoying the puja.”