A visually challenged student has overcome physical and financial hurdles to be on the verge of completing his postgraduate course in political science from Burdwan University.

A resident of Fajilnagar in Nadia, Osnai Sheikh, 29, had lost his mother when he was five years old. His grandmother Anoara Bibi took care of Osnai but by then the child had lost his vision. Osnai suffered from a severe bout of chicken pox at the age of four. Though he survived the disease, he completely lost his vision.

The death of Osnai’s mother almost orphaned the child as his father remarried and refused to take the child’s responsibilities. Left with no option, Anoara brought Osnai home and took care to ensure his upbringing. However, the challenges of bringing up the kid was too much for homemaker Anoara as she did not have the financial wherewithal.

“Anoara was alone and depended on a small piece of land for survival. Osnai’s responsibility was a burden beyond Anoara’s financial capability. Understanding her pain, a few villagers came forward to help her financially. Despite all odds, Osnai’s never lost his determination to succeed and that has helped him achieve his dream. We are proud of him and even today when he comes home my family takes care of his food,” said his neighbour and small-time businessman Laltu Sheikh, 36.

Among the villagers, specially abled Nasiruddin Shah decided to take care of Osnai’s education. He admitted the child to Class I at a school for the blind at Mahisbathan in Nadia’s Karimpur. As the school was several kilometres away from Fajilpur, Osnai had to be put in the school’s hostel. Nasiruddin did not hesitate to bear the cost of Osnai’s accommodation and education.

Talking about his past struggles, Osnai said: “When my grandmother passed away five years ago I once again got the support of my neighbours who came forward to help me financially. I would not have made it this far, if not for the help of my friends and villagers.”

Villagers said the financial support worked for him because of hard work and determination.

Narrating his journey, a villager said that Osnai moved to Jhunka Pratibandhi Alok Niketan School in Murshidabad after completing Class IV from the Mahisbathan school. After getting promoted from Class VIII, Osnai moved to Calcutta Blind School in Behala. After clearing the Madhyamik exam with 50 per cent marks, he was admitted
to Madanpur Kendriya Adarsh Vidyapeeth in Nadia for his Higher Secondary exam.

In his highersecondary exam, Osnai secured 50 per cent marks and joined Rabindra Bharati University to study political science at the undergraduate level. He scored 65 per cent in his undergraduate exam and is now studying for a postgraduate degree at Burdwan University.

The PG student said: “I received all kinds of aid from a few people till 2019. However, I lost all contacts with them during the pandemic. Since then, even though my hardships have increased, I never discontinued my pursuit of education. It is time that I get a job to make it the icing on the cake of my struggles. I dream to succeed in life and I am lucky to have neighbours and friends who helped me script the success story.”

As Osnai is aware of the financial hardship, the PG student has set his sights on a job at the end of his Master’s degree.

“I am looking for jobs since my Master’s is about to end. Though I aspire to become a teacher, I wouldn’t mind if I get a Group D government job. I really want to become financially independent. ,” he added.

His teachers at Burdwan University are confident about Osnai fulfilling his dream. Praising his determination, Arijit Banerjee, who teaches political science at Burdwan University, said: “Osnai is a very hardworking and good student with an urge to learn. He is also a nice human being and everyone loves Osnai.”