Fourteen glorious years have passed and a continuous process of development has helped Technical and Skill Development Centre for Blind and Disabled (TSDCBD) achieve the founder — Shashi Kala Singh’s goals. Singh expresses extreme pride in having reached this far and aspires to move further. The physically challanged people are not handicapped in their talents. This is evident at TSDCBD. What I personally felt after this visit was that the blind see the world more beautifully than we do and the deaf can hear sounds that we cannot. At TSDCBD, handicraft is a very important source of bringing forth the talents and abilities of the visually impaired. It is also a very important financial source because everything they produce is sold.

The various clay models on display which include clay pots, vases, etc tend to crack when kept in the sun for a long time. To prevent this, they are heated in a kiln. The kiln at TSDCBD was built in 1998, prior to which all models had to be taken to Thimi to be treated. This particular exercise used to cost around Rs 15000 but now that they have their own kiln the cost has come down to Rs 2000.

A kiln is made of bricks with a chimney at the top. Special cotton-foams are used at the door of the kiln, which absorbs the heat and prevents it from escaping. The objects kept inside the kiln are heated for 10 hours at the most at a temperature of 800 degrees. At the end of the 10 hours, the clay objects are heated to the required temperature and the excessive heat escapes through the chimney. This is how a kiln operates. The establishment of the kiln has increased employment opportunities and product variety in the sense that ceramic tiles can also be made now, apart from pottery.

Recently, the TSDCBD has benefited from the contribution of The Himalayan Times (THT). The funds contributed by THT were a great help to the organisation.

The people at TSDCBD know their capabilities and work hard towards achieving their goals. This is the reason why the organisation has progressed over the years. And there is no doubt that in the near future, they will be successful in reaching their goal of improving the lives of the blind, deaf and the physically challenged people and integrating them in society.

— Sneha Subedee, Triyog High School