Living Up To The Term Differently Abled Persons
Eco emancipation : Amazing feat of a blind couple
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 13 2012: The recently invented term 'differently abled persons' which have started replacing 'persons with disabilities' cannot be truer for this blind couple.

This is an amazing story of a blind couple who are not only self-employed but also giving employment to six other fellow differently abled persons.

For Ranita and Mansing, life is a continuous struggle and they cannot lose heart and hope even for a moment.

Both Ranita and Mansing are totally blind.

Earlier, they did not get any support from any quarter.

Even their own parents drove them out.

Ranita is also suffering the pangs and turmoil of being a rape victim.

She was raped by a friend of her husband.

Though blind, Ranita is adept in manufacturing soaps, detergent powders and dish wash, and her husband is an expert in making Mora (an indigenous stool) .

The never say die couple

In addition to earning their own livelihood, they are also giving employment to six other differently abled persons including widows.

They have now formed a cluster of 28 members and all of them are actively engaged in different economic activities like weaving, manufacturing detergents, soaps, kabok (snack item) and papad.

Ranita and Mansingh are residents of Chandrapur, Jiribam.

Speaking to some media persons at the office of Women Action of Development, Palace Compound today, Ranita said that one of their cluster members include one half-blind, two deaf and mute, three crippled and four widows.

She said they have been facing a problem of inadequate capital which means shortage of raw materials.

All their products like soaps, dish wash, detergents, kabok and hand woven clothes are very popular in Jiribam.

Some people were quite supportive and they said why they should not use the goods produced by the blind couple which is a marvellous feat in itself, Ranita conveyed.

But the group has no common work-shed and they are working at their own homes.

Recalling the bitter days of yore, Ranita said in quivering voice, "Literally the cup of my woes was overflowing and sometimes we lost count of the number of days when we had to go to bed without meals.

I just had water to feed my two children to pass many night" .

"At other times, we fed only our children and we starved", she said.

Ranita is a native of Toubul village, Bishnupur district and she was not born blind.

She lost her eye-sight when she was reading in class VI due to cataract.

After she lost her eye-sight, Ranita was admitted in Takyel Blind School.

It was there she came across Mansingh.

Slowly they became very close and they entered into wedlock after passing class X.Ranita's parents were against this union and they ostracised Ranita for not obeying the elders.

They blind couple moved to Imphal and lived in a rented room.

When they were finding hard to keep the kitchen fire burning, Law Minister Debendra came and gave them Rs 5000 with a suggestion to move to Jiribam.

Accordingly, they moved to Jiribam with their small children.

As they could not find any proper place, they made their settlement on a vacant hill slope.

They started their new live by rearing piglets.

But it soon turned out to be a nightmare as she was led to an isolated place by a neighbour saying that he would take her to a place where feeds for her piglets would be found aplenty.

Instead of finding pig feeds, the neighbour raped her at the isolated place.

After this incident, the couple left their home and filed a case against rapist Dayamoi with the help of a pastor.

The rapist threatened the couple repeatedly asking them to withdraw their case.

But Ranita was determined to fight for justice but the case is still pending.

Ranita said "I would not waver until the man who outraged my modesty is given befitting punishment" .

After their re-settlement at Jiribam, Ranita had the chance to attend a training programme about women empowerment organised by the Women Action for Development.

On the very day of the training programme, Ranita was given Rs 100 by WAD secretary Sobita with which she bought caustic soda and started making detergents.