Sambalpur: Loss of sight has not prevented this 24-year-old girl of Rengali block in this district from pursuing her dream to become a teacher.
Gayatri Sahoo (24) of Dharopani village, 40 km from here, aims to teach the poor and the downtrodden of society, helpless and physically challenged children even though she is fully dependent on earnings of her younger brother Hemananda .
“I can do any odd job to realise the dream of my sister,” the 22-year-old who works as a labourer in a bidi factory, says.
The PG 2nd year student of Oriya department of Rama Devi University of Bhubaneswar Saturday met the authorities of the district Red Cross society here and sought financial aid to achieve her goal. While a sum of `10, 000 has been given to her, she would get other government assistance in due course, Red Cross sources said.
Gayatri was blind since her birth. Her father Narayan, and mother Sitanjali consulted many doctors to bring back her vision but failed. Being a bidi labourer, Narayan couldn’t spend much for Gayatri’s advance treatment.
“I have no regret for being blind but losing my father was a big blow to me,” Gayatri said.
Narayan was admitted to VSS Medical College and Hospital after suffering from a deadly disease. The family spent all the savings on his treatment but couldn’t save his life. Narayan died January 1, 2011. Left with no option, Gayatri’s younger brother started working as a labourer to run the family.
At present, Gayatri required nearly `5,000 to complete her Post Graduation. While the earning of `3,000 by her brother is used up meeting the small needs of the family, Gayatri gets a monthly allowance of `500 under Madhubabu Pension scheme. She has not got any other assistance from the district administration as of now, Gayatri said.
Besides being a meritorious student, the sightless girl is a very good short story writer, lyricist and a poet. But she has no means to hone the skills of her daughter, says a helpless Sitanjali.
“My brother has sacrificed a lot to help my education. I would not let his hard work go down the drain,” Gayatri said, adding, she needs the help of the government to become a teacher and teach helpless students. PNN
