Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: We cannot outright reject the visually-impaired students as lacking diverse skills. A visit to the Bhima Bhoi School for the Blind will reaffirm this conviction. The students of the school have stunned everyone with their ability to make exquisite handicraft items on their school premises.
They have created beautiful flower baskets, animal figures and wallets of plastic flakes among other things. They have also proved their mettle in weaving cane chairs and stools with plastic tapes. Speaking to Orissa POST, craft teacher Bipin Kumar Maharana, who has been with the school since 1990, said, “I teach the students how to create a knot with plastic flakes from which they create nice furniture. Eventually, the students also give shape to their innovative ideas in their crafts.
We have allocated sepa- rate craft periods for every class so that they can hone some craft.” More than 90 students are learning handicrafts at the school. Plastic wire craft has been losing its importance, but it could help these students if the government provides some assistance to introduce other crafts, Maharana opines. “The government should intro- duce paper craft, coir craft, incense- making and other crafts for the liveli- hood support of these students. They must learn such trades if they do not excel in studies,” Bipin added. Leena Swain, a student of Class VII, said it elates her when she creates some craft items.
“Learning a skill is always a boon. Once, we are acquainted with the ways of making a craft, we can give shape to our imagination.” Student Soumya Ranjan says vocational classes often em- power students to push ahead beyond boundaries. Meanwhile, school head- master Gouranga Chandra Patra stated that classes in handicrafts help disables students to build their foundation. “We just teach peo- ple what we know. The students can become experts in this craft through practice and thorough vocational training,” Patra added. Art teachers must be trained for the benefit of visually-impaired students, Patra opined.
