Baya Karve Awardee Meera Badve, of Niwant Andha Mukta Vikasalaya, does not like to rest on her laurels. Mallika Rale takes a peek into her extensive work for the visually challenged

A group of happy 20-somethings moves to the beats of Radha on the dance floor as the sprightly instructor eggs them on, while Meera Badve beams with motherly pride. It’s a particularly overwhelming sight for the founder-director of the city-based Niwant Andha Mukta Vikasalaya, which she started in her home in 1996. “Look at how much they are enjoying it,” she smiles.

Going the extra mile

It may be 17 years since Meera started this autonomous centre for higher education and holistic development of visually-challenged young adults, but her passion to impart the best life lessons to her students burns as bright as ever. “More than 1/3rd of these students are orphans. The others come from poverty-stricken homes where education does not figure, more so in their case because they are considered unproductive. Many of them have also been ‘discarded’ by their families. But here at Niwant, they are not treated as people to be pitied; they are receiving an education and learning life skills that will help them find gainful employment. That is our main objective — to prepare these brilliant minds for the world outside,” shares Meera, who taught English at a school before she found her true calling.

It was a visit to a blind school that changed the course of her life. She recalls, “I had gone with my husband to donate money to the institution. I was busy observing the boys when one little kid dashed against me. After that, he hugged me because he mistook me for his mother. He was so homesick. That was the turning point for me and I just knew I could not remain a mute bystander.”

Her biggest concern was the complete dearth of options once these visually-challenged students stepped out of school. “Most just resorted to begging because they were not considered capable of holding a job — be it of any kind. I wanted to change that,” she says simply. And change it she has. Many of her students, an army of over 1,500 since 1996, are earning between Rs 5,000 and Rs 35,000 and have settled down.

Lessons for life


At Niwant, apart from regular subjects like English, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Secretarial Practice, Commerce, Law, Costing, Library Science among others, the students are also trained in computers and baking confectionery. And since Meera believes that these students must not miss out on any experience, there are also the recreational sessions of dance, mallakhamb, judo, yoga, drawing as also games like cricket and chess that they can look forward to.

The extent of their dedication and love for their alma mater is evident. Many of the students who have found their feet due to Niwant come back to mentor new batches as well. “It is like a family culture that we have here. The older ones ensure that the younger lot is studying. All of them attend regular college, so our classes have to be taken according to their schedule,” adds Meera.

Independence beckons

Learning is but one facet of the umbrella of activities that take place at Niwant. At a unit called Choco Niwant, students single-handedly take on the job of making delicious chocolates, wrapping them in attractive packages and selling them.

Says Meera, “They are now getting innovative with their designs. They also make newspaper bags here. Another skill that they excel at is making fabric flowers. One per cent of what they earn is donated to autistic and schizophrenic centres. This is part of the ‘So Can We’ club’s activities, which includes the alumni of Niwant. This year, they contributed money for one of our student’s brain surgery. They also support the education of a student through this.”

Another interesting aspect is their love for nature. “Our entire galli (lane) has ample shade because of the efforts of our students. They plant trees and nurture them with love. On our premises alone, we have some 25 trees planted by them,” she notes.

Niwant also has a software division called TechVision that is working on projects involving clients like the US-based Boardwalktech Inc, a huge step forward for the young techies here. Its success prompted Meera and her husband Anand, the technical support of Niwant, to start Insight Academy, to impart basic computer skills to all the students.

The centre also has a library with over 3,000 books, all painstakingly converted to Braille by the students and Meera. Moreover, they have 17 libraries in different parts of Maharashtra so that the visually-challenged in those areas can also access these books for free and dip into the pool of knowledge.

“There is so much more to do,” concludes the relentless changemaker, as she returns to her classes.