A 25-year-old man scored 91.2% in the higher secondary examinations this year, overcoming blindness and years of depression.
Gopal Mondal was playing football with friends in his village in East Burdwan 10 years ago when the ball struck his right eye, damaging the retina.
He was taken to a private hospital, but despite undergoing several procedures, the teenager gradually lost vision in both eyes and had to discontinue his studies.
The setback pushed Mondal into severe depression.
A neighbour told him about Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, where Gopal resumed his studies after a gap of nearly seven years — a turning point that changed the course of his life.
He went on to clear the Madhyamik examinations and has now passed higher secondary as well.
Gopal says he can now do almost everything on his own — from helping his mother with cooking to stitching his own clothes.
The 25-year-old now dreams of cracking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and becoming a bureaucrat.
“I used to think I was the only person who was blind and that there was little I could do. I was in depression. Losing vision in both eyes was not easy to accept. But then a dada in the neighbourhood told me about Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy. There, I heard the stories of Helen Keller and Louis Braille, and gradually regained my inner strength and confidence,” Gopal told Metro.
He joined the Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy in February 2022 in Class IX. “Within a month I learnt Braille,” he said.
Gopal had scored 78.8% in the Madhyamik examinations and challenged himself to do even better in HS.
In HS, he scored 83 in Bengali, 90 in English, 91 in history, 76 in philosophy, 98 in political science and 94 in Sanskrit. Gopal appeared for both examinations with the help of a writer.
“If nine out of 10 doors are closed, there is one which is open. That is the door of education for me. I knew I had to make use of every opportunity that I was getting at Narendrapur,” he said.
Gopal topped his batch at Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy.
“Gopal is a determined, dedicated and disciplined boy. He is devoted to his studies, who could fight away the obstacles of his life,” said Swami Mahananda, principal, Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy.
However, the journey was not always as easy as he makes it seem. Having lost his vision at the age of 15, Gopal was initially too scared to even walk on his own. “I was scared there might be an open manhole or a pothole and that I could trip and fall. My friends used to say I walked like a tortoise, but that was because I knew what roads could be like and the risks they posed. Gradually, I overcame those fears,” he said.
Gopal is now a confident young man. Using the talk-back feature on his smartphone, he sends messages and chats with ease. But that is not all — he can cook and even stitch his own clothes, speaking about these skills as if they come naturally to him.
“My mother is over 60, and I cook for both of us when she is unwell. Someone helps me put the thread through the needle, and after that, I stitch my own clothes too,” he said.
Gopal now aspires to study International Relations at Jadavpur University. But for him, the challenges are far from over.
Gopal’s battle has not been limited to disability alone; he has also grown up amid acute financial hardship.
His father, a van-rickshaw puller, died in 2011. Since then, the responsibility of running the household has fallen on Gopal’s elder brother, who works at a hotel in Bengaluru.
“Despite his numerous responsibilities, my elder brother bore the cost of treatment from the little savings he had. But he never gave up on me,” he said.
Studying in Calcutta would require money. “I would need money for hostel charges, for food, to buy books and for my daily expenses. The manabik pension is not always enough to take care of all the expenses,” he said.
One day, he hopes to become a bureaucrat.
“There is a lot that I want to do, especially for people with disabilities. People with disabilities have merit that needs to be acknowledged, and they deserve to be recognised and given opportunities that would help them rise and shine,” said Gopal.