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A visually challenged’s mission with a cause

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Visually challenged Debasish Pramanik campaigning in Industrial Estate area in Berhampur on Saturday. —

BERHAMPUR: Although visually challenged, Debasish Paramanik through his election campaign is trying to enlighten general public about mental strength of physically challenged. Twentysix-year-old Paramanik is contesting as an independent candidate from Gopalpur Assembly constituency of Ganjam district. He dreams of becoming the first visually challenged MLA to enter Orissa Assembly. But this dream is too far off from the reality. He is small a warrior in the high pitched political warfare between major political parties in the electoral battle for this constituency. But Mr Paramanik is trying hard to make the presence of physically challenged felt among the voters through his candidature.

He does not shy off to say that his family members were initially opposed to his candidature. “But now they are proud that I have taken up this mission with a cause,” he said. He happens to be the youngest son of a lower middle class family. He had enjoyed partial vision till he was 12 years old. He became completely blind after that. The irony is that he has a brother whose vision is 75 per cent impaired. Mr Paramanik starts out on his campaign from 8 am in the morning. Two of his friends accompany him. Without any loudspeaker, posters or pamphlets he moves from door-to-door urging voters to vote for him. He never forgets to add up a request to the voters that they should never look down upon any physically challenged person even if they do not vote for him. He returns back to his home in the city at around 3 pm to have a quick meal and resume his campaign again till 8 pm. He claims he would be able to cover all the fishermen villages and urban pockets of Berhampur city which are under Gopalpur Assembly segment by the end of campaign time.

It may be noted that this constituency goes to polls on April 16. By profession he happens to be a Tabla guru and he has degree in music from Chandigarh University. He works with the Milton Charitable Foundation for Visually Handicapped. He was in the past secretary of the Ganjam district blind association. His catch-line for this election is that “Seeing his efforts the blind persons should give up their inferiority complexion and general public should stop looking down upon physically challenged persons”. He is least bothered about the number of votes he would gather. He is more concerned about the goodwill and love for the physically challenged persons he would generate among the masses.

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