 |
An eye donation campaign started by Claretian Father George Kannanthanam has now become a movement called Project Vision, spreading to the corporate world.
The 10,000 strong Tech Mahindra campus Dec. 13 was abuzz with the sounds of Dollu (drums) as they led the Blind-walk program involving the staff.
In a typical Blind-walk program people blindfold themselves and walk through streets led by visually handicapped people in an attempt to understand the blindness and pledge their corneas to be donated after death.
Majority of the 700 Tech Mahindra staff who participated in the BlindWalk took a pledge to donate their eyes.
The program was organized to mark the Dec. 3 International Day for the Disabled.
The blindfolded staff, led by visually challenged person in front of them, walked about 20 minutes.
It was the “most challenging time of my life” said Meenu Bagla, Marketing Head of Tech Mahindra.
“This is an opportunity to understand and extend their support for the persons with disabilities in the society,” said P.V. Haridas, head of Corporate Services at Tech Mahindra who flagged off the walk.
Father Kannanthanam, founder and director of Project Vision which conceived the idea of Blind-walk, informed that India has the largest number of visually challenged persons in the world –15 million. He said that we could provide sight to 20 percent of them through eye donation.
The priest also reminded the company about the reservation in jobs for the persons with disabilities. The Rights of the persons with disabilities Act of 2016 stipulates that four percent of jobs are to be reserved for persons with disabilities.
Such walks were earlier conducted in the campus of Infosys and Bharath Electronics Limited, said a press release, adding that at least some 100 people have already pledged eyes in these places.
Press Release