No wall shall daunt: This south Gujarat’s only school for blind walks the talk

SURAT: As schools across the state are all set to welcome class 12 students from Thursday, south Gujarat’s only school for visually impaired has a special surprise in store for its senior students — a 45 feet climbing wall.
Wall climbing is an adventure sport which many find too tough to try. For a visually impaired person the challenge gets more daunting. But students of Andhajan Shikshan Mandal (ASM), a school for the visually impaired, in the Diamond City will get a chance to try their hands at the sport as the school authorities have constructed a climbing wall in its premises. It’s probably the only school for the visually impaired in the country to have its own climbing wall.
“It is a surprise for our students who would return to school after a long gap of Covid induced home learning. They will get the never before experience,” said Manisha Gajjar, principal of the school. Zeel Rathod, a class 12 student, is all charged up to try the climbing wall when the school reopens on Thursday. “I would love to learn climbing and enjoy the sport. Our school was open when the construction work of the climbing wall started. Now, I am desperate for the school to reopen so that I can try my hand at the wall,” said Zeel, a resident of Ahmedabad. “I think it is a good initiative by our school to prove that a visually impaired person can do anything,” she added.
ASM that runs schools for blind students from class 1 to 12 has installed the 45 feet climbing wall for its students. The wall is developed at the cost of Rs 14 lakh of which Rs 11.50 lakh has been contributed by Navsari MP C R Paatil from his grant.
Climbing wall in a school for visually impaired may surprise many but the response from the school students is equally surprising. “One would fear height if he can see but for us our disability is an advantage as far as climbing is concerned. I don’t fear heights as I can’t see and I enjoy wall climbing. I am waiting for school to start so that I can learn climbing,” said Abhay Hadiya, a class 12 student.
“In the past our students have enjoyed a wall climbing event and since then I was planning to install a climbing wall. We proposed this to C R Paatil and he agreed to give money from his grant,” said Anand Chokhawala, president of the ASM.
Chokhawala, (81) an adventure enthusiast, tried climbing on the wall recently to check it. “This will give the experience of adventure to our students. We will also allow students from other schools to use the wall,” Chokhawala added.
The school has 120 boys and 50 girls. It was founded by Gordhandas Chokhawala in 1954 and it is the only school for the visually impaired in south Gujarat.