Gyani Gurbachan Singh – a visually impaired inmate of Home for the Blinds, Ferozepur – is living in one of the complex known as Tulsi Ram Ashram Zanana Hospitl donated by one of the renowned Sareen family of that time.
When I met him for the first time, I never knew he is so learned but with my frequent visits to the inmates during my three decades association with the visually impaired persons living in Home for the Blinds bring run by District Council for the Welfare of Handicapped in border town Ferozepur, I have observed closely that despite darkness in their life, they find a light in many things.
The management for Home for the Blinds – established in 1954 by Dr.Sadhu Chand Vinayak – a social activist of 50s - is doing a yeoman’s job by providing the visually impaired persons by providing them free lodging and boarding to at least 23 inmates and keeping them away from indulging into begging or engaged in any anti-social or anti-national activities as screened in one of the film.
All the inmates are rejected cases whose cornea cannot be transplanted of the eye donors because of damage of imaging portion retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
They are less active than the sighted persons in every work. They can now read through Braille, put their hands on musical instruments, handlooms – though outdated now, canning, play cricket, cards and have extra sense of feelings.
Gyani Gurbachan Singh – normally call him Gyani Ji – starts his morning with prayer for the welfare of ‘Sarbat Ka Bhla” – Welfare of all - in the name of God and motivates whosoever comes in his contact.
Basically, Gyani Ji belongs to Hajipur village near Devigarh in District Patiala. He was normal in his childhood but at the age of 13, a rod hit his left eye, freezing the blood clots in his eyes. After sometime, he lost eye sight of both the eyes. As there were no advance medical treatments at that time, his family left him in Home for the Blinds, so that he may not feel discouraged at home rather could learn the movements and skills while in association with the other inmates.
I have seen him working on handlooms which are obsolete now a day due to advancement in industrial mechanical growth. He had been at Tata Agriculture Training Centre for the Blinds at village Hansa in Maharashtra. In 1961, for looking after 250 acres of horticulture land after getting training, he was honoured by first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.
During chat with him, he disclosed that he has seen Harmandar Sahib – Golden Temple – at Amritsar when he was sighted. With the closing of handlooms and old age, Gyani Ji preferred to stay at Home for the Blind and most of the time busy with his radio listening to the news and religious progrmmes.
For the last so many years, the nearby shopkeepers in the market also take care of him from time to time and one time came to the rescue of inmates when one of the grandson of Sareen’s family had come to take possession of the donated building. Every year on the new years’ day, a langar is organized when number of people assembles in the campus to listen to the valuable words from Gyani Ji.
Gyani Ji used to listen to the Gurbani from the disciple of former Radha Swami Beas Dada Sundar Singh and now he is delivering discourses from time to time or anybody visits his room in the Home for the Blind, with teachings from Gurbani.
He never lets anybody go without new tips of living a happy life with ‘parshad’ brought to him by his followers.