Santipur, Sept. 6: In a noble gesture Biswajit Roy, a contractual non-teaching staff of Santipur college has donated a wheelchair to the college authority for its specially able students to mark the 10th birthday of his daughter Bitasta on Friday.
A resident of College Para, Biswajit, handed over the wheelchair to principal Chandrima Bhattacharjee requesting her to keep it at the entrance of the college so that the physically challenged students could use it to reach their classes riding it.
Student Nandini Pramanik
Nandini Pramanik, 19, a first-year student of BA honors in Philosophy, was the first one to be surprised with the gesture. She was received by Roy and principal Chandrima Bhattacharjee at the college gate who were waiting with the new wheelchair. Nandini was the offered ride when Biswajit and the principal took her to the classroom pushing the wheelchair slowly.
For Nandini, daughter of a weaver from Santipur, who born with a defective leg, it was a great experience. “Everyday a Toto drops me at the college gate from my home. But the 100 meter stretch from college gate to classroom appears to me unending as I hop jump on one leg to reach the classroom. But today the wheelchair ride came to me as a big surprise. I will remain ever grateful for this gesture to Biswajit Da. This wheelchair will help many other students like me who find it tough to reach their classes due to physical limitations”, said Nandini.
Roy said that he was pained watching the specially able students trying hard to reach classrooms. “I used to watch them struggling hard to reach inside the campus after they dropped in at the college gate by Toto or by other means. Guardians also sometimes leave them at the gate. But watching their difficulty to reach classroom has always pained me. So I decided to help them within my limited capacity. I expressed my desire to donate wheelchairs to the principal, who given her nod. I finally choose the birthday of my daughter to handover the first wheelchair to the college”, said Biswsjit Roy, who gets only around Rs. 12500 as his composite monthly salary.
“Every year I celebrate my daughter’s birthday arranging a feast for friends and relatives. But, I decided to celebrate it in another way this year. I bought the wheelchair incurring Rs.5800. My daughter is also becoming very happy, even though she could not attend college today for her school”, Roy added.
College principal Chandrima Bhattacharjee said, “It is a great gesture by Biswsjit. Personally I am moved…I hope more people come with such gestures to extend support to specially able people. The college and its students have become immensely benefitted due to Biswajit’s initiative”.