They are good friends in need

Date:04/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/04/stories/2008080461170400.htm

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Karnataka - Bangalore

They are good friends in need

Staff Reporter

The IDL Foundation also distributed whistles and white canes to blind participants

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Being there: Visually challenged persons greeting each other on the occasion of Friendship Day in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: If you feel jaded with the concept of Friendship Day, and feel there is nothing new left to be done, this event comes as a breath of fresh air. In a unique attempt to win friends and build bridges between the visually challenged and the rather indifferent general population, the Indian Disabled League brought together a variety of people from different walks of life to celebrate the spirit of friendship.

So, what would a group of professional bike riders, students, policemen and the visually impaired citizens have in common? In a “friendship” walk, aimed at creating awareness about the problems of the blind, members of the foundation and Amaravathi (senior citizen ADDA) walked from Ulsoor Lake to the Ulsoor gurudwara.

Professional bike racers took turns to take their visually-impaired friends on bike rides and entertained the audience with wheelies and bike stunts. The IDL Foundation also distributed whistles and white canes to blind participants.

Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari extended his wholehearted support to the cause. “This is an excellent idea and all visually impaired people must consider the police as their friends. We will tell the traffic police to ensure that all support is given to visually-impaired pedestrians,” he said.

Members of the rally shouted slogans seeking help, support and friendship from the community. Sridhar, a visually impaired participant, said that he has the best time of his life on the bike. “Those five to 10 minutes when the bikers took us on a ride was a memorable experience. I also sat in a solar car for the first time,” an awestruck Sridhar told The Hindu.

“We are trying to popularise the use of the whistle through such events. Blind people find that often the public is rather unresponsive. Such programmes will sensitise them,” said founder and executive trustee P.K. Paul.

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