Herculean A Task To Find Scribes for Visually Impaired Students In Punjab?

Herculean a task indeed to find scribes(answer book writers) for visually impaired hundred percent students in Punjab?These students face the music very often because of many hiccups and hardships but their indomitable spirit to attain education and progress in life deserves kudos despite odds galore.
Dr.Satish Chander Dhawan Government College Ludhiana's Alumni Association-an Alma Mater of Space Science Doyen Satish Chander Dhawan of the world, evergreen poet lyricist Sahir Ludhianavi, World Cricket Cup 1983 hero Yashpal Sharma,Padma Vibhushan Narinder Nath Vohra former Governor Jammu Kashmir, Padma Vibhushan Dr.Manohar Singh Gill former Union Sports Minister-cum- erstwhile Chief Election Commissioner, Kirti Chakra Swarn Singh Boparai former Vice-Chancellor Punjabi University, Harbhajan Halwarvi, Former editor Punjabi Tribune and nursery of IFS,IAS,IPS officers countless did decide to continue its rich and glorious traditions of the yore by coming to the rescue of the visually impaired and disabled students to mitigate their hardships anywhere with noble intentions of making it a mass movement and mission.
It is a time tested fact  that experience and exposure are wonderful teachers. Brij Bhushan Goyal Coordinator-cum- Organising Secretary of Dr.SC Dhawan Govt.College Ludhiana Alumni Forum always keen to spearhead activities to add to the grace, name and fame of this premier institution since partition times of India did come in contact of these half a dozen visually impaired cent percent students during his frequent visits to the college campus to plug various paucities ultimately getting apprised of many ordeals and problems faced by these students. Following this amazing revelation, he began to have a sharp eye on other colleges of Ludhiana too. When he shared all these "ifs" and "buts" of these students, at once the association decided to swing into action to take up their cause on priority basis spurred by American Poet Leigh Hunt's universal a message in his poem Abou Ben Adhem: "The service of mankind is the best worship of God."
NN Vohra, a stalwart alumnus having been pleased with the zeal and energy of the association assured his alumni to pursue this important cause diligently.
The agility and keen interest of Goyal in Ludhiana towards this very sensitive handicap of students brought to the fore a very glaring truth that Satish Dhawan Govt.College, Arya College,Govt College for Women and Panjab University Law College In Extension Library of Ludhiana in toto had about twenty such visually impaired students pursuing their studies and state level competitive examinations as well.
 These visually impaired  hundred per percent  students have to rely upon scribes for their written examinations where they face so many problems and obstacles to grapple with.The scribes are not easily and readily available as they have to be paid for their toil.The Alumni Association activists SS Boparai,Dr.BC Gupta IAS (Retd), Shivdular Singh Dhillon,Dr.Navtej Halwarvi,Prof IP Setia, Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist,Colonels(Retd.) Pardeep Jawandha,Ravi Parkash Singh, Lt.ColonelJaswinder Garcha, OP Verma,Amarjit Sandhu,Chief Swimming Coach(Retd.) SAI, NIS Patiala ,KV Principal (Retd),Manjit Singh Sandhu and Dalvir Molly are leaving no stone unturned to compliment and supplement Goyal's tireless efforts and strides in this context.
By dint of delving deep into the severe ordeals of these visually impaired students the stark realities are slowly and steadily coming into the lime light.The availability of scribes in time is indeed a very worrying problem for them with riders in addition to some official, technical norms,vagaries and glitches turning their path too much arduous.For instance,two students Shravan,Rajesh of BA Final year of SD Govt.College did arrange scribes in league with Goyal. But on the day of exam(May 06) morning session, they kept on waiting for the scribes to come in time for the exam but scribes got late being stuck up for sometime in the traffic jam.Thus the unexpected delay created pell mell and tension among the examinees even though entering late in the hall,they did fare well in examination.
On March 8, 2026 to commemorate evergreen poet-lyricist-alumnus Sahir Ludhianavi on his birthday in mini auditorium, Shivdular Dhillon Punjab Red Cross Secretary-cum- Chief Executive-another alumnus graced his Alma Mater to preside over this function hosted by Alumni Association.The association drew his attention towards the plight and cause of visually impaired students of his Alma Mater. After a fortnight or so,he was nice enough to grant an amount of Rs.Two lakh from Red Cross Funds to his college. Dr. Gursharanjit Singh Sandhu Principal himself an alumnus got installed a Kibo XS Equipment in Library for the facility of these students meant for listening, translating,digitizing and audiotizing. Also taking a cue from his alumni Dr.Sandhu did not lose even a single moment to set up a disabled cell in the college to take due care of various kinds of disabled students.
The Alumni Association activists, then encouraged by the  fine response, started attracting the attention of Punjab Govt. authorities concerned off and on to redress the grievances of these disabled students in the best possible manner facilitating them even by relaxing hard and fast norms in their cases.This alumni move did make its impact felt when the DPI (Colleges)Punjab office wrote to the Universities and colleges to furnish data of visually impaired and disabled students so that suitable measures could be initiated in this direction following which university authorities too have gone active.The Punjab Deputy DPI (Colleges)vide his letter dated:25.03.26 impressed upon college authorities to provide as per norms ramps,wash rooms,braille machines and non visual desktop access to ensure that these students face no difficulty in pursuit of their studies.
The Punjab Social Welfare Department also has a pivotal role to play in this. Then Punjab Government ought to first of all collect statistics of visually impaired students seeing to it how scribe pools/ groups can be constituted at various levels so that their services in time easily and hassle free can be availed promptly? Then universities, colleges and schools keeping in view the number of such students must set up disabled cells to make both their studies and exams appearing acts smooth and tension free.
The Alumni Association inspired by Lord Tennyson's morale boosting these words will continue relentlessly to work for this noble cause:"To strive,to seek,to find, and not to yield."
Contributed by:
Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist
Associate Professor of English(Retired),
Barnala(Punjab)