Chavana Pandu is a 25 years old, +2 qualified man coming from rural area of Karnataka. He was having problems in accomplishing everyday tasks and mainly he was economically dependent and unemployable, all because of his vision problem.
He lost his vision to the silent thief, Glaucoma. He came to Narayana Nethralaya where he was referred to the rehab department. He required a lot of psychological counseling to bring him out of hopelessness and depression. He had tried working in several places starting from supervising a hardware store to some clerical jobs, but all in vain. He hails from an agrarian family, but his vision loss made him unfit to take up the family trade.
During counseling sessions, one thing was clear, that he had some inborn trait to do something on his own, but required a lot of confidence and motivation. He was informed about all possible options and government schemes especially for jobs. But he took a great decision of opening a provision shop in his village, which he is running successfully.
Not only that, the letter given to him explaining his diagnosis and visual acuity (legally blind) helped him easily approach concerned government offices and avail the appropriate certificates. Today, Chavana Pandu visits Narayana Nethralaya for IOP checkups and other medications. And he never forgets to visit the rehab department with a huge heart full of gratitude.
He keeps telling, “A few sessions of counseling and an appropriate letter helped me get the government benefits; above all I am an owner and an entrepreneur!”