When they first came to Bangalore from the UK in the 1980s, “when this was truly the garden city”, they lived with friends by Ulsoor Lake. In her late 70s, a warm and friendly Veronica Ansell narrates how she and her husband Reg made Bangalore their home.
“We first visited Bangalore in 1983 and for the next 10 years we spent six months each year visiting many places mainly in Kerala but with Bangalore as our home base. Then in 2006 we returned as we wanted to do something special to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary so we decided there was no better way than to come back to India,” says Veronica.
It was during this visit that they came in contact with an Indian couple who were teaching blind students Braille, the basics of English and the use of computers.
Says Veronica: “My husband and I, as Director and Administrator respectively, were able to help them organise into a more successful Centre known officially as the Bartimaeus Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired, by structuring the Braille curriculum with the use of Fingerprint produced by the RNIB in the UK.”
The real joy of being associated with a school for the blind is when they see their students take on life with vigour, landing jobs as teachers abroad or even as medical transcriptionists.
“Here in Bangalore, we feel we can put our closing years to good use helping, encouraging and empowering our blind students from rural areas to find fulfilment, confidence, happiness and a place in society. Being in Bangalore working with our students has given us a reward far beyond what we can get in our own materialistic society,” explains Veronica.
Veronica feels sorry that in the name of ‘progress' so much of the beauty and peace of the city has been lost.
