– Ronita Torcato

The first day of a new school year is usually a symphony of sight and sound: the rustle of brand new starched uniforms, the heavy load of backpacks, and the excited chatter of children reuniting after the summer vacation.

At the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind in Tardeo (Mumbai), another sensory detail took centre stage this week—the sweet, smell of roses.

Stepping onto the historic campus to usher in the Shala Praveshotsav or the new academic term, Dr. Manik Gursal, secretary, Department of Empowerment of the Disabled, bypassed the traditional formal speech. Instead, he walked into the classrooms, handing a rose to each student.

Dr Gursal led a delegation that included Vishnudas Ghodke (Deputy Secretary, Divyang Kalyan (Disabled Empowerment Dept.), Sai Prasad Mukdadwar (Under Secretary), Samadhan Ingle (Assistant Commissioner) and Rupali Patil (District Social Welfare Officer).

The delegation was warmly welcomed and given a tour of the premises by Rajni Hiremath, principal, Victoria Memorial School for the Blind and Meena Deshpande, president of the institution.

The visit marked the formal start of the school year, focusing on celebrating inclusive education and highlighting the government’s continued priority on the empowerment, dignity, and specialised care of persons with disabilities.

For the students, a visit from top government officials was an opportunity for an animated interaction – they wanted to talk about the future. Hands shot up as they quizzed Dr. Gursal about the realities of the civil services.

Dr. Gursal answered the questions, leaving the students not just with answers, but with a sense of belief that no career path—no matter how rigorous—is closed to them. He wished them well on the educational journey ahead, reminding them that their sight does not define their vision.

Housed in a beautiful heritage award winning building in the bustling neighborhood of Tardeo, the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind has been educating thousands of visually impaired boys from low income families across generations.

Established in 1902, the institution has spent over a century providing free education up to Class VIII, free boarding and lodging, vocational training, and life skills development for underprivileged students.

The rich history of the school was carved by its founding trustees – Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, Sir Bhalchandra Krishna Bhatavadekar, Samuel Rebsch, chairman of the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT), Ibrahim Rahimtoola, and Sir Jacob David Sassoon.

Nurtured by visionaries like K. N. Jussawalla, J.B. Petit, Vijay Merchant, R. P. Masani, Madhavjee D.Thackersey and Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, to name a few, the school has been visited and praised by iconic figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi and India’s former president, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

The main residential institution exclusively provides free education, boarding, and lodging for visually impaired boys. The institution also operates the Vijay Merchant Centre for Life Skills and Development and a Learning Centre through a key day-school collaboration started in 1999 with SNDT Women’s University, offering advanced therapy and vital life-skills training to both boys and girls with special needs like autism and cerebral palsy.

Students learn how to read and write in Braille, utilise screen-reading software, and undergo mobility training.

Beyond academics, the school provides training in computer education, practical skill development designed to secure future employment, extra-curricular activities like music, handicrafts, sports and gymnastics and a fully accessible library and resource centre.

As the scent of roses fades into the background, the real work begins. With notebooks open, modern technologies booted up, and minds galvanised by dreams, the students of the Victoria Memorial School start their new term the way they intend to finish it: free, fearless and focused.

Also read: Delhi private schools open online admissions for special children