Blindness has not stopped my grandfather | Blog by Arsalan, 9, Bangalore

Grandparents, they are like blessings.

I am lucky to have loving grandparents. I love them so much and they also love me so much. I call my grandparents who live in Delhi, Nanapapa and Nani Ammi. They are my maternal grandparents. I call my paternal grandparents Dadapapa and Dadi Ammi. They live in Ambala. I usually go there during summer vacation and enjoy a lot with my grandparents and my cousins.

My Nanapapa was a good cricket player. Both of my grandmothers love to cook. My paternal grandfather is 89 years old and grandmother is 88 and my maternal grandmother is 85.

Now my paternal grandfather is not able to see as he lost his eyesight due to glaucoma, it’s very depressing for me, as before that whenever I went there, my grandfather took me to the market and we bought lots of candies and chocolate. I miss those days!

My Dadapapa used to play cricket very nicely. He used to hit 4s and 6s. Even though he is blind his love for cricket is still alive. Nowadays he cannot watch TV but he listens to cricket commentary. Even though he is blind he knows my house perfectly and can navigate through the entire house without a cane.

Once 2 years back, when I was playing cricket with my friends, he was sitting there. He cannot see but he expressed a desire to play with us and hit boundaries. Can you imagine that he cannot see but still he played and hit 4! We were shocked to see that. After hitting the shot he asked, “Did I get out or what? I jumped with joy and said, “No, you hit a 4.” He was happily surprised.

In another incident he didn’t know the entire house as it was a new place. My brother and I were racing and I fell down. He immediately came rushing towards us despite being unaware of the location he reached the spot to check on us.

Blindness has not stopped him.  He keeps on moving. Everyday he goes for a walk. He stops only when he is very tired. He never gives up and that attitude of his always inspires me.