Born blind, now a school teacher. Kolkata man's inspiring journey proves ‘You can always overcome obstacles.’

Hoping for a life without obstacles is like wishing to see a rainbow but without the rain. Challenges and setbacks are a part of life. Everybody you meet is fighting a silent battle. But only those who refuse to give up emerge as the true winners. Perseverance, determination, resilience, and self-belief can help individuals overcome even the toughest barriers and inspiring stories of ordinary people remind us that limitations do not define our future, our mindset does. Such is the story of this visually impaired Kolkata school teacher, Sayantan Banerjee.

Sayantan Banerjee’s story was brought into the spotlight by Kolkata-based digital creator Aradhana Chatterjee, who has been hitting the streets to share untold stories of common people facing everyday hurdles but refusing to give up.

Kolkata teacher is blind but teaches sighted students

In her latest Instagram post, Aradhana Chatterjee revealed that Sayantan Banerjee, born in 1992, has been visually impaired since birth. But he has been travelling independently since Class 11. Sayantan, a teacher at government-sponsored Bikramgarh High School, has been teaching young kids for 8 years. He learnt to read and write through audiobooks and Braille, a tactile reading and writing system for the blind.

As per a report by Get Bengal, Sayantan Banerjee completed his Class 10 board examination and Class 12 higher secondary examination with the help of writers. When he met with difficulty in finding a writer for his 12th board exam, Sayantan wondered how blind students in rural villages might not even have access to writers and hence might not complete their education. The thought prompted him to join Kolkata-based NGO Lighthouse Think Different and he also started the Reader-Writer Bank in 2019.

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A post shared by Aradhana Chatterjee (@storiesbyaradhana)

More about Sayantan Banerjee

In his words, Sayantan Banerjee shared that he does not want visually challenged pupils to be educationally behind others because of their disability. Rather, he believes that if given a chance, they can also prove themselves. As per Aradhana Chatterjee’s video, the teacher also worked as an RJ at the university's community radio station. He is also a member of the All Bengal Blind Teachers Association, where they understand and solve the problems faced by visually impaired teachers.

According to Sayantan Banerjee, there is not much awareness regarding blind people and he wishes to change the concept. Besides being a teacher and activist, Sayantan also loves to read books and enjoys swimming. His journey serves as a reminder not to allow any kind of disability to pose a hindrance to achieving your goals. He proves that an individual can always overcome obstacles and turn life around