Sticks and glasses

Ever wondered how those without eyesight survive in our city? They may not be able to see the sun but they do sweat or feel the heat. The only difference being they don't seem to crib. Or maybe they lack the avenues to do so. Although their white-and-red sticks sets them apart from the crowd, they walk normal. They don't wobble like they suggest in our movies. In fact, they are more civil on the streets than the rest of us. Be it on the footpath—being law-abiding citizens, they'll always stick to the side of the road, for safety reasons of course—or be it at railway platforms, they are measured and take each step carefully. What's more intriguing is how the visually-challenged ones learnt to continue with the fast-paced flow of Mumbai without compromising on their aspirations. They are not beggars but strugglers and thrivers like the majority of Mumbaikars. We may be ignorant about Braille but when you see a blind man dialing a number on his cellphone and talking to someone, you can't help but smile. After all, the advent of technology in this city has indeed made an attempt at forcing us to be more equal than what the previous status quo guaranteed.