A stall put up by the social welfare organisation, ‘Voice of World’, at the 31st Kolkata book fair, gave the visitors a chance to view the world of visually impaired people. Books and magazines on Braille were also on display.

Sukumar Chakraborty, former student and presently, the principal of Voice of World, said “Here we have our special collections on Braille such as the Sharadiya collection, Thakumar Jhuli, Romeo Juliet and Hashikhushi.”

All the books were free. Only the Sharadiya collection was being sold for a paltry Rupees 10/-. There were children who are also enjoying themselves over a game of chess. This was the destination for anyone who was eager to inetarct or who wanted to know how blind or partially sighted people read.

The organisation chose to spread the message that life does not end with blindness, to the rural populace through the book fair.

Visitors seemed enjoying their visit at the stall, as it became an ideal platform for visually impaired and non-visually impaired book lovers to share their experiences. In the words of Mampi Mondal, a blind children in the stall: “I am loving it here. I like to read and want to become a teacher when I grow up.”

This year, the event was organised from January 25 to February 5, 2006.