Hello,

In Ranchi's Kumhartoli locality, next to the city's main bus stand, is a basti tucked away behind an empty yard. It has around 20 houses, and looks like many other small low-income settlements in the city.

But, in fact, the basti is unique – known as "andhra basti", or blind basti, it was set up by a group of blind individuals in the late 1990s, as a space for members of the community to live close together, and serve as an informal support system for each other.

Nolina Minj met present and past residents of the basti, many of whom are Adivasi, to learn the remarkable story of how the settlement was founded, and of the courage and dignity with which members of the community make their way through the world.

"While I don’t like to make assumptions about any particular group, I found the sheer resilience of the community and the way they care for each other to be particularly moving," Minj said.

Many of those she interacted with "are charismatic and enterprising persons", Minj noted. "If given the opportunity, there is a lot they could do for themselves and their community."

She added, "It was tragic to realise that without the right caste and class networks, no government entity or NGO has helped them in a meaningful way, so much so that they have slipped through the cracks of the system and are left to seek alms and fend for themselves alone."

You can read the story here.

And you can support more such in-depth ground reporting by signing up as a member of Scroll.

Ajay Krishnan
Senior Editor

Follow the Scroll channel on WhatsApp for a curated selection of the news that matters throughout the day, and a round-up of major developments in India and around the world every evening. What you won’t get: Spam.

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How the blind built a place of their own in Ranchi

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