Visually impaired couple sees the world through their daughter’s eyes

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 13

Having met each other about 12 years ago and fallen in love, it took Prem Sagar (49) and Deepika (44) almost seven years to convince their families that despite their similar visual disability, they would be able to manage their lives well together.

While Prem Sagar is a lecturer of music at HMV College, his better half works with NGO Saksham that is into making talking books for visually impaired students.

Now with a four-year-old school-going daughter Sukhmani Grover, the couple looks back and recalls how they together overcame all oddities in life always putting up a very brave face. “The biggest tension in my life was when I conceived soon after our marriage. I prayed day in and day out that our child does not inherit our sight problem. It was her 12th day when her paediatrician confirmed to me that Sukhmani probably has normal eyesight. And then the ultimate satisfaction came with a final confirmation as she turned three-four months and started responding to our actions”, shared Deepika.

Deepika adds on, “Our vision problems are not the same. While I suffer from glaucoma, Prem Sagar had retina pigmentosa. We met during a workshop at National Association for Blind in 2004 and since then had been in contact with one another, till we got married in November 2011.”

Deepika’s mother Kusum puts up with the couple and takes care of the household and even the child while the twosome is away for work. “My mom has been a great support but I try to manage most work on my own after I am back. I even try to help Sukhmani with her homework most of the times. I am getting her books converted in a new format that even describes the illustrations so that I can know her syllabus and teach her well even when my mom is not there. As she sits for homework with her granny, I too join them so that I know what she has been getting for her homework.”

Prem Sagar adds up, “We cannot help her with colouring work or check if she is writing her work neatly in proper lines. We may be trying to overcome all problems but there still remain a few.”

Deepika shares her mind, “Whenever my mom is not around, Sukhmani gets little pensive as she once asked me who will cook for us, who will help me with work. But now she is confident that she can pull on independently with us. I do not want her to have it in her mind that we are a liability on her for it can have detrimental effect on her psychology. I always try to show her that I can manage everything myself, look up for lost things on my own and take care of her quite well.”