Time to change attitude towards disabled people

Disabled Siraj

He lives by begging from bus passengers at Bangla Bazar bus stand. Some of the passengers give him one or two taka coins, while others become annoyed with him. Their lack of spirit to show sympathy to a disabled person hurts him. But time has come to change attitude towards disabled persons.

There are 1.40 crore disabled people in the country, 80 per cent of them live at villages. Many of them are either illiterate or half literate because they are poor. They are afflicted by superstition.

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Siraj believes that due to the influence of evil spirit, her mother gave birth to a physically handicapped child like him. Elderly people of his village also say so. His elder brother Abu Taher is also physically handicapped.

However, physicians believed that Siraj could be recovered if treated properly at an early age. But his poor father, an erosion victim, was completely illiterate. So, the possibility of his recovery remained always remote. The year when Siraj was born, the villagers of his village were striving hard to become self-reliant in food. So, his family members had not enough time to think about the newborn baby. Their apathy made him permanently disabled. From then on he was leading a disgraceful life.

Schooling was Siraj's distant dream, although it is believed now that 75 per cent disabled people can be rehabilitated if proper measures are taken.

From childhood he grew up uncared. At present family members value him because of his earning through begging.

Once at a religious gathering Siraj came to know that rich people should share their wealth with their poor neighbours. But in reality, he observes that rich people do not bother at all to follow the religious teachings.

Still Siraj wants to lead a normal life like other fellow beings of his society. So, he got married and brought her in his house. He wants to be a father of children. But he is very much worried because he can't feed her wife properly. He can't give her proper health care as quacks treat her during illness.

Physicians say that a mother gives birth to a cripple child if she falls down the ground during pregnancy. Mother's malnourish-ment, wrong treatment or excess work are also behind deformity of a child. Mothers should be more cautious so that newborn babies are not attacked with polio, diarrhoea, measles, pox, pneumonia or jaundice. Because the diseases may make the babies permanently crippled physically or mentally.

-Mass-line Feature