By Acharya S.P. Dwivedi
SURREY – Ulka Dwivedi, 72 years young, has been retired for 10 years. She spent her life teaching Hindi and Social Studies to middle school students. But not content to spend her golden years of retirement quietly drinking chai in a rocking chair, she looked for how she could give back. Organizing her friends and other local social activists in her home town of Durg, in Central India, she established an NGO, MaaVatsalyaDivyangSewaSansthan (MVDSS), a service institution for the disabled.On a tour of Canada, Ulka Dwivedi recently shared her story to bring awareness to her cause and enrol overseas support.
MVDSSprovides training and support to disabled women, children, and men to help them become self-dependent and self-sufficient. Apart from their own funded programs, MVDSS also ensures that disabled individuals in undeveloped, rural areas, especially those that are illiterate and underprivileged, are able to access government funded programs that they may not be aware of.
Amongst the many services they provide, MVDSS has provided free medical camps in remote villages, and helps disabled individuals to get medical aid and accessible support equipment. Not stopping at traditional medical and social services access, MVDSS also facilitates sports competitions and access to arts. For many individuals, this may be the first time in their lives they were able to access sports. Says Dwivedi, “You can see the sheer joy on the faces of our athletes as they are able to play cricket or other sports such as field hockey, track or badminton, sports that they were never able to be included in before.” MVDSS’ support for access to sport includes facilitating training and competitions, and last December they helped to organize the first interstate competitions in Central India for cricket for the visually impaired.
How does one play cricket if they are visually impaired or blind? They require special equipment, including balls, bats and wickets that are sound-enabled. MVDSS sources and acquires this equipment, and organizes the participants.
One of the more interesting benefits of organizing these events is that they have helped to introduce disabled individuals to other individuals in similar situations. “Growing up, many of these individuals were isolated, and experienced tremendous difficulty finding a community of similar folks that they could relate to and share experiences with.” In fact, these introductions have been so successful, that they have resulted in many life-long friendships and in many cases, even marriages.
Ulka herself has been involved in 12 marriages of couples that met through MVDSS activities. Considered a mother-like figure in the community, she has been asked multiple times to be involved in the marriage ceremonies, and has even been asked to perform the Kanyadaan, or giving away of the bride in the marriage ceremony.
More information on MVDSS, including how you can support or provide donations, can be found online at maavatsalya.ml
