Deepesh’s story

A Voice in the Dark: Dipesh’s Journey

In a small farming town where the fields stretch far but resources are few, lives Dipesh.  A young boy in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, who was born blind, but with a brightness that refuses to be dimmed.

Dipesh came into the world two months early, the youngest and only son in a family already facing financial strain. His blindness was linked to complications from his premature birth. This became clear only after repeated bouts of illness. Doctors urged the family to take him to AIIMS Delhi, but poverty often forces difficult choices. By the time they reached the hospital, Dipesh’s chances of treatment success had dropped to fifty per cent. Another attempt in Jaipur led to the same heartbreak. The conclusion was inescapable, Dipesh would not regain his sight.

But for Dipesh’s parents, especially his father, this was not the end of the road.

As word spread, so did the doubts. Questions become like walls

“How will he study?” “Will he ever earn a living?” “Won’t he become a burden?” Dipesh’s father refused to let these barriers born of stigma shape his son’s future.

His father took Dipesh to the nearest school at the age of five, hoping education might open a door but was met with rejection. The principal, unsure how to support a child with total visual impairment, turned them away. Yet, his father kept returning day after day, speaking to teachers, local leaders, anyone who might listen. After nearly a month, his perseverance paid off and the school agreed to admit Dipesh into Class I.

It was during this time that Dipesh was introduced to the Inclusive Education Programme of Sightsavers India, supported by Indostar. Through the programme, he received his first Braille kit, a small package that opened a world of independence. He also joined a five-day Plus Curriculum training tailored for children with visual impairment.

This is when something remarkable began to unfold.

Dipesh’s talent revealed itself in unexpected ways. He could memorise whatever he heard, like poems, lessons, even the subtle differences in birdsong. He mimics the calls of peacocks, parrots and crows so perfectly, it is hard to believe they are coming from a child. His teachers no longer see him as a student with a disability, but one with rare gifts. And right beside him through it all has been his elder sister, Megha, who began learning Braille just to help him. Together, they have turned learning into a shared adventure.

Now in Class II, Dipesh reads and writes in Braille, participates actively in class, and inspires everyone around him. His father, once weighed down by uncertainty, now walks with quiet pride. Even the neighbours who once whispered doubts now stop to listen as Dipesh recites poetry or brings the sounds of the forest to life with a smile.

“When people see him reading and writing now, they’re speechless,” his father says. “They no longer see my son as a burden, but as a bright spark in our community.”

Dipesh’s story is not just about one child’s progress, it is about what happens when a child is given the space to grow, the tools to learn and the belief that he belongs.