KOZHIKODE: His world may be in perpetual darkness but he chooses to light up other people’s lives, just like thousands of men and women who have donned the mantle of teaching. And for P A Abdul Kareem, a teacher with  Calicut Higher Secondary School for the Handicapped, Kolathara, every day is a challenge to prove himself.

 It was on June 1, 1980,  that Abdul Kareem entered the teaching profession at Kolathara School, after pursuing a special diploma for teaching the blind. During his 35-year-long service, he never confined himself to the world of teaching. Apart from his position at school as a teacher, he is also an active social worker and propagator of Braille Letters for several blind persons across the state. According to some, Kareem Master is always the person at the forefront when Nallalam suburbs face severe drinking water shortage.

 He is the voice of the people whenever a civic issue raises its ugly head. He translated the Quran in Braille to make it accessible to the visually impaired and has also been active as president of Afzab Foundation, a centre for Braille learning.

Nizar Olavanna, a senior journalist and activist, says Master is always active in charitable activities and is not deterred by his visual impairment. “He is instrumental in bringing together many blind couples across the state. His students are knowledgeable of his valuable services,” adds Nizar.

 In order to honour their teacher in an apt way, the first batch students organised a Gurvuandanam programme on Sunday and presented a memento to him, who will be retiring in March 31, 2016.

For those, who assembled at the residence of Abdul Kareem, at Mavani Nilam near Nallalam, Kareem Master is not just a mere teacher but a mentor, good friend and the man who taught them moral values.

According to them, the programme was organised ahead of the Teachers’ Day, which falls on September 5.  “On every Teachers’ Day, we honour teachers who won awards and those who also have support of various teachers’ unions. We often ignore such teachers who provide service to society despite their disabilities,” says Nizar.

 On receiving the honour, Kareem Master said that it was quite unexpected. “But I was very excited,” Kareem Master recollects. “They inquired whether I was at home on Sunday over phone and I replied yes. They never gave a hint about the programme and it was really surprising”, he adds.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/A-Special-Teacher-who-Give...