“Touch and Feel the Agriculture” An Unique Approach by ICAR CCARI, Goa for Visit of Blind Students

 

    A unique visit arrangement was made by ICAR – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, Goa for visit of 35 blind students along with coordinators associated with the National Association for Blind, Santacruz, Goa to make them touch and feel the freshness and liveliness of the agriculture. As a responsible research institute for the coastal agriculture development in country, CCARI has not only educated, trained farmers and students of various universities across the country through its trainings and educational farm visits in its campus, but also pioneered many novel activities for the society of the region. One of such special activity was organised by institute by arranging a special visit to its campus on 28th April 2023 for the blind students group where they were felicitated with interactive session. To make them feel how different fruits, vegetables, agricultural products are sized, shaped, how their touch feels, how much they weigh, how they smell… everything was arranged to give them a feel with touch. Live animals like rabbit, poultry bird and their different sized eggs, sucker fish for touch and nibbling experience was kept to create everlasting impression of these agriculture related things in their mind and to educate them with lifetime memory. Dr. Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR – CCARI, who himself is associated with the teaching and welfare activities for the blind student since long, has conceptualised the idea of this visit to make such special students feel the farmer’s life through our eyes. He, along with institute staff, personally took all the blind students to all these exhibits and made them touch and feel the variety of fruits, vegetables, animals, birds, processed products etc. and witnessed the joy, curiosity and satisfaction on the face of these students. ICAR CCARI, Goa takes this pride of not only educating and training farmers but also to involve all segments of society in our activities as a social responsibility. Shri Vinod Ubarhande, Shri Rahul Kulkarni, Dr. Monika Singh, Shri Omar D’Souza and Smt. Lizette Noronha coordinated the programme.