Kathmandu, 4 Nov: Every morning, Tika Ram Ghimire of Tilottama Municipality-5 in Rupandehi wakes up in the dark. Though completely blind, he cannot see the road when he leaves his home in the morning, but he sees his duty and responsibility clearly: to reach the school and teach the children.
His home is in Tilottama, but his workplace is the Bagault Secondary School in South Marchawari, about a hundred kilometers away. Every day, he gets on the motorcycle of his colleague, Gyan Singh Rana, early in the morning. Traveling 50 kilometers to reach the school, teaching, and then another 50 kilometers back—this is his daily routine. For a blind person, even imagining such a journey is difficult.
But for Tika Ram, this is not a compulsion; it is dedication to his profession. He says, “I am blind, but I see my responsibility. Teaching is my dharma (duty/religion), so I don’t run away from it because it’s difficult.” However, this journey is not just one of duty; it is also a tale of suffering. Dust, smoke, heat, cold, rain—nothing has stopped him. He says, “Sometimes even a sighted person finds such a journey difficult. I am blind, so I cannot express the pain in words.”
Gyan Singh Rana, who drives Tika Ram to school daily, also finds this journey arduous. He says, “Driving a hundred kilometers every day tires both the body and the mind, but seeing Tika Ram’s dedication makes me want to support him.”
A System’s Indifference and an Unyielding Spirit
Tika Ram’s struggle also questions the sensitivity of the state system. The policy of placing blind teachers in accessible locations is limited to paper only. After his appointment, he repeatedly appealed to be transferred to a school nearby, but no one listened. The blind teacher is still forced to travel a hundred kilometers every day.
His colleague, teacher Yuvaraj Kandel, says, “The state has failed to understand the life of a teacher like Tika Ram. Despite being blind, he passed the Teachers Service Commission and became a permanent teacher, but even today, he suffers due to the lack of sensitivity from the state.”
Tika Ram has never used the difficulties in his life as an excuse. Despite being blind, he worked as a journalist for 12 years—he hosted radio programs, read news, and conducted talk shows. Using technology, he listened to books, read materials, and understood the news. Even now, he prepares his lessons with the help of technology. However, the biggest challenge for Ghimire is not his physical limitations, but the administrative negligence. He says, “I am a teacher with a disability. My desire to work is strong, but if the state would just develop a policy to post me to an accessible location, my life would be easier, and I could teach even better.”
Tika Ram’s life sends a profound message—disability is not a weakness, but a limitation of mindset. Though he cannot see, he continues to share the light of knowledge and confidence. Now, the responsibility lies with society and the state—to provide teachers like Tika Ram with a safe, accessible, and respectful environment. Because he is not just a blind teacher; he is a symbol of the dreams and possibilities for thousands of citizens with disabilities.
The school’s principal, Chandramani Chaudhary, said, “Ghimire’s teaching style is excellent, and the students are happy. However, he faces difficulties because he has to commute from a long distance and because the school is not disability-friendly.”
When asked about the issue of Ghimire’s transfer to a location nearer to his home, Gangaram Acharya, the head of the education department of Tilottama Municipality, stated that his immediate transfer could not be arranged due to the procedures of the Ministry of Education.
