Visually impaired women craft traditional wristbands for 'Rakshabandhan'

Mumbai, July 23 (ANI): The visually impaired women here are crafting 'Rakhi', or traditional wristbands, for the upcoming Hindu sibling festival of 'Rakshabandhan' under the banner of the National Association for the Blind (NAB).

The women, who were imparted training by the NAB, are making almost 1,00,000 Rakhis on the tricolour theme, representing the colours of the Indian national flag, for the soldiers posted in the border regions of the country.

"We train the blind people in various activities. The rakhi that you see here in the tricolour of the national flag are being made for our soldiers posted in the border regions.

About one lakh rakhis are being made in five designs by almost 125 girls here," said Namrata Shinde, Production Manager of National Association for the Blind of India.

The project for making rakhis for the soldiers was initiated under the sponsorship of national carrier Air India in 2004, after the Kargil War between India and Pakistan to celebrate India's victory.

Since then, this practice has continued every year.

These tricoloured rakhis are named 'Rashtriya Bandhan' (national bond).

"Even the blind can work like normal people. That is why; I have joined this place after getting training here. Almost 18 girls work with me here; all of us help each other in our work," said Anita Joshi, a visually impaired worker at the NAB facility. (ANI)