14/10/2026
Manipur Technical University Students Walk Hand in Hand with Blind Students of Government Ideal Blind School, Takyelpat
Imphal, October 2026 – Students and faculty of Manipur Technical University (MTU) stood side by side with visually impaired children this week in a day that was about more than white canes. The Lions Club of Imphal Global, together with the Lions Clubs of Imphal Ningol Collective, Imphal Leimarol and Imphal Chanura, distributed 60 white canes to students of Government Ideal Blind School, Takyelpat, with MTU’s Disaster Risk Reduction Club and Disaster Management Cell as partners in the effort.
The distribution was attended by PDG Lion Th. Kesho Singh, several Lions leaders, and MTU’s faculty and staff, who came to show that the university’s commitment to its community reaches beyond the classroom.
The moment that stayed with everyone came during the awareness rally that followed. Organized by the Department of Social Welfare, the march set out from the Kangla Western Gate toward the Social Welfare Office, North AOC. About 90 DRR Club students and 10 Disaster Management Cell faculty members from MTU marched alongside more than 100 volunteers, 20 Lions members, and the students of the blind school. Each MTU student was paired with a visually impaired or blind student and walked beside them for the entire route, guiding with patience and care rather than pity.
At the gathering held after the rally, the Director of Social Welfare spoke about the importance of awareness and of treating people who use white canes with dignity and respect. Kosygin Leishangthem, Coordinator of the DMC at MTU, made the case that disaster preparedness cannot be complete until visually impaired people are included in it, and he pointed to the shortage of accessible educational material as a gap that the university is determined to close. Lion Leethoi Ningombam spoke about the clubs’ ongoing community service and the observance of Lion’s Cause and Vision Week, held from 8 to 18 October 2026.
When the rally ended, two MTU buses carried the paired students back to Government Ideal Blind School. For many of the young people on those buses, the day had shown them what a university can be: a place where students learn that inclusion is something you do, one step at a time, together.
