Sushri manorama joshi President

Many years ago…

Having achieved recognition in the academic world, the then Principal of an Almora College, Jagdish Chandra Joshi’s life changed when he interacted closely with an autistic child. He saw at close quarters the utter helplessness of a differently-abled child in the beautiful but harsh terrain of the Himalayan region.

In cities the environment of the disabled is different – there is awareness, there are institutions, there are funds, skilled teachers, and buses which carry kids back and forth to special schools, trying to bring a semblance of normalcy into an otherwise difficult life of such children and their families.

In the mountains it is a different world. A world of poverty, hardship and constraints. Of insignificant farms with sparse crops, impoverished households, alcoholism, parents struggling to earn a living along with bringing up their kids. Children who walk 4-10 km daily to be able to attend school. Children who go without proper warm clothes in winters because these are not affordable. In this situation, think of a child who is mentally challenged, or deaf and mute, or blind, or with a combination of disabilities.

What does a poor family do? It neither has the time nor the money nor the knowledge to take adequate care of the child. Other people pity them, and look at the child as an oddity – who can sometimes be wild, ill-behaved, in short, a problem with no solution. The unmanageable child can often neither speak nor learn – and at times, is even beaten, tied up or kept shut in a room by the despairing family.

Thus, such “problem” children are hidden away from society. They are neglected and become withdrawn, apathetic, even demented, remaining a burden on their families while their seemingly purposeless lives are wasted.

Moved by these unheard voices – the voices of the unhappy children with special needs – who were being denied a life of dignity and opportunity, Shri Jagdish Joshi and his sister Ms Manorama Joshi set up Mangaldeep as a registered society in 1998. Another family member, the late Shri RS Joshi helped out in the early years by bearing the expenses for the teacher salaries and by providing his vehicle with a driver, to ferry the children.

Two young teachers Ruchi Purohit and Vinita Bhatt were trained and joined the school at its inception. Their exemplary devotion to the children and ability to continuously learn and implement new knowledge and techniques provided the impetus for the school’s strong service culture based on compassion, care and professionalism.

Starting with six children and two teachers, Mangaldeep today has nearly 50 students with different disabilities and a staff of 12. Shri Jagdish Joshi stepped down in 2013 due to health reasons and Sushri Manorama Joshi now heads the institution.

The school is managed by a committee with the following members, currently:

Sushri Manorama Joshi – President

Colonel Ravindra Nath Pande – Secretary

Shri Sushil Kumar Joshi

Dr Nalin K. Pande

Miss Geeta Pant

Shri Rohit Verma

Dr Leena Chauhan

Miss Bharti Pande

Shri Ranjan Joshi serves as an honorary external Advisor to the School.