B.S. Bharathi Anna, a visually-challenged CPI(M) member, has been elected secretary of the party’s Chengalpattu district unit. This is the first time a visually-challenged person has become a district secretary of a party in Tamil Nadu.
An advocate by qualification, Mr. Anna entered the party through its student wing, the Students’ Federation of India. After completing his graduation in law from Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai, he started practising in Chengalpattu. “I had vision till the age of three. Then, what was diagnosed as short-sightedness progressed into total blindness in 2014,” he said. He was deputy secretary of Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front. “The total loss of eyesight prevented me from working in the field, and I resigned. I also endured depression. But modern technology came in handy, and I started working in the unit for the physically-challenged,” he said.
He is also the vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Association For The Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers.
