Ikaanr Tirkey

It is never too late for glasses!

Ikaanr Tirkey with his first glasses | © Antje Christ

Ikaanr Tirkey: “I can even see the leaves!”

The city of Rourkela is located in Sundargarh district, in the north of the Indian state of Odisha, where our partner project Care Netram is active. One of the largest German development aid projects was created there in the 1950s: the Rourkela steelworks.

Ikaanr Tirkey worked half his life in the steel mill; he is now 70 years old and lives in the village of Chikatmati. He does not have a pension, but receives some monthly financial support from the government for his work at the steel mill: rent for his small house, five kilos of rice, and 500 rupees (about $7).

 

Ikaanr kann sehen | © Antje Christ

Ikaanr lives alone; his wife died a few years ago and two daughters died after their birth. Ikaanr’s two adult daughters are married and according to tradition, live with their in-laws.

In our outreach Ikaanr eye tests showed that -2.0 diopters lenses would correct the vision in both eyes. He was so excited to make the glasses purchase. These were his first glasses – and when our optometrist asked him to look into the distance into a tree, Ikaanr Tirkey could hardly believe it: “I can even see the leaves on the tree!”

  “I can even see the leaves on the tree!”

Ikaanr Tirkey (70), in Chikatmati in India