Siddaramayya Hiremath, who was born visually impaired at a remote village in Jewargi taluk, Kalaburagi district, and later underwent a corneal transplant, is a happy man today. He has now been selected for the post of Second Division Assistant (SDA) in the Directorate of Employment, Bengaluru.

Born in Kanameshwar village in Jewargi, Mr. Hiremath had his first glimpse of the world in 2009, when he was studying in Class 9 at the Government Blind School in Kalaburagi city, after a successful corneal transplant by noted ophthalmologist Prashant Kamalapurkar. This corneal transplant was reportedly a first for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

“I have no words to express my joy… one of my patients not only got his vision back, he also completed his education and got a government job after passing the KPSC (Karnataka Public Service Commission) examination,” said Dr. Kamalapurkar.

Mr. Hiremath said that after gaining vision, he completed SSLC at the Government Blind School in Kalaburagi and moved to Bengaluru, where he completed Pre University Course (PUC) at the A.P.S. College.

He later moved to Vijayapura district to pursue BA at the H.A. Nandi College, Almel. He said he took the KPSC exam for the post of SDA in 2015-16 and cleared it. “It would not have been possible to continue my education beyond SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) since there are no study books in Braille. The visually impaired pursue studies any further only through audio. I am grateful to the donor and Dr. Kamalapurkar, who performed the surgery and provided medicines free of cost,” Mr. Hiremath recalled.

Mr. Hiremath lost his father when he was young and his mother Sharanamma is an agricultural labourer. His brother Ningaiah Hiremath, who is also visually impaired, has been selected to the post of a First Division Assistant (FDA) in a State government department. His younger brother and sister have normal vision.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Kalaburagi – October 20th, 2016