Tragedy struck long ago, plight not over yet

Life was offering endless possibilities when Ratan Kumar Saha, a fresher at Dhaka University, started pursuing his dreams of higher education some 32 years back.

But a tragic twist of fate all of a sudden turned things upside down, making him suffer till today.

He narrowly survived a roof collapse at Jagannath Hall that killed 39 people, including 26 students and 13 guests, on October 15, 1985.

Both his hands were broken into pieces and his face was deformed. He had to remain hospitalised for over nine months and take a year's break from studies.

However, his indomitable spirit never let him give up. A student of geology, he obtained first class in honours and masters and went on to become a teacher at some renowned private schools in Dhaka.

His left hand gradually regained strength while he can only write with the other.

Life was moving on well.

But in 2004, everything came to a standstill as he one day felt some serious vision problems in both eyes. “I was in deep trouble once again,” Ratan said as he was narrating his ordeal.

Doctors said his eyes were affected by the injuries he suffered in 1985 and suggested that he should take treatment abroad.

Selling family land and getting financial help from some friends and organisations, Ratan took full treatment for his right eye but could not complete it for the left eye.

Thanks to the incomplete treatment, he is now suffering loss of vision in the left eye while he cannot see anything beyond one yard with the other.

The recovery is still possible but he will need some surgeries.  

Being the eldest among seven siblings, Ratan took up teaching as his profession in 1995 to run his family. He taught at three renowned English medium schools in the capital.

Hailing from Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali, the 51-year-old still remains a bachelor but married off his four younger sisters. 

As his eye problems struck in 2004, he initially took treatment in Dhaka and went to Kolkata where doctors found that he was suffering vision loss in both eyes.

They advised him to go to Singapore or Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai, India. He went to Singapore National Hospital at the end of 2004.

In Singapore, doctors detected that the problems resulted from a severe hit on the retinas and things got complicated as he aged. The treatment would cost Tk 1.5 crore.

"It was way beyond my capacity," Ratan said. So he went to Sankara Nethralaya, where the treatment required around Tk 75 lakh.

From his savings and selling his ancestral land, he managed around Tk 39 lakh while he got Tk 6 lakh from Jagannath Hall Trust Fund, DU geology department and the Prime Minister's Fund and from a few friends.

In March 2005, his treatment began at Sankara Nethralaya.

After he had undergone six surgeries in 2005-07, his doctors suggested taking two more surgeries within two years.

He could not undergo the surgeries for shortage of money. He regained his vision in one eye but still had problem in the other.

Ratan started teaching again. But in 2013, he began to have troubles in both eyes.

“If I can have my surgeries, I will get my vision back and go back to work,” Ratan said.

The surgeries at Sankara Nethralaya will cost Tk 5 to 6 lakh.

Aid can be sent to Ratan's current A/c 0120210017860, NCC Bank Ltd (Gulshan Branch) in Dhaka.