Page 50 - Grasshopper Magazine

university and wished me a challenged person moves around
Memory of my first
pleasant stay. Dublin streets much the same way
visit to Ireland in Outside, we were greeted by a as any able bodied individual.
cold wind and a warm hug from One incident of how caring the
1987 had receded to
our son who led us to a bus which Irish are towards the physically
some remote corner took us to our destination, a B&B challenged comes to mind. During
hotel. the course of our stay we once
of my mind. All that
Ireland has this unique culture stopped by in a restaurant for coffee
I could recall was of greeting a bus driver while a small group of school children
boarding and thanking him while entered, chatting animatedly. They
visiting the famous
alighting from the bus. Not doing had their snacks and beverages and
Trinity Colllege and so is considered rude. It made me left after making payments, helped
realize how particular the Irish by the lady in-charge of the café.
meeting some lead-
were about dignity of labour and We later came to know that they
ers. There was no respecting an individual. What were all visually impaired.
a contrast from the way we look Once again I was forced to
time then to admire
down upon those doing lowly jobs compare the pitiful and dependent
the beauty of Dublin in India. state in which vast majority of
All the buses in Ireland have the visually impaired live in our
or interact with
ramps to help the physically country.
Dubliners. challenged and the bus drivers are Dublin is a beautiful city but its

nother opportunity to
visit the medieval City
situated along the river
ALiffey and its iconic
bridge came my way in November
2015. My son wanted my wife
and I to attend his graduation
ceremony at the University College
Dublin (UCD) and I said, “Of
course I will!” We realized later
that the UCD was the best place
we could send our son for higher
education.

After the necessary formalities,
we boarded an Emirates flight
one fine day, full of excitement. It
was after over 30 years that I was
going to visit Ireland, Dublin to
be precise, of which my son had
already painted a very romantic
picture of the city of Georgian
churches, museums, pubs and, always ready to help them without human aspect is simply outstanding.
above all, its friendly people who being condescending or disrespect. No wonder that Ireland is ranked
have literary writing and music in In fact, the attitude towards the 15th on the happiness index…they
their blood. physically challenged is amazingly love to laugh, enjoy their pint of
Clearing immigration was loving and caring as it is in Holland, Guinness.
not a problem once we told the parts of Germany and some other Coming back to our journey
immigration official the purpose European countries. from airport, we left the bus at a
and duration of our visit. He Using mechanized wheel chairs point in Dublin city and took a cab
praised my son’s choice of an immaculately dressed physically to the place of our stay, a modest
48 g