Aarva

Scroll.in ·For the curious

How the Blind Built a Place of Their Own in Ranchi

by Nolina Minj

Published 2026-07-06 01:00:04+00:00

How do you build a neighborhood in a city that refuses to stop for you?

0:00 / 20:17 · Narrator Sulafat

Context

Published on 6 July 2026, this piece from Scroll.in visits a small settlement in the Indian city of Ranchi. Almost thirty years ago, a group of blind residents grew tired of waiting for government help and built their own neighborhood from scratch. The story follows the daily routines of the people who live there today. It pauses on a quiet but heavy question: when a city's traffic and employers refuse to make room for you, how do you carve out a physical space of your own?

Show notes

A profile of a self-formed settlement in Ranchi, India, built three decades ago by a group of blind residents. The reporting traces the history of the neighborhood and follows its current residents as they manage daily routines, look for formal work, and walk through dangerous city traffic. It concludes by outlining the community's uncertain future as a bus stand expansion threatens to displace them.

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