Drishti non-profit aims to support 4,000 visually impaired students in India

Saurabh Shandilya and a team of students established Drishti. The Helping Hand, a registered non-profit organisation in Varanasi, India, to help visually impaired students access education.

The initiative started in 2019 at Banaras Hindu University after Shandilya noticed classmates struggling to find study materials, navigate university infrastructure, and secure scribes for exams. The group initially focused on providing volunteer scribes and creating audiobooks before expanding its services to the wider Varanasi area.

The organisation formally registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, in 2023. It currently operates with a network of more than 200 volunteers from institutions such as Kashi Vidyapeeth and Harishchandra PG College. These volunteers produce Braille reading materials, create audiobooks, and provide scribe assistance for government and university examinations. To encourage participation, the organisation pays volunteers a stipend of ₹100 to ₹200 for each exam they assist with.

Beyond academic support, the group provides documentation assistance and has conducted menstrual awareness programmes for female students with disabilities. Drishti plans to expand its reach to 4,000 visually impaired students over the next two years by introducing computer skills training and English communication programmes. The organisation states that achieving this expansion depends on securing adequate funding and building stronger partnerships with educational institutions.