"I can read and write", he told visiting newsmen at the RDRS' visually impaired project at Haribhanga in Lalmonirhat Sadar.

He said is hurt if called blind. "You write in newspapers so that no body calls us blind", he appealed.

"We are human beings. We want to live properly," he said.

A touchy scene was created when the loveable child, among 20 others others, talked to newsmen.

Maniruzzaman, son of day labourer Muzibar Rahman, said he is the 3rd among his three brothers and one sister.

His two elder brothers--Surjjaman and Nuruzaman and sister Sima Khatun stay at their Guriadaho village home in the Sadar upazila with parents and go to school as they are not blind.

He was brought to the RDRS shelter in January last year. Besides providing food and clothing, the RDRS is teaching him how to lead a good life.

"I want to be educated", he said.

Some teenagers are there among the 20, learning to read and write.

They include Sudhir, 20, Jotsna 15, Sajahan, 17, Kanika, 10, Fancy, 14, Lucky, 12, Arizina, 8, Lipi 15, Alif, 11, Alo, 17, Manju Rashid, 7, Hasina, 8, Milon, 8, Swapna, 8.

All of them said they can read and write. But they have a problem. "We do not get books on literature, poem, story and magazines as our books are written in Braile language", Jitsna said.