Maduraimessenger issue48 december lowres

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December 2013

Volume 4, Issue 48

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Redefining Abilities, Rescripting Lives: SMA Jinnah and his iab Plus: Disability Activist Nicholas Francis

Editor

Contents

December 2013 | Issue No. 48

EDITOR’S CORNER

Saluting a Visionary

Selina Joseph Copy Editor Bhuvana Venkatesh Journalism Coordinators B. Pooja R.P.Surya Prakash

EDITOR’S CORNER

01 Saluting A Visionary INTRODUCTION

02 Redefining Abilities, Rescripting Lives COVER STORY

Designer & Technical Support T. Jesuraja G. Durgairajan

Reporters & Photographers Isak Adolfsson Michael van Waveren Laetitia Delmarche Pernilla Johansson Cover Photograph Suriya Prakash. R.P

04 A Different Vision

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t was through fortuitous circumstances that the Madurai Messenger magazine decided to do an issue on the visually challenged, a topic that we have touched on before, albeit fleetingly. Therefore, we decided that this issue would deal with

the everyday challenges that the visually impaired come across and we focused on the Indian Association for the Blind, an organization which aims to empower these people through education, rehabilitation and employment. This organization was started in 1985 by SMA Jinnah, who was himself visually impaired, having lost his sight in an accident at the age of 13.

Hereos In real life

08 Model Teacher 10 A Beautiful Vision Making a difference

13 With a Clear Mission Voices

16 Just Like You and Me From the heart

18 Terms of Endearment Spotlight

20 The Call of Engagement Causes

23 The Art of Giving Reaching out

26 Seeing Eye to Eye with Humans village voices

It was just as this issue was being readied for designing that we heard the sad news about the passing away of this visionary. SMA Jinnah spent most of his lifetime in service to this community, first by founding the Helen Keller Education Society and later the Indian Association for the Blind, which has helped more than 6,000 visually impaired youth get an education. We would, hence, like to dedicate this issue to this unassuming visionary, who played an important role in removing the stigma with which the visually challenged were looked upon and give them the confidence to live with dignity and respect.

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As another year draws to a close, change is in the air. Indeed, change has already touched the Madurai Messenger magazine with the exit of our editor, Ms Nandini Murali, who had been with us since 2006. Ms Nandini used her immense talent to conceptualize each issue and to personally guide our volunteers in their stories, giving them the necessary feedback so that they could get maximum benefit from their stint here. Madurai Messenger would like to place on record its utmost gratitude to her for her services.

‘Every story has an end but in life every ending is just a New Beginning’ and so with the New Year 2014. Madurai Messenger would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous 2014.

28 Sundarrajanpatti: Pixelated Growth Sivakasi Projects Abroad Pvt. Ltd., Contact:

Film reveview

31 With A New Vision: The Portrayal of the

editor@maduraimessenger.org

Visually Challenged

MADURAI MESSENGER

book review

No. 17, T.P.K Road Pasumalai Madurai – 625004 Tamil Nadu India Tel. 0452-2370269

34 An Epic Tale of Knowledge and Spirituality FIRST IMPRESSIONS

36 An Innocent Abroad

Selina Joseph Editor

Madurai Messenger Introduction December 2013

Redefining Abilities, Rescripting Lives It is quite common for us in India to see visually challenged people begging at traffic signals. Most of us pull out some money to give as alms. But the global rights-based movement in visual rehabilitation has also percolated to India. Thanks to this, people with visual challenges no longer wish to be seen as objects of charity or pity. Instead, they are on the road to empowerment with education and employment as the mantra to enable them lead successful fulfilled lives like sighted people, writes Michael Van Waveren who anchored the cover story.

Madurai Messenger is honoured to profile a few such exemplary individuals whose visual disability is dwarfed by their spectacular achievements.

Text: Michael Van Waveren, Netherlands 2

Photos: Suriya Prakash.R.P

Showing the way - the facade of the IAB’s Higher Secondary School for the Blind in Sundarrajanpatti

“I shut my eyes in order to see,” said Paul Gauguin, the famous French painter. You may want to shut your eyes for a moment and give it a try. I did. At first, it was confusing, as the only thing I could see was the darkness of my eyelids. But when you persist, something else happens… I will get back to that in a minute.

In this month of December we have seen the final show of the South West monsoon. We have seen a hurricane striking the east coast of India. But that was not the only significant event. On December 15, the world celebrated White Cane Day. It is a day especially attributed to those without sight. We, as humans, grant our fellow human beings without sight a day where they can bask in global awareness. It may have been noticed by you, or it may have passed unmarked, but let me tell you about the significance of this day.

For I have come to see it not as a day of sharing compassion with the blind, of giving thought for their struggles, but as a day of acknowledging their many accomplishments.

I shall be frank and tell you that this was a process. It is an easy mistake to make, to see the blind as people who are in need of help, who are dependent on us in some way or another. It may sadden you to see them. It is such an easy mistake to make! I have made it for a long time. But now, after speaking with many of them, you could say that I finally see. The blind are not in need of your compassion or pity. They are some of the strongest willed, most dedicated and most inspiring people that I have ever met.

Strength, you see, is only governed by the mind. It is not about numbers, it is not about past accomplishments, and it is most certainly not about raw physical capabilities. Some of the most inspiring people alive are not physically able.

Stephen Hawking, intellectual genius.

Ludwig von Beethoven, famously deaf composer. And of course Helen Keller, the deaf and blind visionary who redefined and re-scripted what people

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Telling the world ‘we can do it!’ Visually challenged girls showcase their singing talents

with visual challenges are capable of and served as an icon to humanity. Even today, many schools for the deaf and blind are dedicated to this extraordinary woman. There are many others. They have shown that a physical defect is by no means the end of the story.

For the blind, there are, of course, struggles to overcome. Challenges to be met. That is true for all of us. And for them, every challenge may be a little more challenging. How can this be denied? But by overcoming the hardships, by finding solutions to our problems, we grow. We thrive through our experiences just as the test of fire that makes steel. This is why the blind are so inspiring. Many of them achieve, even from the limited resources from which they have to get their motivation, and they grow strong in the process.

Especially in this age of technology, this

age where there exists a little machine for every purpose, we are constantly reminded of the many feats that the human race can accomplish, if only we set our mind to it. The blind profit from the advancements of technology in many ways, as you will read. Their independence, if not given by their own minds, has been given to them by technology.

Now I think of Gauguin, who shut his eyes in order to see. Many of the blind you will read about will give you a similar version of the words. Only by becoming blind, they were given the opportunity to find their strength. Their determination was trained; their power of will emboldened. It is all inside the head. It is something we can all draw inspiration from. For greatness is not there for the able-bodied... it is there for the able-minded.

Madurai Messenger Cover Story December 2013

A Different Vision SMA Jinnah, the visually challenged activist needs no introduction to those in the field of visual rehabilitation. Founder of the Madurai-based Indian Association for the Blind, a pioneering NGO in visual rehabilitation, he shares his life and times and the peculiar needs and concerns of people who are visually challenged with Michael Van Waveren, who needless to say, comes away mighty impressed with the spirit and zest for life of this indomitable visually challenged crusader Text: Michael Van Waveren, Netherlands Photos: Suriya Prakash .R.P

Inspiring others - S.M.A. Jinnah with journalism volunteers Michael and Pernilla

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But it was not always like this. Jinnah, sitting in his office, tells of his own personal history, ultimately leading to the birth of the IAB. “I was 12 years old when I lost my sight. I was very young, studying in the eighth grade of the primary school. When the accident happened, I was riding pillion on a motorcycle. When we collided with an oncoming vehicle, I was caught under a tyre, and a part of it went into my eyes.

It cut my optic nerve, which connects to both eyes.” In the following months, Jinnah gradually lost his sight, until he was completely blind by the age of 13.

Despite his age, his voice is strong and rhythmic, similar to a priest delivering a sermon. “Only when the brain is lost, then something is lost. But when the brain is functioning well, then we have the independence to do something. This is very important. You must have the willpower, you see. It is not about whether you are handicapped or not”

For five years, Jinnah went into a deep depression. The loss of sight was something he could not accept. “I had five operations, but nothing worked,” he says. “Actually, due to ignorance about blindness, people could not help the blind. It had to come through our own efforts. It was burning in my heart. Even then, there was so much resistance. My parents, for example, were no more when I lost my sight. The family I stayed with did not believe in my education, so they were not aware of the potential of the blind. They simply thought, if we give him food, it would be okay. In those days, people thought that education is for normal people only, not for the blind.”

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In pursuit of a passion

H

ave you ever heard of the Latin phrase Sic parvis magna? Translated it says, ‘Greatness from small beginnings.’ The phrase reminds us that even the most arduous of adventures started with a single step, that the most powerful companies were started in garages or college dorm rooms, and that inspiring global movements started with the ideas of a single person.

Leading by example Well known visually challenged activist S.M.A. Jinnah, 69, is currently the president of the Indian Association for the Blind

(IAB), a Madurai-based NGO that works for rehabilitation of visually challenged people through education and employment.

At the time of writing, the IAB has helped more than 11,000 blind women, men and children cope with their disability. They do this by providing education, training and support to those who are willing to make the effort. Every day, more than 300 children go to school in the disability-friendly buildings in the institution campus. Visually challenged teachers give the lessons, providing their students with knowledge and instilling in them a sense of confidence by telling them stories of their own struggles on the road to empowerment. IAB is an inspiring place.

After those five years, the still very young Jinnah felt that his childhood passion for education was something that he simply could not ignore.

Emerging from his country home, he went out to look for a place where he, too, could receive a normal schooling.

“I started searching for a school for the blind and found one, 40 kilometers away from my village. I went there, but my age at that time was 18. I was considered too old by the headmaster.”

But by learning Braille in record time and helped by the local MLA, who supported his cause, the headmaster finally allowed Jinnah to enter the school and finish the 7th and 8th standard. For the young blind student, it looked like his life was finally heading into a more positive direction.

Disability does not deter him - S.M.A. Jinnah is passionate about education of the visually challenged

Madurai Messenger Cover Story December 2013

However, he was again frustrated by the inadequacies of the Indian education system. Due to a lack of higher education for the blind, he was not allowed to continue after the 8th grade.

Instead, he was forced to do training in weaving. This seemed like the end for Jinnah and his passion for knowledge.

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After three years without any improvement in his quest for knowledge, Jinnah met Dr R. Jayaraman, who was to later become a Professor of English at Madras Christian College. Blind since the age of three, Dr Jayaraman had shown exceptional strong will and completed his M.A, teacher’s training and even his doctorate. The young Jinnah seemed to be a promising pupil. So Jayaraman took him under his wing, and moved with him to Madurai. Here he coached him, until Jinnah finally completed his matric exam conducted by the Madurai Kamaraj University in 1967.

Jinnah then went to the American College where he completed his post graduation in Economics, becoming the first blind person ever to study at that college. More important, he topped the examinations with a gold medal, competing on equal terms with sighted students. For him, this was a true victory. After struggling for so long with his disability, it was at this point in time that he finally saw his own potential and became a truly empowered person.

challenged, some of whom might be in depression, for a moment he is lost in thought. “When a person becomes blind, they must not think about themselves as a burden for others, or as a burden to their society,” he says.

“Remember, if a man becomes blind, what does he lose? Loss of reading.

Ok. Learn Braille, do your reading. Loss of writing. Again, use Braille. It is a good alternative to script used by the sighted people. You can write. Loss of occupation? Work hard, get the job back! Loss of mobility, from one place to another place? Use mobility cane, and go! Today, thanks to technology, a blind person can even read the newspapers through the websites. He can even write easily using a computer. If you want to read anything, like a letter, put it on the computer and have the machine read it back to you. You are then able to read your own letters.”

exam, we can now understand that how it must have been for a person armed with this knowledge and confidence.

It is easy to imagine that for him, the sky was now the limit. He founded the Helen Keller Association, designed to be a hostel for young blind students.

The students were free to pursue their academic interests without having to worry about a place to stay.

He continues, “They need confidence.

That is number one. Number two, blind people should know about themselves.

Educating the public comes after this.

Educating the blind about their own potential, that is number one. If I don’t know myself, how can I tell the others?”

A life changing experience

If we go back in time to the young Jinnah who just completed his matric

Jinnah had also got a teacher’s job, which together with his accomplishments at the Helen Keller Association brought him in the spotlight of the International Rotary Association.

This group motivates young leaders in different ways, for example, by paying for their education. They awarded him 50,000 USD to do a one-year diploma in rehabilitation of the visually challenged at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, US.

In the United States, Jinnah was amazed at the technology being used to support the blind people, and the apparent ease with which the Americans treated him. “In the USA, the people were not like in India, because the people had a good education,” he says. “But in India, the

Jinnah speak Today, sitting in his office, SMA Jinnah shares with us some of the wisdom he has gathered from his years of crusading for equal rights and opportunities for visually challenged people. Despite his age, his voice is strong and rhythmic, similar to a priest delivering a sermon.

“Only when the brain is lost, then something is lost. But when the brain is functioning well, then we have the independence to do something. This is very important. You must have the willpower, you see. It is not about whether you are handicapped or not.”

When I ask him what would be his message for people who are visually

Looking adversity in the eye - S.M.A. Jinnah proves that the visually challenged can overcome obstacles

“They need confidence.

That is number one.

Number two, blind people should know about themselves.

Educating the public comes after this.

Educating the blind about their own potential, that is number one. If I don’t know myself, how can I tell the others?”

The smile of a victor - S.M.A. Jinnah is a fighter as his own story shows

culture and the level of education fifty years back, was low. The only thing the public in India gave us was charity. As soon as people saw blind people, they gave away money. Alms. So they could give me my good food, good clothing, and good shelter. These three was all a blind man was supposed to have. But not education. Today, the attitude of the public, the attitude of the parents, the attitude of the government, that has all changed, but not the blindness itself.”

After his enriching experience in Boston, he returned to India to implement programmes for the rehabilitation of the visually challenged based on the informed perspectives he gleaned in Perkins. More struggles awaited him. First, he continued his work for the Helen Keller Foundation.

At one point, he was asked to be the speaker at a conference in Delhi. In his absence, some of the other management members changed its bylaws and destroyed the meeting minutes. When he returned, he found that he no longer was the president, but the director of the foundation. It had been taken from him, as it were. This caused him to be confused on what to do in the next six months.

A dream is born But, being a fighter that he was, Jinnah went on to start the Indian Association for the Blind. The school started in 1985 with only four students, in a small premises of only 400 sq. ft. Now, 27 years later, the school has grown to 300 students with buildings on a land of 50,000 sq. ft. Through many hardships, financial crises, and almost a breakdown, Jinnah has continued to fight so that this school could continue to grow and prosper.

Technology as seen in the United States and Europe could prove to be of great value to the blind in India. However, it is not yet available. So this is an area that needs work. Or as Jinnah says; “Yes, it is very expensive. Technology has not reached all the blind people.

It has reached only 2 - 3 percent of the educated blind. In most instances, blindness is associated with poverty. If they are very poor, they cannot afford such technology – someone has to support them.”

When asked if he thinks enough has been done for the blind, he responds in the negative. “Today, only 30 – 40 percent of the people know about blind people and their problems, potential, etc. Still, we have to go further. But it is the responsibility of the blind people to teach the public,” he says.

“The government is doing its best,” he says. “But the society... it requires more. The disabled in the society require more. You know, 5 percent of the blind people are still not educated.

That’s a lot of people. But compared to the previous years, the numbers of educated blind are going up.”

Greatness from small beginnings. Who could have known that the young boy, staying at home, depressed and alone, would one day rise up to become the champion activist for the visually challenged you have now read about?

Is it fate? This is my parting query to Jinnah, as I thank him for his wise words. Does he think he would be as accomplished as he is today, if the accident would’ve never happened? He laughs heartily at the question. “I don’t think so. Because only the blindness made me know the world. Otherwise I would have become an ordinary citizen, I think.”

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Madurai Messenger Heroes in Real Life December 2013

Model Teacher

Volunteer Michael takes a look at a Braille textbook, one of the IAB’s methods of teaching

Michael Van Waveren chats with Vimal Kumar, teacher at the Indian Association for the Blind, who is an inspiration for his students. That he himself is visually challenged, gives him a better insight into the needs and concerns of his students, he says Text: Michael Van Waveren, The Netherlands Photos: Suriya Prakash.R.P

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he mind works exactly like a sponge. At first, the sponge easily absorbs anything that makes contact with it. Its weight will increase gradually until it reaches saturation.

When that happens, it will have to lose some fluid, before more can be absorbed. Similarly, the mind starts with a period in our lives when every idea, every little impression, is stored without further critical thinking. The mind simply absorbs what is presented to it. We call this period, childhood.

It is when the mind is, in some ways, at its highest capacity (try learning a language as fast as a child can) and also at its most vulnerable. How important, then, are those who are chosen to fill it!

Guiding Light - Vimal Kumar, a visually challenged teacher at the IAB

9 state tests, which sometimes must be written, he needs a ‘reader’ who helps him by reading the answers out loud.

Cheating is virtually impossible, he says, and bullying is non-existent. The IAB thus sounds like an ideal school.

Meet your challenges As Kumar is now done with explaining the way of life in the school, he focuses more on the past.

School life Vimal Kumar is a teacher at the Indian Association for the Blind, Madurai. Born with low vision, there have been many challenges, which he’s had to face in his lifetime. From these experiences he has learnt a great deal, which he has chosen to share with his many students.

“Whenever we give our lessons, we will also stimulate their general knowledge.

So whatever topic we give, we will also give them general lessons to make their lives more successful. That is the most important factor as a teacher,” he says, sitting attentively in the teacher’s room at the IAB. Some of those stories he will share with us later. First, let’s talk about the way

“Whenever we give our lessons, we will also stimulate their general knowledge. So whatever topic we give, we will also give them general lessons to make their lives more successful. That is the most important factor as a teacher”

“When I was still studying, I did it all by myself because my parents did not have the awareness of the potentials of a visually challenged person. They pushed me to go to a sighted school. I have studied there but from the first day, felt very afraid. The sighted people did not talk or mingle with me. I felt very afraid.

I had to complete this school, but my first experience was one of fear.” the classes are handled in a school for persons who are visually challenged.

Kumar shares some interesting facts about the classroom situation: first, Braille tablets are used for the children to write on and take tests . By using

special pins and feeling the direction in which these pins are located from each other, students can solve mathematical problems. Kumar, knowing Braille well, can then easily grade the tests the students hand to him. Only for special

Again, in college, he missed the contacts with helpful organisations, which were even harder to come by then than today. His parents were illiterate, and could not help him.

Today, he says, that is less of a problem.

Organisations like the IAB school and informed parents make them even more empowered, but it was not always so.

“If only I had awareness in those times, I would not have had those problems.

Firstly, we need the awareness of our problems so we can find a solution for them.” Luckily for Kumar, he had an uncle who thoroughly motivated him, in the way his parents never could. That’s how he was motivated to finish his studies.

One can only imagine the difficulties that a visually impaired person must face, but their effect is clear as day.

During my interaction with the school, I’ve found again and again the most confident little children, not in the least

bothered by their lack of sight. Instead, they display self-assuredness and zeal for life. How does one explain this?

Kumar is happy to answer me: “First of all, they should not have the negative thinking. Whatever the problem, they should find an alternate source of action instead of negative thinking.

They have to overcome the society, and then they can achieve anything!

Whatever resources we have... from that resource, we have to achieve. We should not blame everyone. From the limited resources, we have to overcome our problems and achieve our goals.

That is the road to everyone’s success.”

I think we can all rest a little easier, knowing there are teachers like Vimal Kumar.

Madurai Messenger Heroes in Real Life December 2013

A Beautiful Vision Ravi Kannan, Professor of English, Sourashtra College, Madurai, chats with Michael Van Waveren about the challenges of being visually impaired and his mantra to rise above them as an empowered self-reliant person –an example of what can be achieved by strong will and determination Text: Michael Van Waveren, The Netherlands Photos: Suriya Prakash.R.P

theatre. At that time, the government of Tamil Nadu had just introduced the first line bus. I used to cross that road.

I never thought that I was blind, and moved about there with all my friends. I did so much mischief with them. I have a lot of good memories of that time.”

Breaking stereotypes about the visually challenged was one of Professor Ravi Kannan’s reasons for joining a regular college

The professor is actually one of first visually impaired persons I’ve met who was motivated by his parents from an early age to achieve . He, too, realizes this. “I’m very lucky that my parents were helpful, and that they were unrelenting in letting me stand on my own feet.”

They sent him to the High School for the Blind at Palayamkottai and later to the St. Loius School for the Deaf and Blind in Chennai and encouraged him to finish his education, which he did with exceptional honours. “My parents felt sad for the loss of my vision, but when they put me in school, they saw that I did very well. I won several gold medals. I was interested in music. I can play many instruments, for example, the keyboard. I can sing songs and have even performed on TV in Chennai and Madurai, when I was in school.”

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A Clear Vision

Contentment personified - Professor Ravi Kannan speaks about his life to volunteer Michael

“I lost my eyesight, but I never think I’m visionless,” Professor Ravi Kannan, aged 58, says in a melodious voice, as we sit in the Principal’s office of the Sourasthra College of Arts and Science in Madurai. After working for the college for the past 30 years, his passion for teaching has never been greater, nor is his enjoyment of life.

“I’m totally satisfied with what I have. I have a daughter who has a post doctorate and is married. I have a loving wife.”

Clearly, Ravi Kannan is a man who has all he wished for.

Early Days Where did he grow up? He lost his eyesight at the early age of three years. “It was due to typhoid. In those days, medical science had not yet developed as it has today. So due to

typhoid you could lose your eyesight, or your hearing ability.

At the very least, you would lose your hair and you would become bald. And it could affect the nervous system and affect the brain,” explains Prof. Ravi Kannan.

His parents were poor and did not have much of an education.. His father, a factory worker, did everything in his power to restore his son’s eyesight, but it was of no avail.

Whereas today corneal eye transplantations are becoming more common, back then it was out of the question. So there was no other choice than to accept this new reality.

Interestingly, Ravi Kannan still had a childhood, which was lived in the outdoors. “When I was a small boy, I lived in a house on a main road, near other buildings, including a

The talented boy already made a plan at an early age of what he wanted to achieve in life. He saw that negative stereotypes about people with visual challenges were widespread in society, which excluded them from mainstream society. A blind teacher would only be allowed to teach other blind students, in special institutes meant exclusively for people who were visually challenged. This made it virtually impossible for the non-sighted and the sighted to mingle.

“I wanted to eradicate this idea, this concept. That’s why I wanted to become a professor in a college. Actually, I thought of three different jobs I wanted to do. One, as a public relations officer in a reputed organisation, so that I can help network with the public, or a college professor or become an announcer for the public radio.”

So from an early age, Ravi Kannan was achievement oriented, and he wanted to help the blind community through his efforts.

Being people-oriented, he chose teaching. This, of course, required him to study a great deal, which came with its own challenges. He talks of the days when technology for the visually challenged was not what it is now and the difficulties of studying.

“We had to seek the help of the sighted students to read and to write for us.

And if we wished to compete with the sighted students, we had to have great determination to succeed.”

Herculean challenges Back then, a person who was blind was truly dependent upon others for studying. Many of the books were not available in Braille, so his first job was to make friends. “We had to seek the help of the sighted students to read and to write for us.

And if we wished to compete with the sighted students, we had to have great determination to succeed.”

But Ravi Kannan stayed true to his course. He got a Bachelors degree in English literature. Later, he got his MPhil, while working at the Sourashtra College in Madurai. His PhD

Madurai Messenger Heroes in Real Life December 2013

With A Clear Mission

dissertation was on the works of Vladimir Nabokov, the well-known Russian born writer, who left the cold climate of his motherland to settle in the United States. Nabokov’s writings echo with the difficulties he faced as a settler besides exploring other topics as well.

Dr K Ilango of the Aravind Low Vision Centre talks to Michael Van Waveren about how technology has revolutionized the landscape for people with low vision. Gadgets such as bionic vision and robotic eye, until recently, in the realm of science fiction, have redefined the way people with low vision engage with the world in which they live

A matter of perspective I am sure that, through all of these struggles, he must have learned a great deal about meeting life’s challenges. So, what are the challenges for a visually challenged person today? Surely, the circumstances have changed, and life has become easier for them. Can they now be regarded as more self-reliant and independent?

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Ravi Kannan answers directly. You can sense he has already thought about the subject many times.“ I have a different opinion,” he says. “I do not think that the society needs to think that the blind people are more intelligent, or can do everything better, than normal people. Or that blind people are weak.

What they need to know is that, blind people can also improve, but only if they try. If they learn more, or if they work hard, if they have the willpower, they can become better citizens. And if they are lazy, if they are not ready to work, they can simply become indolent, and they can become useless citizens. So to become better, or worse, is in the hands of the blind people.

Individually. So the individual must try to improve himself or herself, always.”

Story and Photos: Michael Van Waveren, Netherlands

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phthalmology is advancing with rapid speed,” says Dr.K. Ilango with bright eyes, as we walk through the main room of the Aravind Low Vision Centre in Madurai.

“The technology is changing so much.”

He illustrates this with a brief history of the Low Vision Centre which was built only ten years ago, and back then the only tool they had to offer to the patient was a little spyglass, like the one used by Sherlock Holmes! Not very advanced, indeed.

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High tech

Disability is no hurdle to success - Professor Ravi Kannan

Professor Ravi Kannan strikes me as a man who has always achieved, from an early age, and who has always relied on his own skills to further his dreams. In this way, you could say he is an example to all. Again, I’m reminded of a simple truth: that it does not matter where you come from, or who you are, but that there is only one thing that determines your true chance of success in life: the willpower to succeed.

As I take leave of Prof. Ravi Kannan, he surprises me with a statement, which is as an encouragement to any person who is visually impaired. “First of all, I would suggest to a blind man that he think that he is not blind, and that he realizes that blindness is something very common. And becoming blind, by birth or accident, is something better than becoming deaf. You see, once you lose your eyesight,

you don’t lose your sense of talking. Actually, becoming blind is not a great defect. I feel it’s better than being deaf.

Because they are unable to hear, they are unable to talk, are unable to express themselves, and to make a connection with others.”

He continues with a story to illustrate his point: “I usually go to the temple, on Thursdays. There I found a man who is in charge of the temple. He is unable to talk, and unable to hear.

He feels sympathy for me, but I feel greater sympathy for him.

Because, what I feel, cannot be expressed to him. I wish to talk to him, but he can’t hear me. I wish to say something, but he is not able to understand. So I cannot see this person, but he is unable to communicate with me. So, of all other handicaps, blindness is a thousand times better.”

But times are changing. Over the past few years, innovations have begun to revolutionize the technological landscape. At the centre, one can procure a magnifying dome, which can slide over a text with more ease than the spyglass. There are the special magnifying glasses, which can significantly ‘zoom’ in on whatever you are looking at. This makes reading much easier. There’s also the stand magnifier, which automatically sets magnifying glass at the correct distance from the reading material. The most expensive but useful object that’s being offered is a small camera, connected to a CCTV. The camera shows an enlarged image of whatever is under it on the screen, and can be adjusted in many different ways. For example, it can be altered to show negative images, which are often far easier to read for people with low

Gizmo wiz - Dr. Ilango of the Aravind Low Vision Centre explains the gadgets to volunteer Michael

There are the special magnifying glasses, which can significantly ‘zoom’ in on whatever you are looking at. This makes reading much easier. There’s also the stand magnifier, which automatically sets magnifying glass at the correct distance from the reading material

Madurai Messenger Making a Difference December 2013

The special magnifying glass which makes reading easier

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vision. Any of these objects are there to help those with low vision to read texts once again, or to look at photographs.

Not just poor vision People with low vision are similar to the visually challenged but differ in specific aspects.

“Generally people misunderstand what low vision really is. It is not just poor vision. The majority of ailments are treatable, either by medical treatment or surgery. If there is a vision which can’t be pegged to any treatable condition, then we just call it low vision.

For example, for a cataract, there is a solution. There is a treatment in place for it. But for low vision, there is no solution. It is something the patient has to live with,” explains Dr Ilango.

Low vision can be the result of many other disorders, if they are allowed to reach an advanced state. Glaucoma, kidney failure, or even genetic disorders: given enough time, and not enough treatment, they can ultimately lead to failure of the eyes. Once this damage is irreparably done, there is only one place the patient may go for a solution: a low vision centre, such as the one at Aravind.

Future Perfect These centres are involved in groundbreaking research! Dr. Ilango tells me of the many innovations that are happening in the field. One of the most interesting ones is the robotic eye. By recreating the human eye with technological parts, a blind person may have his sight restored. This is something we will hear much more about in the coming decade. An innovation that may come even sooner is the bionic eye.

This works with a special chip, similar to a SIM card that can be inserted into a not properly functioning eye. It then receives signals from a camera, which can, for example, be attached to a pair of spectacles, which are immediately sent to the brain. In this way, your brain effectively sees what the camera is seeing, without the need for your own eyes.

Light at the end of the tunnel These are all exciting possibilities. The future, it seems, holds a cure for almost every affliction related to the eye. But even today, there are many effective ways to enable people with low vision, who had given up hope to see again.

“Every time I see a low vision patient reading with a magnifier, I am thrilled,”

Looking at a brighter future - Dr. Ilango demonstrates the use of a gadget

Dr. Ilango says with a smile on his face.

“That keeps me motivated. For them, it’s like they have reached the end of the tunnel. They have gone through so many procedures, so many clinics, and so many eye hospitals. Everybody says that nothing more can be done.

Here, we are at least able to give them opportunities again. If a low vision patient comes to me and says ‘for years I’ve not been able to read even a newspaper, and suddenly he uses a magnifier and does his first reading... for him it’s so thrilling.”

Not only the visually challenged are destined for these kind of technologies.

Even sighted people can expect technology to further improve their sight. It will be possible to insert a lens into the eye, which then gives a ‘zoom function’ if and when it is required.

But this is all in the future. For today’s standard, the vision centre has excellent equipment. “The best technology is made in the United States,” Dr. Ilango explains. “But whatever they have in the USA is copied by the Chinese. So there is nothing that the Indian patient lacks. I have travelled through Canada and much of the USA and Europe, and seen many of these low vision centres. I

travelled through the East also. Starting from Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, all these cities and developing countries have these facilities. So wherever I have travelled, I can see there is not much difference between the East and the West as far as this kind of technology is concerned.”

Changing perspectives It’s interesting how low vision, or even blindness, may become something of the past. Once these kinds of technologies are introduced, who can say what will be possible? For now, we know that technology is rapidly advancing, and that the visually impaired are making good use of it.

“Blind people have proved, beyond a doubt, that they can do many things,” says Dr. Ilango. “Personally, I had a patient who became totally blind and he is now working as a network administrator at the Indian Association for the Blind in Madurai, just by getting computer training and using the JAWS software.”

Western companies like IBM are changing the way people look at the visually impaired. By incorporating their more liberal Western views in the work place, persons who are visually

Western companies like IBM are changing the way people look at the visually impaired.

By incorporating their more liberal Western views in the work place, persons who are visually challenged can get attractive jobs at such companies. Call centres are excellent equal opportunity employers

challenged can get attractive jobs at such companies. Call centres are excellent equal opportunity employers. “I think these people are actually more focused on their work,” Dr. Ilango says. “Because they do not have distractions. They do not have an iPad, they do not have computer games to look at, they do not waste time on newspapers, magazines, movies, games and talking to people. So, whatever they do, they are more focused on their work. I have even seen this in the children. There is much more order in the classes, and if you look at their answer sheets, they are perfect.”

says Dr. Ilango. “It only fuels the dogma that the visually challenged are helpless. The best thing for them is to get in touch with somebody in their peer group, who has already achieved something. They can show them the way. This patient I was telling you about, who is now employed in IBM, he goes to career events for the blind.

He talks to them and tells them of the job opportunities available to them.

So instead of us professionals guiding them, there is a lot of motivation dynamics happening when these people meet their peer group.”

Leading by Example

As I thank the doctor, we encounter a group of patients. One of them, A. Mohammed, strikes up a conversation.

“One and a half years ago, I lost most of my sight due to a disease,” he says.

“I’ve visited several clinics, but this one is by far the best. The treatments are all very affordable, and the staff is very warm and friendly. Within a year, we have found ways to improve my sight considerably.” It is clear that the doctors are doing good work. But, as he says, many low vision people are still unaware of the Aravind Clinic, which is unfortunate, as their problems may be solvable. So I ask you, dear reader: Spread the word!

Unfortunately, people are still biased about the visually challenged. But landmark movements in the disability sector and rapid scientific advancements have changed the landscape. As Dr Ilango tells us, ten years ago, the clinic only had three patients a day. That number has now increased to twenty.

And with the increase in treatment options, these patients are being treated more effectively in ways that makes a huge difference to their lives. The visually impaired, it seems, are getting more and more options. So, how should they react to their new environment?

“They must get out of their houses!”

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Madurai Messenger Voices December 2013

Just Like You and Me Pernilla Johansson chats with some of the students of the IAB and is pleasantly surprised that they are high achievers, self-driven and ambitious— just like any other person! And even their visual disability is no stumbling block, they tell her!

Text and Photos: Pernilla Johansson Sweden

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ave you sometimes put on a blind fold over your eyes and pretended that you couldn’t see? If you have, you probably ran into a lot of different things and got disoriented about where you where. But if you had to, you could get adjusted to this loss of sight and learn how to play, study, and socialize just like a person with vision.

The students at Indian Association for the Blind have done just that, they have all learned to play and study without complete sight and they have accomplished incredible results. “I’m a third rank student at the state level and scored 464/500 on the same level as normal students,” says 16-year-old A.Kartik Raja.

Centre of wisdom and knowledge - the IAB’s Higher Secondary School

But of course some things are harder if you are visually impaired. “My favourite subject in school is science but I can’t study that subject in college because then I need to see,” says A.Kartik Raja.

But even if these students don’t have a realistic chance to become a scientist or a doctor, they don’t see their visually impairment as a problem. “I don’t see my blindness as a burden. Like everyone else, I’m a normal person”, says N. Kousalya.

Students with Incredible Willpower In every meeting with the students at IAB I see huge willpower and intelligence, they all have an enormous determination to become successful. These students have not only reached top results on the same basis as children with no visually impairment, some of them have also won prizes for their high scoring performance. One of the students has won a prize because of her ranking as a topper at the state level and the prize was awarded by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The students surely have ambitions and they are not shy to share their dreams and hopes. N. Kousalya, 16, explains that she is so ambitious because of her will to be independent, “To be independent is important for me, because then I can help my family and also become a collector because I want to serve the community and this school.”

In every interview with the students I see that they all love school and they are so engaged with learning. They really want to learn as much as possible because they know that knowledge is power. “I love all subjects in school. But if I have to choose one, I’ll choose science”, says S.Hari Bala Balakrishnan.

Science actually seems to be the favourite subject of all the students and N. Kousalya explains why, “I love science because it gives me more knowledge about how people find new things. In science I can do a lot of experiments, its like a big adventure.”

have to do something with what we have because we have a lot of capacity”, says A.Kartik Raja. S. Hari Bala Balakrishnan continues to say that blindness is not a problem because you can live with the blindness and encourages everyone to get educated.

N. Kousalya ends it all saying, “I have reached high scores on the same basis like the normal students and that shows that everything is possible. We can’t sit at home and cry. Like normal kids I want every blind child to come out and speak, we are all the same!”

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Support from family

Channeling her willpower - a student of IAB

Visually impairment is not a problem All of the students were in an integrated school before they entered Indian Association for the Blind and they are all very blessed and happy for their possibility to continue their education at IAB. “It was hard for me to follow the high speed at the integrated school. It is much better here because the teachers give us special attention”, says S.Hari Bala Balakrishnan. N. Kousalya continues where S.Hari Bala Balakrishnan stopped and says that she changed from an integrated school to IAB for her 10th grade because she wanted to have the best opportunities to attain good results for the important 10- 12 grade, which are significant if you want to study at college.

At IAB the students get the best opportunities so they have the same possibilities as students with no visual impairment.

So what makes these students so unique, what is the secret of their huge success? Every student answers the same and explains to us that the secret is the encouragement they get from their family and school.

Because the truth is that everything we believe about blindness affects the way we behave. If we believe that blind children need a lot of help we are going to lower our expectations for them which is not going to make them top students and independent individuals. But these students are treated like any other person and that’s the way they have achieved so much already in their life.

Everything is possible That these students are confident is hard to miss. At the end of our interviews they all share some advice to other young persons with visually impairment. “We have to try, we

Like any other student - girls study their lessons at the IAB school

Madurai Messenger From the Heart December 2013

Terms of Endearment

Visually challenged people want a ‘normal’ life and wish to be independent. With the latest technology, it is easy for them.

In a moving piece, Laetitia Delmarche candidly shares with us the joys and tears of living with a visually challenged mother and avers that despite the frustrations and challenges, they are like any other mother and daughter

A mother’s concern

Text and Photos: Laetitia Delmarche Belgium

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Always with her dark glasses for the sun, she likes traveling, says Laetitia Delmarche (left) of her mother Beatrice (right)

here are visually impaired people and others. But we generally forget another category –the family of the person with visual disability. Life with visual problems is an every day challenge, not only for the person with the problem, also for the family.

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Beatrice Hautphenne, my mother, is visually challenged. She does not see with one eye and her vision is just 2/10 with the other. A qualified secretary, she had to stop working. In all my 24 years, I’ve known her as a home maker.

But, when we go to a place where she has to climb stairs, when it is dark, or she has to read the menu in a restaurant, she needs help. She, however, lives ‘normal’ in her everyday life that sometimes I forget that my mother has sight problems.

A few weeks before leaving Belgium for India, my mother had serious problems with her eyes. She could not see with her “good” eye anymore. I was really worried. When the doctor decided to admit her to the hospital, I thought I should postpone my trip to India. But fortunately, she was better and I left as planned. Before I left for India, she was to return home. She asked someone to clean the house once a week. I met the cleaning lady who reassured me that my mother will not be alone. The doctors asked her to come each Monday to have her eye checked.

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When I left, although her vision was not normal but I knew that she would be in good company.

Like you and me People without problems cannot imagine how difficult life can be when you cannot see. Even crossing the road is a challenge (in India, even when you can see, crossing roads is hard, so imagine if you cannot!). But people with visual problems do not think it is a challenge. They want to live like any other person. It’s just that sometimes they need assistance and support to help them navigate through life. For instance, my mom goes to the supermarket to do the daily shopping.

She cooks, does the laundry and she does all these things independently.

I am glad my mother has all this help because I am in India, and she is alone at home. Technologies are very helpful.

For example, we can communicate a lot with Skype; it is easier for her than writing messages.

A stressful life

The technology miracle These days, technology is a boon for visually challenged people. My mom, for instance, has a kind of electronic loupe with light that provides a contrast effect that helps her to read. For her, the contrast is really important. It is very difficult for her to read something written in black on white paper. It is easier to read something in white with a black background.

She also has a special mobile phone, an adaptive computer, a machine which reads books for her...

One of my mother’s friends, who is

blind, has even more things to help her.

For example to fill out a glass of liquid, she has a little device which tells her when the glass is full!

In Belgium, there are several associations which help people to have all the assistance they need. The government also helps people. For example, my mother has an allowance of 500 Euro every three years to buy the assistance devices she needs. If she wants a big machine (like a computer) she has to ask and the people designated by the government study the application in order to decide if she is eligible for it.

Living with a person who has visual challenges can be stressful. When you accompany a visually challenged person to a new place, you always have to pay attention to the person. When you are alone, it can be difficult. For example, while on a holiday, half of your attention is on the visit and the other half is with the person you are accompanying.

Another example is the toilet. In a restaurant, or if it is on holiday, in the hotel or in the beach, you have to accompany the person; sometimes you are enjoying your lounger, but you have to quit it to accompany the person.

Sometimes, while we are on a holiday, my mother says, “I need to go to the toilet, I’ll come back,” and she goes alone. She does this to be more

Even if it is difficult, Beatrice Hautphenne always tries to participate in the activites while on holiday

independent. And I am sure that she knows that it is boring for me always to go with her. But then everytime when she does that, I am worried that something will happen.

Some constraints It is natural to give her the assistance she needs, but I admit that sometimes it is boring. When I am doing something or just when I do not want to move, and she asks me to help her, what can I do? I cannot just refuse her or ask her to wait until I finish what I am doing at that moment. I just stop my activities and do what she asks. If I say that I cannot help her, I feel guilty later.

Even if those constraints are sometimes tiresome, I am pleased to help her.

My mother and I have a very good relationship. We are almost like friends.

As my father is no more, it is my responsibility to take care of her. And so sometimes her needs and demands can be annoying. But she never asked to be visually impaired. We have to live with these disabilities and be grateful that it is not worse. There is always someone who has worse problems than us. It is easy to complain, but if we look out of our window, we can always see someone in a worse situation.

Our lives are almost normal. We have technology at home that others do not have, we sometimes get help in public transport, and we have to pay more attention on the street. But my mother and I are happy with our life.

Madurai Messenger Spotlight December 2013

The Call of Engagement Isak Adolfsson in a memorable conversation with disability activist Nicholas Francis on how there have been exciting changes in the field of visual rehabilitation in that visually challenged people are no longer viewed as objects of pity or charity. Although international efforts such as the UN Conventions on the rights of people with disabilities are a milestone, Francis admits that a lot more needs to be done to integrate visually challenged people into mainstream society Text: Isak Adolfsson Sweden

“Visually challenged people need to be integrated into society,” says Francis. They are not supposed to be seen as an adjunct of society, but as a part of it. He continues saying that visually challenged people get offended by being labeled. It doesn’t matter if it’s a negative label or a positive label. To be labeled itself offends them. Although, he agrees that the more positive label that society has given the blind people today is more favorable, compared to the earlier victimized label that the visually challenged were given. Still, he believes that a label will always create boundaries that will prevent seamless assimilation of the visually challenged with the sighted population. The fact is that visually challenged people are not a homogeneous group. Two visually challenged persons do not necessarily have more in common with each other than their sighted counterparts. The use of labels is therefore an outdated tool that will most likely not reflect reality.

The consequences of labeling can in some extent cause absurdities. Even though Francis himself is not using the phrase, a declaration of an absurdity is all I can hear in his undertone.

A few years ago, when the human rights of visually challenged people were not clarified, society saw visually challenged persons as a burden they could not handle. The outcome of this situation was that blind schools were nothing more than an asylum in reality, as Francis describes it. The schools served the purpose of a temporary recess. Visually challenged people were not given opportunities for higher education, since they were not believed to be capable of such an achievement.

And the education they actually were given did not prepare them for life. As a result most visually challenged people were excluded from the employment market and could therefore not be self-reliant and independent.

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Championing the disabled - activist Nicholas Francis speaks to volunteer Isak Adolfsson

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isability activist and social worker Nicholas Francis of the Helen Keller Talking Book Library in Madurai is a man who radiates knowledge. With stacks of papers on his desk and with smoke from incense like a London fog in his room, Francis welcomes us with open arms. Francis has spent the last twenty-five working for and with visually challenged.

The need for integration While Francis is in a hurry for a meeting, we sit down for a short talk about the situation of visually challenged in today’s society. A few decades ago the visually challenged were outsiders in society. But today progress is evident and it doesn’t take many seconds before Francis promotes his vision of how to end the alienation.

Superior nor inferior but equal Today the situation is different. Thanks to international activism, conditions for the visually challenged have improved.

A strongly contributory international effort is the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Francis does not want to give the convention all the credit for the improvement in the situation of the visually challenged people, but he says one has to recognize the progress that the convention has led up to. And Francis cannot stress enough how significant this progress is. Visually challenged people have now begun to be integrated into society and without reservation. For example, they are now integrated in public schools. Although it may sound trivial to some, Francis points at this fact as an essential condition for true equality.

When asked if visually challenged people one day can be equally competitive in the employment market, Francis makes the first pause in our conversation. “I don’t know. But let the visually challenged set the limit themselves and not the society,” says Francis with afterthought. Only a true humanist can declare his opinion so clearly and yet truthfully. It’s not without support that Francis presents his opinion. Since structural changes have been made, the visually challenged have proved themselves of being productive. For each day that goes by, the visually challenged have begun to make new inroads in education and employment. They are not in any way superior but more importantly, not inferior.

A progress of legislation The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities obligates the signing parties to engage themselves to fulfill the duties set in the convention. Covering fifty articles, the convention comprises diverse human rights for

A few years ago, when the human rights of visually challenged people were not clarified, society saw visually challenged persons as a burden they could not handle. The outcome of this situation was that blind schools were nothing more than an asylum in reality, as Francis describes it Making a point - Francis is a staunch supporter of the rights of the disabled including the visually challenged

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Madurai Messenger Spotlight December 2013

Francis advocates a more proactive approach to change the society’s perception of and attitude to the visually challenged

of production, to be able to progress with the synthesis, in this case the law.

Francis supports this argument by saying that the law has to be integrated in society and originate from the society, to be able to have an actual effect on society. The purpose of laws is to enforce rights. “The law should ensure existing rights, not create new rights,” as Francis so pedagogically puts it.

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persons with disabilities, including the visually challenged. One of the most fundamental rights for a constitutional state, known as the principle of equality, is set in the convention’s fifth article, stating that persons with disabilities are just as equal before the law as persons without disabilities. The Convention states further on that persons with disabilities should be able to live independently and that a minimum welfare system, which provides assistance for persons with disabilities, has to exist. States are to ensure equal access to education for persons with disabilities and students with support needs are to receive support measures.

Persons with disabilities are ensured by the convention to have equal right to work and gain a living. This requires the signing parties to prohibit discrimination in job related matters.

All forms of international conventions that have been ratified, receive the feature of supplying a twisted image of the reality. With international commitments in your bag it’s easy to believe that you are living in the best of worlds. But a signed document does not reflect, nor changes, the reality by itself. An actual progress demands actual structural changes. A convention does not satisfy the need

for changing, it’s only an appetizer.

This is why Francis considers the UN Convention to be inaccessible. He is very clear that he approves the idea of the convention. But he thinks that the actual implementation of the convention has been difficult to execute.

The difficulties arise from the foreign concepts used in the convention, which, in Francis’ opinion, are not applicable in India. Visual challenged are no longer considered to be minors in the eyes of the law. They are now considered to be independent subjects.

Enforcement of rights The Indian Constitution is supposed to be one of the most comprehensive and self- contained documents on human rights. Concurrently, the UN Convention clarifies that India has to combat stereotypes and prejudices against people with disabilities. How are these abstract rights supposed to be transferred and strengthened in the mind of society?

Francis suggests that legislation alone is inadequate. “Laws are the reflection of the society. The society is not the reflection of the law,” says Francis.

If we want to strengthen the rights of visual challenged persons, we will need to change the base, the mode

There is therefore a great deal of work that has to be done. An increase in enforcement of the rights of the visual challenged is the number one priority.

The enforcement is a primal intervention in relation to any other intervention since their impact relies on enforcement.

Further on, Francis suggests that the communication between the government and the group concerned has to improve. In rural areas with low access to education and with lack of access to the welfare apparatus, many visually challenged persons are missing out on their already existing rights. If the communication improves, the living conditions for many visually challenged would improve without the need for comprehensive changes.

To increase the awareness of society, Francis suggests that the government has to act more actively, in a nonlegislative sense. This engagement could involve different kind of joint programs where the government, schools and interested organizations would participate all together.

Engagement Soon, our short conversation is over and Francis has to rush to a meeting.

Although it was just a twenty- minute talk, it was some of the most intense and concentrated twenty minutes of conversation I’ve experienced. His actions are exemplary. The road to equality may be a combination of words and action. Of engagement.

The Art of Giving Good businesses are not just about making money. It is also about what it can give back to society. One such company with a commitment to the philosophy of Corporate Social Responsibility is the Madurai-based Hi-Tech Arai, which espouses a range of social causes from rural women’s empowerment to visual and mental disability, writes Michael Van Waveren Story and Photos: Michael Van Waveren Netherlands

23 Passion for perfection - B.T. Bangera, the Managing Director of Hi-Tech Arai Pvt Ltd

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ver the past twenty years, people have been starting to see companies very differently. In the past, the concern was only with three things: is the product they are making good enough? Is it cheap enough? And do they treat their employees with respect? Those were roughly the standards by which companies were judged. It was a much simpler time.

Nowadays, a big firm has so many things to take into account. The environmental standards have to be at the highest level. Their policy on education for their workers must be accounted for. The companies they invest in have to be ethical and free of corruption. If a big company breaks any of these rules, they’ll get a swift answer in the form of lower stock prices. Its value will decrease, sometimes significantly.

We’ve all seen what happened to Nike when the media found out that their shoes were being made in sweatshops.

Two years ago, Apple faced a similar problem, with children working in their Chinese factories. Before things got out of hand, they sent their executives there to set things straight.

Now we are entering the next phase: we no longer expect companies to act once something is wrong... We want them to be proactive about it. We want them to use their enormous profits, and give back something to the environment in return for their wealth. They have to balance the equation. Once a company does this, we find them truly worthy of our respect, and money.

Some companies have been doing this for years already. One of those is Hi-Tech Arai, located in Madurai. A producer of spare parts for automobiles, the company has flourished for years, even through the recent economic depression. Its Managing Director, B.T. Bangera may count himself amongst one of the more successful people in Madurai. When he took hold of the company, he says, it had not made a profit in years. But under his leadership, it rose to its fullest potential.

Small beginnings The story of Hi-Tech Arai starts in 1985. It was started by an eminent scientist and businessman R. Lakshmi Narayanan, who was technical director for Fenner India, and thus had immense experience in the technical field. For five years, the company remained under his care. In 1990, he thought the time had finally come to sell it. “He went out of business, and wanted to sell for Rs. 10 million,” Bangera says. “That was a 20 percent loss. He was lamenting to me, every day at lunch, ‘how can I sell my company, nobody is buying it, I’m losing so much money.’ It was a headache for me also.

I told him that he was sitting on a goldmine. So he came to me and said, ‘Ok Mr. Bangera, you think this company is a goldmine?’ When Bangera agreed, he asked him if he could take over the company. . “And I jumped at the opportunity,” admits Bangera.

Madurai Messenger Causes December 2013

Hi-Tech Arai is reaching the visually challenged; they donate to the Helen Keller library, a special library with audio books for the visually challenged. A second way the blind are helped is through the Indian Association for the Blind

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Hi-Tech Arai’s social causes include the empowerment of rural women and helping the underpriveleged, including mentally challenged children, neglected elderly persons and the visually challenged

Reaching out - B.T. Bangera displays one of the many awards that the company has won for promoting social causes

Under Bangera’s competent leadership, the company started making profit the very next year. From then onwards, it has been growing like clockwork at the rate of 25 percent every year.

“I put a lot of emphasis on my culture.

How do I do this? Right from day one, I made it a policy that we will not recruit anyone who has had even one day of experience elsewhere. The reason being, that the first day of a person’s job will remain etched in his or her head for a lifetime. You just can’t change it. That company may be a very good company, but it may not fit into our culture.”

Higher Causes With the growth of the company and its increase in profits, people started to take notice. And they began to ask for help. A lot of them started to ask for money, but of course, there is not enough for all.

“We have to be careful about whom we select to help,” Bangera says. “The persons who are truly passionate, who do work that comes from their heart,

25 those are the ones we trust. Those are the people we select,” says Bangera.

There were internal struggles in the company as well. Many wanted to give, but the way this should be done was under consideration. Bangera put an end to this as well, by putting in a resolution in the management board that two percent of the profit would be given away each year to people, who should live in close proximity to the company.

were above sixty years old, were being neglected by their children. Some of them were not cared for at all. “Nobody cares about them,” Bangera says. “If they fall sick, they are finished. We procured a van with medicines and a doctor on board.” By doing this, around 6,000 elderly sick got their treatments, including free checkups and the necessary medicines.

Four major causes were chosen. First, the empowerment of women in the rural areas. “We cover a lot of families,” says Bangera. “The problem was they did not have a stable income, and could not plan for the next year. By giving them a stable source of financial support, these families could turn their attention towards their futures.”

Finally the fourth major cause of Hi-Tech Arai is reaching the visually challenged; they donate to the Helen Keller library, a special library with audio books for the visually challenged. This library has generated many literate, who teach even at the regular colleges. A second way the blind are helped is through the Indian Association for the Blind.

The second cause was helping the mentally challenged children and rehabilitation of the sick after treatment.

The third cause was at the behest of the Governor of Tamil Nadu himself.

He found that a lot of people, who

“I bumped into this associate of Jinnah a short while after our work at the Helen Keller Library had commenced,” says Bangera. “I went there and saw a great opportunity of making them more selfreliant. I felt that these were the kind of

people we were looking for, who had a real passion about their work.”

The potential of the visually challenged was a powerful motive for Hi-Tech Arai to espouse their cause. “These blind people were remarkable. I remember that one day, I gave a speech at the IAB. After this I met one of the students, who was totally blind. Word for word, he recited my entire speech back to me, 100 percent correct! It is this kind of focus, this kind of ability, that compelled me to believe in the potential of the blind,” explains Bangera.

Ethical Conduct Hi-Tech Arai’s support for such causes all had one thing in common: whenever possible, people would not just be helped with their short term needs, but would be given the opportunity to help themselves in the long term. The aim was to make them more self-reliant.

“This is why I cannot simply recruit a few people who are visually challenged

and put them to work,” says Bangera.

“It is better to help them through their own institutions. By making these selfreliant, we can help hundreds, maybe thousands.” At the IAB, for example, there is a specialized engineering hall.

The students, who study engineering, also design and make walking canes.

These canes can then be sold for a profit, making the entire project essentially self- sustainable. It comes down to this expression: give a man a fish, and you will have fed him for a day.

But give a man a fishing rod, and you will have fed him for a lifetime.

So Hi-Tech Arai has helped many people, with many causes. But that is just a small part of what the company is trying to do for society, Bangera explains to me. He has always cared about his culture, about sensitizing his employees to the needs of the many, about teaching them the value of ethical conduct and he is succeeding.

“A few years ago, a friend of mine called me. He told me that his car had been hit by another car while it was

parked. As the driver of the car who had caused the accident did not know whose car he had damaged, he waited for the owner of the car for 45 minutes.

Once my friend reached his car and they discussed the damages, he found that the owner worked at Hi-Tech Arai.”

Bangara smiles proudly, and continues, “An hour later, this man arrived at work. I took him to my office, and he explained to me that he just had a car crash while on his way to work and that he paid off the damage. I asked him why he just did not drive away as he had ample opportunity to do so.“ “And he told me that when the accident occurred, he recalled my speech, in which I had said that unless one behaves ethically, one will not get a good night’s sleep.”

The employee said to Bangera, “I paid off my debt, and I’m sure that tonight, I will sleep very well,”— underscoring the importance of a role model like BT Bangera who leads by example.

Madurai Messenger Reaching Out December 2013

Seeing Eye to Eye with Humans Assistance dogs or guide dogs have become a boon to visually/hearing impaired people in the West. Laetitia Delmarche tells MM’s Indian readers about the role played by them in aiding those with disabilities to lead more normal and fulfilling lives Story and Photos: Laetitia Delmarche, Belgium

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hen the earliest huntergatherers started domesticating grey wolves more than 15,000 years ago, none could have imagined the extent to which their respective descendents, human beings and modern dogs, would become interdependent.

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During this training period, the assistance dog learns to respond immediately to the commands given to him. He acquires skills to help his future master such as walking in a straight line, guiding his master in the street, negotiating the stairs and traffic, going on public transport, etc. The guide dog must not only learn to obey his handler’s commands but he must also learn to recognize any dangerous situations in which his handler might find himself and act accordingly, even if it means disobeying the master.

The majority of programs and associations for assistance dogs use Golden Retrievers and Labradors, but others breeds of dogs can also be used.

Dogs have been called ‘man’s best friend’ for many reasons but this well deserved epithet has to many people with hearing and visual impairments, brought a whole new meaning, changing their lives forever.

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A Symbiotic Relationship I have a paraplegic friend back in Belgium, who has an assistance dog, a Labrador. So I know how symbiotic the relationship between the dog and the handler can be. My friend does not go anywhere without her dog, even to the supermarket (in Belgium, assistance dogs are allowed everywhere). He is her best friend. I really do not know how she would manage without her dog. It is wonderful to see the rapport they share.

Assistance dogs or ‘guide dogs’ are a boon to those with these disabilities.

For those with visual disabilities, these ‘seeing eye dogs’ act as their eyes and ensure their mobility and safety.

According to a Belgian study, visually challenged people prefer the help of the dogs to the white cane. Dogs also assist those with hearing impairments and those who cannot move. They are trained to switch on/off lamps, open/ close doors, pick up objects from the floor, etc.

Training When a puppy is born, he stays for two months with his mother after which he goes to a family of volunteers or ‘puppy raisers’, who will teach the puppy obedience skills, expose the puppy to all sorts of people and environments and lay the groundwork for the extensive guide training which is yet to come.

Here he learns to socialize. He plays with the family; he learns the basic commands such as “sit, lie down, stay,” etc. This basic training lasts a year. After the dog is tested and deemed fit for this kind of work, he has to undergo another bout of training for six months or so, where he learns the ropes of being a good assistance dog.

Dogs have been called ‘man’s best friend’ for many reasons but this well deserved epithet has to many people with hearing and visual impairments, brought a whole new meaning, changing their lives forever

I remember once, we wanted to test Oslo’s (for that is the name of my friend’s dog) training. My friend stood on one side of the room and I was on the other side. We both called him to see to whom he would go. Of course, he chose his mistress.

Another time, by way of testing him, I asked him to sit while my friend asked him to lie down. After a few minutes, he obeyed only his mistress. My friend explained to me that at the end of

his training, Oslo had been trained to become used to her voice.

Canine Companions Assistance/guide/hearing dogs are an important support to people with disabilities. Thanks to these dogs, they can be more independent, which is very important for everyone but more so for those with disabilities.

Finally, these dogs are not just a help, they are also their handler’s friend and partner.

The relationship is not like the relationship we have with our pet dog. Assistance dogs are aware of the importance of the role they play and really take care of their handlers. Human beings could indeed learn a lot about companionship and caring from these indispensable and extremely intelligent animals.

Madurai Messenger Village Voices December 2013

Sundarrajanpatti: Pixelated Growth Isak Adolfsson meanders around Sundarrajanpatti on the outer fringes of Madurai and observes that most people there believe that the key to prosperity and growth of the village lies in outsider investment such as companies setting up initiatives that would boost the local economy Story: Isak Adolfsson, Sweden Photos: R. P. Suriya Prakash

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ho are you?� might not be the most charming question to be asked when you arrive in a place you have never been before.

As we identify ourselves as a journalist and a photographer, the woman who asked us the question, approves of us. Later, I would be told that it was not to be seen as a rude gesture, but one to ensure safety. In a small village like Sundarrajanpatti, it is important to support neighborhood safety by taking note of every stranger. Luckily for us, this was the only investigative talk we had had with the villagers.

Sundarrajanpatti is after all a peaceful and soothing village, not far away from the hectic life of Madurai.

Place and population The village is located about 12 km north of Madurai. With the main road snaking its way through the village, it may be a village that many people just pass by without taking the slightest notice. The fact is: Sundarrajanpatti is undeniably not more than a pixel on the map. But a few decades ago it was even less. The size of the village has increased and is far from as negligible as it was then. Today, the village is home to approximately 500 families, which is about 2000 people.

Thirty years ago, the village had only 100 families who lived there.

It’s not by mere coincidence that the village has expanded over the years. The laying of motorable roads, locals say, is

Stunted growth - volunteer Isak poses with a villager of Sundarrajanpatti

Taking it in her stride - Food stall owner S. Sellamma is unperturbed by the lack of infrastructure in her village Simple living - one of the more modern houses in the village

one of the main reasons for this growth.

The main road leads to the Alagar Temple, in the scenic Alagar hills, which is a frequently visited temple by Hindus.

Production and labor Even though the road has brought many travelers, only a few shops are seen on the streets. The building of the road did not stimulate the economy to the extent the villagers hoped it would.

The hustle and bustle of a busy village economy is simply not there. Other forms of self-employment are also very rarely seen in the village.

Farming used to be the backbone of the village but lately it has seen many years of poor harvests. Many farmers, in fact the majority of them, even incurred such financial losses that they were forced to sell off their lands. Instead, they have been taking up farming jobs in surrounding villages, which have better, richer soil. As a result, the people do not own the land where they live.

They are therefore not as involved in local projects as they used to be.

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Madurai Messenger Village Voices December 2013

Sellama’s only hope for the future is that the self-production will be revitalized, as it would stimulate the village economy and make it more independent and vibrant

Problems When talking to the self-employed S. Sellama, 60, who runs a food stall, there seems to be no problems with living in the village. The only thing she can recall as a problem is the water supply.

A couple of kilometers from the village there is a small channel. The ponds found around the village are connected to this channel. If the channel runs dry, the ponds also run dry. Yet S. Sellama does not seem to be worried about the dependence. There will always be a way to get around, either by preventive actions or by help from the outside.

Further on, there is no hospital in the village. Sellama points to the road and says that there are connections to adjacent hospitals.

Prospects Sellama’s only hope for the future is that the self-production will be revitalized, as it would stimulate the village economy and make it more independent and vibrant. But with no promise on enrichment of the soil – the core of farming – Sellama suggests that the village would benefit if corporates initiate activities in the village, which would create job opportunities.

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The herb collector - V. Veeran who earns a living by digging ‘nannari’ roots which he later sells

People As we are walking the back streets of Sundarrajanpatti, not only do we encounter a colorful parrot and a wellgrown turkey, but we also encounter the family of V. Veeran. Together with his family, he is digging for nannari roots. It is a very small root, found about one meter below the ground, from which you can make a healthy tea like drink. The hard work of

digging begins at 5 am and continues for nine to twelve hours. In a good day, three persons working can collect five to six kilos of roots, which are in great demand in the market. The digging takes place at old farmlands and the rain quickens the process. During good conditions, with rich soil, it would not be the most effective way to use the farmland but in today’s circumstances, it’s a good way to utilize the land.

We sit down with Sundarrajanpatti local body president, C. Nehru Pandiyan, who has been in the position for the past ten years. He proudly says that under his leadership, new cement roads have been built throughout the village, ponds have been dug and civic amenities built, including a free toilet facility, a library, a school building and a theatre. The village also participates in a Tamil Nadu Village Habitation Improvement Scheme (THAI) project. Through this project, road construction will be a priority. And for the future, C. Nehru Pandiyan aims to develop the infrastructure and to extend the boundaries of the village.

When asked how, he replies that the village is ready to welcome any kind of company. The key to progress seems to lie outside of the village border.

With A New Vision:

ThE Portrayal of The visually challenged The media can be powerful change agent. Nowhere is this truer than visual ability where the media has the power to either perpetuate existing social stereotypes about the visually challenged or shatter these limiting stereotypes and instead turn the spotlight on visually challenged people as persons who incidentally have a disability. This is far from easy as often it is easier to romanticize or portray people who are visually challenged as larger than life. Instead, we need to normalize the disability, argues Isak Adolfsson after reviewing three popular films that deal with visual disability Text: Isak Adolfsson Sweden

The Miracle Worker Director: Arthur Peen Cast: Anne Bancroft, Victor Jory, Patty Duke Language: English Year: 1962

The Miracle Worker

Butterflies Are Free Director: Milton Katselas Cast: Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart Language: English Year: 1972

The Scent of a Woman Director: Martin Brest Cast: Al Pacino, Chris O’ Donnell Language: English

Who knows, in a few decades, maybe Sundarrajanpatti would have enlarged to a few more pixels on the map.

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or this month’s issue we decided to use a different approach in our recurrent film feature. Instead of reviewing a film, we decided to analyze how visually challenged people are portrayed in films. We chose the following three films - The Miracle Worker, Butterflies Are Free and The Scent of a Woman for the analysis.

Year: 1992

The 1962 release The Miracle Worker is a biographical film based on the childhood of Helen Keller, one of the most important disability activists and feminists of the 20th century. As a deafand- dumb child Keller was treated like a cripple but still was spoiled and stubborn.

No one knew how to handle her and no one could communicate with her. As a last attempt to reach Keller, her parents hired Anne Sullivan, a teacher who herself was visually challenged, to reach out to their daughter.

The plot is based on the process of Keller’s learning, which is aggravated by her inability to neither see nor hear. It is by sheer determination and persistence that Sullivan pierces through Keller’s frustrations and helplessness,

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Madurai Messenger Film Review December 2013

beliefs that society holds against the visually challenged and Jill tries to break free from the societal norms in general. Don explains his frustration, as “blindness doesn’t bother me as much as others’ reaction to it.” Coincidentally, the film tells the love story of Don and Jill. The main body of the film’s conflicts is built upon the unwanted pity and, at the same time, the social stereotypes, myths and misconceptions about the visually challenged. Again, Don puts it perfectly when he fears Jill will leave him: “Don’t leave me because I’m blind.

Don’t stay because I’m blind.”

caused by the darkness and silence.

However, the first breakthrough in the teaching occurs when Keller forms the connection between word and sound thanks to a brilliant effort by Sullivan to teach her the meaning of the word water by pumping water on her hand. Once Keller acquired this crucial association which most sighted people take for granted she learns how to communicate with the surrounding world in her own way.

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Anne Sullivan is portrayed as an independent woman, who is ahead of her times and unconventional. She is a rebel, provoked by the norms set by the society. While society wants to label the visually challenged with a victimized mark and as intractable and unmanageable, Sullivan demands that the visually challenged be considered as persons; as individuals, who are able to take responsibility for their lives if they are only given the right to exist. Meanwhile, Keller is portrayed as nothing but a victim of circumstances, with less focus on the actual blindness and with greater focus on others’ ignorance. The message that comes through is a compromise of both these portrayals. The emancipation of the visually challenged has to be anchored in both parties in order to be truly successful.

The picture of visually challenged in the film is to some extent generalized, although not negatively. Instead the visually challenged are portrayed as

martyrs. Still, one has to take into account that the film is a biographical film, a genre in which most main characters are portrayed as heroes or martyrs.

Butterflies Are Free Originally a play to be performed in the theatre, the film adaption of Butterflies are Free was released in 1972. The film tells the story of Don, a congenitally visually challenged upper class man

who wants to break free from his overprotective mother. As he moves into an apartment in central San Francisco, he starts a relationship with his freeminded neighbour Jill.

The thematic focus of the film revolves around the difficulties of coming to terms with one’s personality and not being a brick in the wall. Don tries to break free from the prejudice of limiting

Don is in many ways portrayed as a superior human. He is intelligent, musical, rich, well read and handsome.

He does not seem to have any limitations, except those that society has given to him. There is something dangerous with creating flawless characters, whether they are visually challenged or not. Since only a minority is visually challenged, it is easy to see that the public generalizes the image of visually challenged by prevalent stereotypes in the media, even if it is not the media’s intention to generalize. In this case the danger is that the film portrays visually challenged as heroic or larger than life instead of normalizing them.

Ms. Baker, Don’s mother, transforms during the movie. From being an overprotective mother, who doesn’t want the wild world to hurt her visually challenged son, she turns into a supportive mother, telling her son not to misuse his blindness as an excuse for weakness whenever a difficulty occurs.

In the end, Don is being identified as visually challenged, not as a musician with a promising career, which he also is. His handicap is seen as a primal part of his personality, not as something secondary, like a feature of his personality.

The Scent of a Woman The 1992 commercially successful film is an American remake of an Italian film with the same name. The film contains two separate parallel stories. Charlie

comes from the middle class but thanks to a scholarship has been given the opportunity to study at an exclusive prep school. When he becomes one of two witnesses of the preparation of a prank set against the principal, the principal gives him an ultimatum.

He can either snitch or lose a future scholarship to Harvard. Charlie battles the moral dilemma of being a sellout and losing his integrity. Meanwhile, while not being a rich man’s son, he has to work as a housekeeper during Christmas to afford his flight ticket back home. This job includes taking care of a retired lieutenant, Frank, who is a visually challenged suicidal alcoholic.

Determined to commit suicide, Frank brings Charlie as his “guide dog” to New York, where he will satisfy his pleasures before taking his own life.

The film focus on the consequences of not staying true to oneself, as Frank has never done, and how this can be aggravated by visual impairment.

Therefore, the main focus is not on being visually challenged. It’s just a complement. This is something that gives the film a very complex and authentic air.

Frank does not accept his blindness and the actual limitations that comes

along with being visually challenged.

This slowly breaks him down mentally.

Although, he does not have a victim’s stamp over him; his defeat is mostly self-inflicted. He has always been a bitter, sarcastic and pessimistic person.

When he became blind – after juggling with hand grenades - his resentment only escalated. The blindness is not Frank’s personality but contingent to his personality. And the fact that Frank is not born blind only makes the film more realistic, since the majority of the visually challenged are not born blind. An insight is given into the difficulties of adapting from a non- visually challenged life style to a visually challenged one.

The film portrays Frank as an antihero who turns into an almost martyrlike character. Still, the film does not generalize visually challenged as martyrs since Frank is not firstly identified as visually challenged but as a person dealing with his own conscience.

A Final word Looking at the films chronologically, one can see a progress in the portrayal of visually challenged. In the later films, less focus is placed on blindness as the sole source of limitation or success but rather the condition becomes more integrated with the character’s personality.

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Madurai Messenger Book Review December 2013

An Epic Tale of Knowledge and Spirituality

Taut narrative style Gilbert’s flair for writing is evident in her excellent writing style. Her sentences are clear and crisp, her storytelling is concise and to the point. As her protagonist is a scholar, with a mind trained in many subjects from an early age, Gilbert shows that she is quite comfortable with intellectual dialogues. I was captivated by the dinner table conversations at the Whittaker estate, where famous scientists come to debate their findings.

Not only are their scientific ideas accurate for their time, but also the way in which the discussions take place is realistic and genuine. Again, you get the feeling that you are sitting right there at the dinner table, with eminent scholars and professors.

Michael Van Waveren, himself an aspiring writer, is fascinated by The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert’s powerful narrative, of a woman scientist Alma Whittaker. The author’s exquisite attention to details, meticulous research and engrossing narrative style make it a memorable read, writes Waveren Text: Michael Van Waveren Netherlands

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he Signature of All Things is a marvellous book.

Set entirely in the 19th century, it follows the life of Alma Whittaker, the daughter of one of the richest men in America. While you would think that this might encourage her to a life of leisure, she instead opts to dedicate her life to the study of mosses, as Alma is interested in knowing the nature of all things. Thus, she becomes a true scholar, both in endeavour as well as in the mind.

You get the clear sense, throughout the book, that every little detail has been thought over three times, that every word is there for a reason. Gilbert, now an experienced writer, has complete control over her tale. This is very necessary for a book of this magnitude and complexity.

Exquisite detailing The way the author describes her life is indeed the most powerful aspect of the book. The extent of meticulous research that must have preceded this excellent revival of the 19th century novel is mind boggling. Everything is almost nonchalantly described in glorious details, from the way people are dressed, to the works of Alma’s contemporary scientists and writers, to the food that is being eaten. And not just in America: the book features many locations. You will find yourself in the quiet, enormous estate of Alma’s father and the next moment, the journey will continue towards the tribal beaches of Tahiti, where people dance around campfires and dangerous wildlife threatens our protagonist. Afterwards, you’ll be transported to the industrial streets of Amsterdam. Every location is brought to life with compelling details, and it is easy to imagine that you are there, together with Alma.

The Signature of All Things Author:

Elizabeth Gilbert

Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2013 Price:

Rs. 344/-

Engrossing writer with an eye for detail - author Elizabeth Gilbert

You get the clear sense, throughout the book, that every little detail has been thought over three times, that every word is there for a reason. Gilbert, now an experienced writer, has complete control over her tale

As we have come to expect from Gilbert, the book shows a mix of scientific inclinations and spiritual searches for answers. While reading Gilbert’s earlier book, the enormously popular ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, I got the feeling that Gilbert was only just beginning to understand spirituality and its effects on the world, this book affirms that she has now matured in the subject.

Her extensive research is a testament to this fact. Thus, it is a delight to read her conclusions, hidden between the sentences. I encourage you to do this.

The Signature of All Things is simply one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s both entertaining and intellectually satisfying. At times sad, at times upbeat, but always marching on through the century towards its very honest conclusion, this is an epic tale on the life of a single botanist, in her quest for knowledge, love and spiritual satisfaction.

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Madurai Messenger First Impressions December 2013

An Innocent Abroad Madurai is as different from Japan as rice is different from bread. Japanese national Haruko Kawabe discovers that several things she took for granted in Japan such as toilet paper, Internet and hot shower were absent in her host family in Madurai. Nevertheless she realises that’s what experiencing India is all about and even wonders if it would be difficult for her to re-adjust to Japanese lifestyle when she gets back to Japan three months later!

Story and Photos: Haruko Kawabe Japan Say cheese - children of Madurai are enthusiastic to have their pictures taken

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hat did I see in India a year ago? I came to India to study International Development Cooperation along with some friends last summer. I went to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to visit some Japanese companies, NGOs, and international organisations, which aid or invest in India. However, when I went back to Japan, I regretted just seeing the situation from outside and losing several opportunities to talk with local people because I couldn’t speak English fluently or because I was probably too shy. I really wanted to get to intimately know their lives and wanted to do something together with local people. That’s why I’m here now.

That was India. There were sounds of car horns, cows lying down on streets, and lots of cars, naturally avoiding the cows. Everything I saw was interesting.

However, the sights I looked at were often through the glass on the windows of the hotels in which I stayed. I stayed at the hotels that have perfect facilities, and rented the buses that were as big as we have never seen in India. At the end, I went back to Japan with a feeling that I had understood India.

Now, I’m here in Madurai. And this time I am discovering several things I didn’t know about India. There were several surprises in store for me when I landed at my host family in Madurai. There is

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no toilet paper, no hot shower, and no Internet, which made me want to go to my home country Japan immediately! I couldn’t imagine not having these things I am so used to because I hadn’t known about the actual life of the people in India. I doubted if I could stay for three months in this city, which is so different from Japan. I was nervous although most volunteers feel excited when they arrive here.

A change occurred when I was in the office of Projects Abroad. There were several bright-eyed, self-confident fellow volunteers from other countries. After the introduction, I talked with Volunteer Coordinator Pooja who resolved my anxiety with her lovely smile. At that moment, I realized I need not be worried about

my life in Madurai and instead focus on what I could do here. This feeling made me remember why I came to Madurai.

When I tried to say ‘Vanakam’ to people walking along the road instead of glaring, I noticed that they were so friendly. When I tried to talk with my host family, I noticed that my host mum is like my real mum with her warmth and kindness. Now I want to be more aware of Madurai and I’m definitely getting more excited at the prospect.

Having studied English a lot this year, I now write articles in English. That’s my job in Madurai. What a wonderful project I’ve joined! I would like to take on Madurai’s style as much as I can and I am certain that I will be shocked with Japanese life when I get back home.

www.maduraimessenger.org For Private Circulation Only Printed at Bell Printers Pvt. Ltd