OutFocus October 14

QUANTUM 4 | OCTOBER 2014

WWW.ISSUU.COM/THEFEATHERS

COVER STORY | 08

STREET RACING IS NOT A SPORT

SRINI SURYAPRAKASAM

12

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

06

WIN

FREE RECHARGE!

24

ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY

28

CONTE CONTENTS

02

PATRIOTIC SERIES

08 12 16 22 32 34 38

COVER STORY MODEL PORTFOLIO LAST. EPISODE 4 SPORTACUS A GIRL’S PAGE GRAPHIC TALK BLIND DREAMS?

The time for things The time for things - is there really such a thing? “The right time for things”?

Mostly, yes. There is the proverb that runs, “Make hay while the sun shines”.

But there are times when there is no such thing as a proper time for a thing until you decide it is. Suppose you want to do a work that you have long postponed. Waiting for the right time will take you nowhere. You have to create time.

I hear a lot of complaints about not being able to bear with college stress and being unable to finish work in time. Well, ladies and gentlemen, here I am, the proud editor of OutFocus.

Did you guys know that I am also an architecture student, writer, short filmmaker and graphic designer?

Well that pretty well sums up what I wanted to say - there is no such thing as the right time and enough time.

There are two things: you and your time management.

ENTS

So. Until next month! Cya!

EDITOR IN CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHER WRITERS

AR MUTHU KUMAR SGA THOMAS INDHU KANTH [InK]

SOMA SUNDARAM, SARU MATHI

EDITORIAL 03

04

Welcome to OutFocus.

OutFocus is more about art than anything else. But that doesn’t stop us from finding new things to write on. Enjoy the new sections, Sportacus and Bheja Fry (that did sound literal didn’t it?)! #TenthEveryMonth

Photography: Indhu Kanth [InK] +91 9445651095 Shiv Nadar University, Noida.

05

BHEJA FRY

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

11

12 13

14

16

15

17

18 19

20

21

22

23 24

25

26

27 SETTER: AFTERDARK

06

B E E R G U I X D N A C H A L I C E M S A K S P L I S Z T O I E

N N E S S A U P T I G E R A E Y L I N T I K

On the left is a cryptic crossword puzzle. This time the theme is a favourite! Beer! So here are the clues!

Across 1 Engineers meet to have a drink (4) 3 Judge outside hotel makes it to the record books (8) 9 Chemical compound master left in a container (7) 10 Row to including girl’s animal (5) 11 Composer’s programme fixed around Zambia (5) 12 After changing sides, run with a strip of wood (6) 14 Put away sticky glue during sleep (6) 16 Secure the rocking boat in (6) 19 Place cold during onset of summer (6) 21 Boiled rice, leraner consumed for survival (5) 24 Confused cinemagoers leave screen like an insect (5) 25 Wizard beheaded marmoset by mistake (7) 26 Laurels, without leader diminish at Sweden (8) 27 Startle new journalists by eliminating Russian (4) Down 1 Block gas leakage and supplies (8) 2 Axe fell on surgeon doing tests (5) 4 Anxiety for rabid audiences when CID leaves (6) 5 Brown returns with gangster to South African region (5) 6 Plant found on earth at New Guinea (7) 7 Alert agent captured king (4) 8 Draw out princess, immobile without leg (6) 13 Success, Hit released (8) 15 Hungry Zeno devoured grain cooked by gypsy (7) 17 Barely cooked grain (6) 18 Systemic destruction, without limits leads to defeat (6) 20 Man from the south, accepts retiring policeman’s age (5) 22 Many took half in the game (5) 23 Sick patient on eatout has 330 ml of beer (4)

Oh wait, here’s the fun part! :D The first two people who send in the correct solution to this crossword puzzle are eligible for a “FREE MOBILE RECHARGE” on behalf of OutFocus!

Conditions: The answers should be mailed to “ContactFeathers@yahoo.com” along with your name and mobile number on or before 30th October. “FREE MOBILE RECHARGE” is a one time recharge of Rs. 20. “FREE MOBILE RECHARGE” can be availed only once per month per person. Multiple entries from the same individual is considered fraudulent. OutFocus reserves the right to publish names of one or any number of participants who enter the contest. Members of the “OutFocus” team and/or a direct member of “the Feathers” and their immediate family are not eligible for the “FREE MOBILE RECHARGE”.

07

STREET RACING IS NOT A SPORT - IT IS A CRIME

COVER STORY | SGA THOMAS

08

“It’s a sport like anything else,”

Often Illegal Street Racing is incorrectly identified as “drag racing” or “street racing.”

“On the street it all equals Both drag racing and street out” racing are sports legislated by sanctioning bodies that ensure “Love the sport,” the highest level of safety for both the participants and “It’s an addiction, my spectators whereas Illegal addiction, better than doing Street Racing has no rules or drugs, right?” safety measures. An example of a drag racing sanctioning “Any day I’d put my life on it body is the International Hot ...There is a risk in everything Rod Association (IHRA) and we do so why not?” an example of a street racing sanctioning body is the Indy “It’s fun, I won’t hurt anyone, Racing League (IRL) Toyota and the cops don’t really care Grandprix of Long Beach about stopping it, so why and Honda Grand Prix of St. should I?” Petersburg.

with the horse and buggy. With the invention of the internal combustion engine, the horse was replaced for a motor, and installed into a buggy.

The Smithsonian Institution has recorded automobile racing in America starting in 1895 with famous characters like the Duryea Brothers “racing” (Avg. Speed of 7.5mph) through the streets of Chicago.

The Prohibition Era in the 1920’s has been reported as another source for increasing the incidence of Illegal Street racing in America. People smuggling alcohol, known as Bootleggers and Rumrunners, would modify their vehicles for more power and better These are few of the lines that History Behind: handling to outrun police. The you may often hear from an Historically Illegal Street result was highly tuned vehicles Illegal Street Racer. racing on public roads started illegally racing through the city

“Illegal Street Racing has no rules or safety measures.”

COVER STORY 09

“[For Illegal street racers].. you have given your fate in the hands of sheep walking on footpath or crossing the highways.” streets and back country roads are aware of consequences. to deliver illegal goods.

But what makes them to do more? Here are few reasons For those who would quote the from them. above quotes , these are few headlines from all over the Tracks: world.

The major reason is that there aren’t enough tracks to race Canada: A family finds justice: on. Moreover racing on tracks Driver gets four-year prison is expensive when compared sentence for her role in fatal to race on track. Also technical 2005 drag race inspections at racetracks would be so harsh that their tuned Canada: Man found guilty vehicles wouldn’t pass to race in trucker’s high-profile on track. Time is also another streetracing death restriction. You can have race with your friends anytime you Saudi Arabia: ‘Abu Kab’ loses want on street but not on race appeal after killing three while tracks. Track officials arrange ‘drifting’ in a car. the staging lanes in a way that it makes it hard to coordinate New Zealand: Manslaughter a race between friends. They admitted over Christchurch often demean illegal street street racing death. racers and don’t consider them as a legitimate patron. They do China: Street-race driver not allow a passenger in the car jailed for 3 years over death while racing. Moreover many of pedestrian. complain that race tracks do not offer a “Hot to drag race” India: At risk: Delhi bikers with introduction program. The need for speed. street evens out the competition where a lower HP vehicle could England: Boy racers who left beat a higher HP vehicle in woman brain damaged will be a race whereas this is highly free in months after judge is unlikely in racetracks. Last but forced to impose. not the least many racers still say that “Rules and guidelines Motivation behind: ruin the fun of racing.”

Many argue that the racers

10

Social:

A community generally springs up around the street racing “scene”, providing social interaction among the participants and cliques therein. Because of this, Illegal Street racing provides a medium to socialize with friends and also provides young adults with a substitute activity as they may not be old enough for bars, clubs, and/ or other types of adult-night life. They also could use their street credibility to enhance standing amongst friends and provides an alternate means to illustrate his/her driving ability and vehicles modifications.

Personal:

Many consider it as a fun sport and say that they like the exhilarating feeling associated with unsupervised activity/ environment and breaking the law. It also gives off one’s vehicle thereby enhancing the ego.

Most of them get addicted the opportunity to show and while few considers it as an escape from the monotony of ordinary life. Also if you want to settle a bet or dispute between fellow racers, just accelerate. Some even consider Illegal Street racing as a source of income.

So, who responsible?

is

actually Racing.

• The Race Track industry for not addressing the needs of • Society for creating the the illegal street racers at their double standard where they facilities and creating poor state to follow the speed limit relations through treating them yet 70% of people speed on badly as compared to the the highways and will honk owners of race cars. their horn when a person is • Corporate World for impeding traffic by driving at not monetarily investing the speed limit. / sponsoring events and • Law Enforcement that set bad educational program to deter precedents by having their Illegal Street Racing. patrol cars cruising above the • The manufacturer of speed limits and incorrectly automobiles for designing and “profiling” sports compact cars marketing cars for performance creating poor relations with yet making no investment their community. in education or motorsports • Film industry for glorifying events to take racing of the car chases with an end result street onto the track. (Note that is not indicative of reality. a 2007 Toyota Camry family • Professional Race Car Drivers sedan is as fast 0-60 as a that openly declare that their 1999 Porsche Boxter) careers started out on the • Politicians for not taking street yet make little to no Illegal Street Racing seriously effort in providing alternatives by passing effective laws and/ for the next generations to get or enforcing them. off the street besides poorly • The Media for glorifying constructed public service the activity with incorrect announcements. information and rarely taking • Motorsports Sanctioning effort to review alternatives. bodies for not creating and not • Local Townships for blocking investing in programs that act the creation of race tracks or as alternative to Illegal Street closing one down (due to noise,

traffic, pollution, etc.)

• The Illegal Street Racer as s/ he is ultimately responsible for his/her actions.

Although laws are an important step in acting as a deterrent and officially establishing society’s position on the illegal act it is NOT enough. Laws are just one step. Laws do not address the root cause of the problem rather are a reactive penalty to the act. Equal if not more focus must be given to the root cause of the problem.

Heading to the track is one option, but wannabe Schumacher don’t always have access to a track nearby. It’s the case in India too, where street racers can be found on the highways or on empty stretches of road.

For Illegal street racers, all I would say is think about the consequences of your race to show off, as you have given your fate in the hands of sheep walking on footpath or crossing the highways.

COVER STORY 11

Srini Suryaprakasam Age : 24 Height : 5’10 About me : I’m Srini , completed my B.Tech IT in 2011. but while pursuing the course, my passion, dream and everything turned to MEDIA and my interest was fully diverted into ACTING. Yes, I want to be an ACTOR and that is my dream. I would love to do many challenging and tough roles... So Media was my dream and it’s been so for 7 years and I’m still working for my dream and passion. Will never give up till I achieve my Dream !!

Waiting for my day !!

A FACE OF PURE

PASSION

12 SRINI SURYAPRAKASAM

PORTFOLIOS

Photography: Indhu Kanth [InK] +91 9445651095 Shiv Nadar University, Noida.

14

FOTOGRAPH 15

It’s been two hours since they left. Zeepolis ! Yes. It was a keyword. That Bunker! May be there are humans over there.

I packed my minifort in my backbag. Zeepolis was nearly 20 kms from my house.

My eyes crossed over the black living room and my legs followed. I came out of my house. Went to the shed. Took my cycle.

Zeepolis , Here I come.

---The car dropped us at a Thai Restaurent. It was in a highway. We entered. There were many security checks. Am I gonna work for some military operation ? We finally took a lift and entered the bunker.

I was amazed.

“You were right that dreams are some form of supressed or repressed memories” started my Professor.

“Dreams are in many ways amazing. They could reveal us a hell lot of informations.”

“Sir, the head is calling you.”, a security personnel interrupted.

We went in.

“Hey Man, come in” his friend welcomed us.

“So is this the boy you were talking about”

16

“Yes.” “Hey ! Glad you are here” “Nice to meet you sir.”

“Did you breif him ?”

“I was about to”.

---Tired. My legs submitted themselves to pain. Should have crossed atleast 10 kms.

Sat down, quickly built my minifort near a abandoned house and started to have my cookies. What suprised me more was that every single building except our house was preyed by fire and explosion.

How did our house escape that ? May be that’s why those creatures are checking my house regularly ? I didn’t even see a single soul. Where are they ? The once beautiful Metropolis is now a barren land. I thought of my father, my family. Tears rolled down.

---A breeze woke me up. It was the same sea shore. I was enjoying the sea. But I was crying.

“So How’s life ?”.

I turned back. It was my professor.

I wiped my tears and answered with a smile “Never Better” “So what’s up ?”

“Sir ?”

“What do your dreams tell you ? “ “Nothing “ “Nothing ?”

“Ya ! Nothing. They were just like a random montage shots in a movie” He laughed.

“There has been scientific evidences that these dreams are not just some montage shots in a movie, they communicate to you something.

May be a warning !”

“What warning ?”

“I thought you were the brightest student in my class.”

He smiled.

“What did your dream say to you ? What was the main element ?”

“They were out there” “And how are you gonna escape ?”

“I don’t know. As far as of now, Zeepolis.”

He smiled again.

“That Bunker ?”

“Ya.” “I asked how are you gonna face reality ?”

“Reality ?”

He laughed again and transformed into one of those creatures.

He howled.

LAST. ”THE LAST RUN”

4

-SGA THOMAS

I woke up.

A creature was standing opposite to me.

I was surrounded by them.

Tears calmed and rose as fear.

That creature howled.

TO BE CONTINUED!

STORYSERIES 17

18

BENEDICT

CUMBERBATCH Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch - this ‘high functioning sociopath’ from the Bakers Street, was born on 19 July 1976 at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in Hammersmith, London, to actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham.

After leaving Harrow, he took a gap year to volunteer as an English teacher at a Tibetan monastery in Darjeeling, India.

He then attended the University of Manchester, where he studied Drama. He continued his training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art graduating with an MA in Classical Acting.

Since 2001, Cumberbatch had major roles in a dozen classic plays at the Regent’s Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court and Royal National Theatres. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his performance as

George Tesman in Hedda Gabler, a role he performed at the Almeida Theatre on 16 March 2005, as well as at the Duke of York’s Theatre when it transferred to the West End on 19 May 2005. This transfer marked his first West End appearance.

drama The Last Enemy, for which he was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film. In 2009, he appeared in Marple: Murder Is Easy as Luke Fitzwilliam. He played Bernard in the TV adaptation of Small Island; the performance earned him a nomination for Cumberbatch achieved the BAFTA Television Award for “Triple Crown of London Best Supporting Actor.

Theatre” in 2011 when he received the Olivier Award, Cumberbatch did not achieve Evening Standard Award international recognition until and Critics’ Circle Theatre the first series of Sherlock Award for his performance in in 2010. He has since been Frankenstein. called “The Thinking Woman’s Crumpet” and has been a In 2004, he landed his first mainstay in numerous “Sexiest main part in television as Man Alive” lists including that Stephen Hawking in Hawking. of Empire and People. He He was nominated for the has also been repeatedly BAFTA TV Award for Best described by the UK press Actor and won the Golden as a “National Treasure.”

Nymph for Television Films – Cumberbatch subscribes to Best Performance by an Actor. Buddhist philosophy and In 2008, he played the lead has expressed affinity for character in the BBC miniseries meditation and mindfulness.

SPOTLIGHT | TV SUPERHEROES 19

20

Photography: Indhu Kanth [InK] +91 9445651095 Shiv Nadar University, Noida.

FOTOGRAPH 21

HOCKEY

RETURNS!

SOMA SUNDARAM_

22

‘Indian Hockey Team recorded a historic win against Pakistan at 17th Asian Games, Incheon, South Korea and found a direct pass to Rio Olympics 2016.’

Winning must be everything in sports, for to draw a nation’s attention towards its national game it required a historic winning. It required a trained crew under the captainship of 28 years old energetic Punjabi Sardar Singh. It required a Wall from Thiruvananthapuram, Sreejesh Ravindran. It required Terry Walsh to train up the gang in the green court around the clock. And it required 16 years to summate all above to change the fused bulb of the Spot light.

This is the waxing hour for the dethroned Hockey king. Silver medal got in the Glasgow Commonwealth game wouldn’t suffice the gold thirsty.

With the Aim not a bit down

to Gold, Indian team went to South Korea to participate in the 17th Asian game. India was placed under Group B for league matches along with Pakistan, China, Srilanka and Oman. Except against Pakistan, India Won the rest and entered the Semifinals. In semi final, South Korea didn’t give a tough resistance. India won the match for 1-0 and entered the Finals. Pakistan, on the other hand, enterd the finals with zero lose record.

October 2, 16:00 Hrs: Incheon Hockey stadium.

Amidst the moderate crowd, the two teams had their hand shakes. Pakistani captain Imran won the toss and asked for the possession of ball. The game went well for 4 minutes when Mohammad Rizwan broke the Indian defense, scored a goal and put the blue tees to palpitate. By 12th minute, it was the spell from Kothajit Singh’s Stick scored a goal for

India. Half time ended with a draw. In second half, chase behind the ball continued. But the ball refused to cross the goal line and called for penalty shootout.

‘My blood boils when I play against Pakistan’ – Indian goalie Sreejesh Ravindran’s after winning comment could be clearly felt in his effort to stop the shootout balls. He saved 2 goals out of 4 trials. Indian shooters Akashdeep singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra, Dhramvir Singh scored a goal each. ‘42’, the number in the board signified the Indian victory.

The team bustled around the ground.

This triumph has given the Indian Hockey phoenix a rebirth.

Now, the bird is in its way to Rio, Brazil. If you see the bird on its way, convey the message of congratulations from your very own online magazine, Outfocus!

SPORTACUS 23

PATRIOTIC SERIES:

FALLEN,

2

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN! Abhimanyu Kumar Singh THE

process, enable the gallant

KARGIL WAR

Operation Vijay in the Kargil infantrymen to close in with

Indian Army Operations

during the summer months of began a unique saga in the

district of Jammu and Kashmir and evict the intruders. Thus

The Indian Army detected the 1999 was a joint Infantry- history of the employment of intrusions between May 3-12. Artillery endeavor to evict Artillery firepower in battle.

From May 15 - 25, 1999, regular Pakistani soldiers of the military

operations

were Northern Light Infantry (NLI) Tololing , Drass Sub Sector planned, troops moved to their who had intruded across the June 13, 1999 attack locations, artillery and Line of Control (LoC) into Indian The first major ridgeline to fall other equipment were moved Territory and had occupied un- was Tololing in the Drass subin and the necessary equipment held high-altitude mountain sector on June 13, 1999 which was purchased. Indian Army’s peaks and ridgelines. It soon was captured after several offensive named Operation became clear that only massive weeks of bitter fighting. The Vijay was launched on May and sustained firepower could attacks were preceded by 26, 1999. Indian troops moved destroy the intruders’ sangars sustained fire assaults from towards Pakistani occupied and systematically break over one hundred artillery guns, positions with air cover provided their will to fight through a mortars and rocket launchers by aircraft and helicopters. process of attrition and, in the firing in concert. Thousands of

24

shells, bombs and rocket warheads wreaked havoc and prevented the enemy from interfering with the assault.

The 155 mm Bofors medium guns and 105 mm Indian field guns in the direct firing role destroyed all visible enemy sangars and forced the enemy to abandon several positions.

The arcs of fire trailing behind the Bofors high explosive shells and the Grad rockets provided an awesome sight and instilled fear into the minds of Pakistani soldiers.

Tiger Hill, July 5, 1995 The capture of the Tololing complex paved the way for successive assaults to be launched on the Tiger Hill complex from several directions.

Tiger Hill was re-captured on

July 5, 1999 and Point 4875, another dominating feature to the west of Tiger Hill and jutting into Mashkoh Valley, was re-captured on July 7, 1999.

Point 4875 has since been renamed “Gun Hill” in honor of the stupendous performance of the Gunners in the Drass and Mashkoh sub-sectors.

Over 1,200 rounds of high explosive rained down on Tiger Hill and caused largescale death and devastation.

Once again, the Gunners of the Indian Artillery fired their guns audaciously in the direct firing role, under the very nose of Pakistani artillery observation posts (OPs), without regard for personal safety. Even 122 mm Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRLs) were employed in the direct firing

role. Hundreds of shells and rocket warheads impacted on the pinnacle of Tiger Hill in full view of TV cameras and the nation watched in rapt attention the might of the Regiment of Artillery.

Point 5203 and Khalubar Batalik Sector June 21 – July 5 1999 While the nation’s attention was riveted on the fighting in the Drass sector, steady progress was being made in the Batalik sector despite heavy casualties. In the Batalik sector, the terrain was much tougher and the enemy was far more strongly entrenched. The containment battle itself took almost a month. Artillery OPs were established on dominating heights and sustained Artillery fire was brought down on the

PATRIOTISM 25

“Such high rates of fire over long periods had not been witnessed anywhere in the world since the Second World War.” enemy continuously by day and night allowing him no rest. Point 5203 was re-captured on June 21, 1999 and Khalubar was re-captured on July 6, 1999.

Within the next few days, further attacks were pressed home against the remaining Pakistani posts in the Batalik sub-sector and these fell quickly after

26

being pulverized by Artillery fire. Once again, Artillery firepower played an important part in softening the defences and destroying the enemy’s battalion headquarters and logistics infrastructure.

and rockets during the Kargil conflict. Approximately, 5,000 Artillery shells, mortar bombs and rockets were fired daily from 300 guns, mortars and MBRLs. Such high rates of fire over long periods had not been witnessed anywhere in The Indian Artillery fired the world since the Second over 250,000 shells, bombs World War.

MEET THE ALL NEW STUDIOFLICKS! studioflicks www.studioflicks.com

ADVERT 27

28

InK

I’m known as Indhu Kanth, pursuing B.Tech Electrical engineering at greater Noida.

Say hello to Lensy, my third eye - a Canon 600D. My favourite editing platform is Adobe Photoshop CC. Having done a lot of experiments on photography and editing, I realized we are born with the best lenses. I believe that wonderful moments are born by just silently looking at it.

But then again, the world that cannot be perceived by our eyes can be achieved by our mind. mail: il957@snu.edu.in

INTERVIEW 29

30

32

Infinicognition KNOWING OF INFINITY

SARU MATHI

Close your eyes. Count numbers from one to ten slowly and think of a person in your mind. Visualize his/her face for a while and say the first thing that pops in mind. Sounds like a silly game? Well, pretty much not! As usual while thinking about the circuitry of brains suddenly one thing caught my mind which is constantly sought after by us - ‘Evidence’.

Our whole belief system revolves around this single thing called evidence, in any form. The belief that I mention here doesn’t just speak about that we have on the existence of ghosts or aliens. It’s everything else. Unfortunately, this evidence-based belief setup intrudes our life’s quality indirectly yet indepth. Yes, we don’t just use this setup to believe in things that are around us but even within!

Our capabilities, interests and our character are all based on some evidence. Anything ranging from the past experience to the latest online personality test report. This goes on until it reaches a limit from where we can travel no more. While it’s all fine to carry this imposter of oneself unless we care to know the truth and move beyond. But for people who yearn to know the truth,here it is... “You Are Infinite”!

Yo friends! Please don’t stay with the mortal flesh and bones. Go deep within to titivate the eternal spark called soul. Only this is real..for,only the souls are independent and limitless YOU that seeks no evidence and knows no horizons. Break out of cocoon.. Fly all the way you want with zeal and success. Good luck !:)

A GIRL’S PAGE 33

ART BY DENIS AMIRTHARAJ | A COLOURFUL FRENCH STREET EXPERIMENTAL WATERCOLOUR

34

GRAPHIC TALK 35

A KIND HEART ALWAYS HAS A GIFT OF CARING | ART BY MIDHUN RR

36

GRAPHIC TALK 37

RESEARCH:

do the blind

HALLUCINATE?

SGA THOMAS

38

Do blinds hallucinate ?

“We see with the eyes, but we see with the brain as well. And seeing with the brain is often called imagination.

And we are familiar with the landscapes of our own imagination, our inscapes. We’ve lived with them all our lives. But there are also hallucinations as well, and hallucinations are completely different.

They don’t seem to be of our creation. They don’t seem to be under our control.

They seem to come from the outside, and to mimic perception.”

– Oliver Sacks Overview Hallucinations are sensations that appear real but are created by your mind. They can affect all five of your senses. For example, you might hear a voice that no one else in the room can hear or see

an image that is not real. These symptoms may be caused by mental illness, the side effects of medications, or physical illnesses like epilepsy or alcoholism.

Hallucinations involve sensing things while awake that appear to be real, but instead have been created by the mind. Hallucinations may affect your vision, sense of smell, hearing, or bodily sensations.

Pseudo hallucination Unlike normal hallucination, which occurs when one sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels something that is not there, with a compelling feeling or thought that it is real, pseudohallucinations are recognised by the person as unreal.

In other words, it is a hallucination that is recognized as a hallucination, as opposed to a “normal” hallucination which would be perceived as

real.

So Now comes the Question “Do blinds hallucinate ?”

Answer is yes and a no.

Researchers say that those who are blind from the birth can’t hallucinate anything.

Those blind from a very early age (younger than two years-old) did not report visual hallucinations, probably because they never had enough visual experience to shape a fully-functioning visual system when their brain was still developing.

But those who lost their vision in an accident or in surgery are prone to hallucinate. One such case is CBS. Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is the experience of complex visual hallucinations in a person with partial or severe blindness.

First described by Charles Bonnet in 1760, it was first introduced

RESEARCH 39

introduced into English- back home, he saw a miniature speaking psychiatry in 1982. of the scaffolding six inches high, on his study table. This The disease is named after repetition of perception is the Swiss naturalist Charles sometimes called palinopsia.

Bonnet, who described the condition in 1760. He first What do the patients see ? documented it in his 89-year- Oliver Sacks in detail had old grandfather who was described about CBS. He nearly blind from cataracts records one such patient (90 in both eyes but perceived year old woman) men, women, birds, carriages, “People in Eastern dress, buildings, tapestries, physically in drapes, walking up and impossible circumstances and down stairs. A man who turns scaffolding patterns. towards me and smiles. But he Characteristics has huge teeth on one side of The first thing he said was he his mouth. Animals too. I see a saw a handkerchief in midair. It white building. It’s snowing, a was a large blue handkerchief soft snow. I see this horse with with four orange circles. And a harness, dragging the snow he knew it was a hallucination. away. Then, one night, the And then he saw a big wheel scene changes. I see cats and in midair. But sometimes he dogs walking towards me. They wasn’t sure whether he was come to a certain point and then hallucinating or not, because stop. Then it changes again. I the hallucinations would fit see a lot of children. They are in the context of the visions. walking up and down stairs.

So on one occasion, when his They wear bright colours, rose granddaughters were visiting and blue, like Eastern dress.” them, he said, “And who are Sometimes, she said, before these handsome young men the people come on, she may with you?” And they said, hallucinate pink and blue “Alas, Grandpapa, there are squares on the floor, which seem no handsome young men.” And to go up to the ceiling. I said, then the handsome young men “Is this like a dream?” And she disappeared. Charles Lullin, said, “No, it’s not like a dream. the grandfather, saw hundreds It’s like a movie.” She said, “It’s of different figures, different got colour. It’s got motion. But landscapes of all sorts. On one it’s completely silent, like a occasion, he saw a man in a silent movie.” And she said that bathrobe smoking a pipe, and it’s a rather boring movie. She realized it was himself. That was said, “All these people with the only figure he recognized. Eastern dress, walking up and On one occasion when he was down, very repetitive, very walking in the streets of Paris, limited.” he saw -- this was real -- a Oliver says that the woman scaffolding. But when he got knew it is hallucination. Oliver

40

further explains “She said that the hallucinations were unrelated to anything she was thinking or feeling or doing, that they seemed to come on by themselves, or disappear.

She had no control over them.

She said she didn’t recognize any of the people or places in the hallucinations. And none of the people or the animals, well, they all seemed oblivious of her. And she didn’t know what was going on. She wondered if she was going mad or losing her mind. I examined her carefully.

She was a bright old lady, perfectly sane. She had no medical problems. She wasn’t on any medications which could produce hallucinations. But she was blind.”

And says that this is a special form of Syndrome called CBS. He adds “With another patient of mine, who, also had some vision, the vision she had could be disturbing. On one occasion, she said she saw a man in a striped shirt in a restaurant.

And he turned around. And then he divided into six figures in striped shirts, who started walking towards her. And then the six figures came together again, like a concertina.

Once, when she was driving, or rather, her husband was driving, the road divided into four and she felt herself going simultaneously up four roads.

Another patient of mine had a different sort of hallucination.

This was a woman who didn’t have trouble with her eyes, but the visual parts of her brain,

a little tumor in the occipital cortex. And, above all, she would see cartoons. These cartoons would be transparent and would cover half the visual field, like a screen.”

People suffering from CBS may experience a wide variety of hallucinations. Images of complex colored patterns and images of people are most common, followed by animals, plants or trees and inanimate objects. The hallucinations also often fit into the person’s surroundings.

One characteristic of these hallucinations is that they usually are “lilliputian” (hallucinations in which the characters or objects are smaller than normal). The most common hallucination is of faces or cartoons. Sufferers understand that the hallucinations are not real, and the hallucinations are only visual, that is, they do not occur in any other senses, e.g. hearing, smell or taste.

Oliver adds “About 10 percent of the hearing impaired people get musical hallucinations.

And about 10 percent of the visually impaired people get visual hallucinations. You don’t have to be completely blind, only sufficiently impaired.”

Among older adults (>65 years) with significant vision loss, the prevalence of Charles Bonnet syndrome has been reported to be between 10% and 40%; a recent Australian study has found the prevalence to be 17.5%. Two Asian studies, however, report a much lower prevalence. The high incidence of non-reporting of this disorder is the greatest hindrance to determining the exact prevalence; nonreporting is thought to be a result of sufferers being afraid to discuss the symptoms out of fear that they will be labelled insane.

Causes CBS predominantly affects people with visual impairments due to old age, diabetes or other damage to the eyes or optic pathways. In particular, central vision loss due to a condition such as macular degeneration combined with peripheral vision loss from glaucoma may predispose to CBS, although most people with such deficits do not develop the syndrome.

The syndrome can also develop after bilateral optic nerve damage due to methyl alcohol poisoning.

Prognosis & Treatment

There is no treatment of proven effectiveness for CBS. Some people experience CBS for anywhere from a few days up to many years, and these hallucinations can last only a few seconds or continue for most of the day. For those experiencing CBS, knowing that they are suffering from this syndrome and not a mental illness seems to be the best treatment so far, as it improves their ability to cope with the hallucinations. Most people with CBS meet their hallucinations with indifference, but they can still be disturbing because they may interfere with daily life.

It seems that there are a few activities that can make the hallucinations stop although many people are not aware of these. Interrupting vision for a short time by closing the eyes or blinking is sometimes helpful.

Because there is no prescribed treatment, the first starting place is to reassure the CBS sufferer of their sanity, and some charities provide specialist hallucination counselling “buddies” (people who have or have had CBS and are no longer fazed by it) to talk to on the telephone.

Sometimes it is carers and/or physicians that need advice and guidance.

RESEARCH 41

YOU HAVE ENJOYED A PRODUCT OF

THE FEATHERS WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/FEATHERSINDIA

Photography: Thanks to Indhu Kanth [InK] +91 9445651095