Times they are a changing...

Ramakrishna today is General Manager, Finance with IDBI, He is totally blind. He is the first blind person to successfully complete an MBA degree. Geetha Shamana is a German translator working out of Bangalore. Sanjay Dang owns and manages a Rs.1.5 crore Travel Company in Deli. Charudatta Jhadav, a software Engineer is a Project Goup Leader aTata Consultancy Services. Sidhdharth Sharma runs a PR company, while Vikram Dalmia runs his own Industry. Kanchan Pamnani, Kanchan Gaba and Deepak Motivala are thriving lawyers. Sameer Late, Dilip Loyolka and Rajni Gapalakrishnan are CAs doing wonderfully well. To add to this L Subramani, Garimella Subramanium and Rajesh Kumar are journalists with leading Newspapers of the country. These are just a few names of individuals who are doing extremely well in the mainstream and happen to be totally blind.
The last couple of decades have witnessed tremendous changes as far as living with blindness is concerned. In the 1960s and 1970s, educated blind people could aspire to get into the teaching profession or take up music at best When it came to the less educated or the uneducated blind person, they would be lucky if they could sell candles, cane chairs or at best be part of an industrial assembly line.
The opening up of the media in the 1990s, the coming of age of assistive technology for the blind, the increasing opportunities for education for blind persons and the steadily rising recognition of the ability of blind persons slowly but gradually has started opening up a wide range of avenues.
T: Technology
E: Education
A: Ability
M: Media
Indeed a formidable TEAM that promises to put the blind people of this country onto an equal footing. Surely the potential is there and now the TEAM tools are available, what is needed are the inclusive policies, universal designs and a determined and discipline effort on the part of the blind persons.
The 1990s saw the emergence of Personal Computers, Mobile Phones, Scanners and so on and along with it saw the advent of screen readers, OCR software and the internet. This has opened up a whole newn World of Knowledge that has become accessible to the blind persons of the country. This revolutionary access to the World of knowledge has created a vast variety of opportunity both in terms of education and also in terms of employment.
The 1990s also has seen several mainstream schools opening their doors to blind and visually impaired students. Today, in the big cities, inclusive education is catching on where blind students are learning side by side with their sighted peers. Hence the blind persons are beginning to be included into the mainstream from an earlier age and this truly is progressive.
Further the media has since the past decade and half have told many a stories about blind persons that has informed, inspired and empowered not only blind and visually impaired persons, but also their families and the society at large. With stories of people like Erik Waheinmayer, the blind mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest, David Blunkett- the former Secretary of Home in the UK, Miles Hilton Barbar- the blind Pilot who flew a twin seater aircraft from London to Sidney, Dr.Geeratt Wermaij- a totally blind professor of Marine Biology, Shasha Wanlu- a totally blind detective, there is no doubting the times that are changing .
George Abraham

We want to know!

Dear Friends who care!

What happened in Mumbai is terrible. It is really heartening to see the overwhelming responses from the citizens of the country. Terror should not be tollerated at any cost whether it is from outside our cuntry or from within. We have to get to the root of things and address the issues decisively. We need to look at strengthening our systems , border protection and our security forces.While we do all this , I would also like to askWhat are the citizens of the country going to be doing about the butchers who killed hundreds of Christians in Orissa? What are the citizens of the country going to do with the cowards who massacred hundreds of Muslims in Gujarat? Shouldnt we call for action? Shouldnt we bring the people behind this dastardly acts also to book?Terror inflicted on the elite or for that matter unleashed on tribals and the poor in my book is the same. Terror sponsored by a foreign organisation or sponsored by an Indian outfit is again the same.What are the citizens of India going to do about this?Are we going to allow political parties to take up issues that pit people against people to fight elections? Are we going to tollerate hate merchants like Tugadia and Raj Thackaray?Oh citizens of the country, can we come together and fight hate, corruption and unnecessary violence?Can we start afresh today and work towards an India where our children can live in confidence and without fear? Can we stop thinking just about ourselves and start thinking about our Nation? Without our Nation, we are no where. We need to preserve our Nation.
George Abraham

Worrying for India

Dear fellow Indians,
To begin with, what happened last night at Mumbai is unacceptable. In fact this recent rise in terror attacks across the country is truly worrying. It is time that the educated concerned citizens of the country come together to do something about this.
To start with the politics of hate and communalism has to end. I am aChristian and an Indian. I will stick my neck out and say that ever sincethe Communal brand of politics has come to stay, communal hatred and intolerance has increased and the cosmopolitan fabric of the Indian society has become frail.
I think the current form in the way in which our country is governed needsto be reviewed. The electoral process has become a hypocritical routine which we follow session after session without questioning.
I do think something needs to be done before we Indians kill and destroy each other and our beloved country fragments.
All the economic development is of no meaning, if the average Indian cannot live with dignity and confidence.
It is time to say "Enough is enough" It is time for the average citizen to play a more active role in determining how our country is managed.
I would appeal to every Indian to rise above political allegiances and think and do something positive to save our country.
Worrying for India
George
George Abraham

Turning 50

Hi,I turned 50 today. It has been 5 decades of wonderful living. There
have been moments of fun, excitement and challenges.To begin with , I was blessed with wonderful parents who taught me how to dream and the art of positive thinking. They sowed in me the seeds of courage and enterprise to face the World with confidence and faith.Then my visual impairment which provided me with the opportunity to know and understand my God who has been an integral part of my life. He has run the journey of life with me, some time jogging beside me and other times carrying me in His arms. Life has certainly been a walk in Faith.Not to be forgotten, my dear wife Rupa, the rock of Gibraltar. She has stood beside me through thick and thin. She has not only been my support, but also my conscience. She has had the energy and courage to put up with me and also share my wild dreams.How can I forget my two lovely daughters Neha and Tara who have kept me honest and on my toes. They are simply delightful.And finally my friends. There are many who have come and played significant roles in my various ventures.Life has truly been fun and I have enjoyed it.Today is a day when I take fresh guard and take strike to start a new innings, if I may borrow a cricketing expression.Love you all.

George Abraham
31st October, 1958

The CNN IBN Poll of August 5th- A rude reminder of reality

91% of the elite educated viewers of CNN IBN who watched the channel and voted on the 5th of August believed that "Disabled people are a burden in India". This indeed is a shocking reminder of a stark reality that we often tend to gloss over.

Even today, majority of the people perceive persons with disability as lesser beings, inspite of several persons with disability are working and performing today admirably well in the public domain. We have successful lawyers, corporate executives, business people, academicians, media persons, software professionals and so on. I guess the challenge has just begun.

The other day I had met with Mr.Jyotiraditya Scindia to explore the possibility of "eyeway.org partnering with the hundred thousand CSCs (Common Service Centres) that the Ministry of IT proposes to setup to disseminate information to the rural masses. I feltthat these CSCs could become a very effective communication network to reach out to the millions of visually impaired persons living in rural India. The Minister was very positive, he told me that someone from his team would get in touch. Yes, someone did get in touch asking for information on Score Foundation and eyeway.org. However, the revealing question they asked was, "Could you share the names and addresses of the Ophthalmologists who help Project Eyeway with the research and information gathering process". This was indeed revealing. It reflects a mindset that believes that ( Disability is a disease and it needs to be fixed". The most knowledgeable authorities on disability such as blindness are Ophthalmologists. "Indeed"

The World has moved onto a Social model of disability where we talk of moving on with life, inclusion , rights and so on, while it is shocking to learn that our powerful Officialdom are still talking about fixing the disability. How about the millions of us for whom doctors cannot do a thing? A genuine "mindset" issue.

Further, I think it is high time we raised our voices against the "rotton word charity". Each one of us are citizens of this country and have a right to have access to everything that goes on in this Nation. Why should education for us be a charity or a noble act? Shouldnt we have been included in the system automatically. Should not outfits like NCERT be producing text books and learning material in Braille, E-text or in the audio format as a matter of routine? Why should providing jobs for us be considered as part of CSR? Why should "dealing with disability" only be the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment"? Should it not be on the agenda of every Ministry and all the State Governments? Why should we be seen as either "Heroes or as Zeroes"? Are we not ordinary human beings who need to get a move on in life?

I am certainly not saying anything new. All I am saying is that we have a long way to go and all of us have a responsibility to change the mindsets of the people of the cuntry. If the so called elite educated believe that we are a burden, then what to speak of the common man on the street. We have a fight on our hands and we need to take on this fight head on. I am not suggesting aggression , dharnas or burning of public property. I am simply saying that each one of us have to strive to become agents of change.

What are some of the ways that we can proceed? Well I could share some thoughts.

1. Excel in whatever we are doing. Strive to become the best.
2. Move out into the society/community and make friends, socialise. Let people experience friendships with persons with disability.
3. Increase our knowledge base and participate in discussions on issues other than disability in the public domain.
4. Start becoming contributors


There could be many other things that we could do.

Your views and comments that could take this discussion forward are welcome.

Besides, we would be happy to offer eyeway as a platform to reach out to the mainstream. You could share information, experiences with us and with could take it to the World.
Thanks and anticipation.

George Abraham

All in the Dark

Imagine a situation while you are having dinner, the lights go off. No candle is available, no torch or emergency lamps, you are compelled to carry on with dinner in the dark. I guess you would rely on your hands to feel what is on your plate, you would use your sense of smell and taste to figure out what you are eating and perhaps your memmory to recall what was where on your plate when you last could see. It would be an interesting test of your non –visual senses.

Some time ago, I had traveled to Vienna, where I had the opportunity to visit an interesting exhibition called “Dialogue in the Dark.”The exhibition was a one hour guided tour in pitch darkness where one traverses through undulated terraine, narrow pathways, twists and turns, obstacles and varied experiences with just a cane and a lady guide’s voice to lead you. If you survived the hour, you ended up in the bar where you could relax with a drink in the dark.

We were about 8 of us who visited the exhibition. We had to stand in a queue to get our entry tickets.There was a choice between an English and a German tour, of course all of us opted for English. Once we were inside, we were ushered to the basement where we met our guide, a slim tall lady. Her accent told us that she was either Austrean or German.

Each of us was handed a cane, like the ones blind people use. We were told to hold the cane in front of our bodies andfeel our way forward In addition, we were asked to constantly listen for our guide’s voice. Seemed easy to begin with, however as we moved into the dark, we started bumping into stones, walking into bushes and stumbling over each other. It took each of us 5 to 10 minutes to get used to the discipline of feeling our way using our canes. We also did find the guide’s voice very reassuring.

During the course of the tour, we were asked to recognize the sounds of streams flowing below us, smell and recognize flowers, feel and identify fruits and vegetables, recognize the textures under our feat. We had to cross bridges, ascend and descend stairs, board a bus, cross a road, negotiate winding corridors till we finally arrived at the bar

I felt my way to the counter and ordered a Lemon Aid, for which I needed to pay 2 Euros. I pulled out my purse and handed out an India 5 rupee coin which feels like a 2 Euro coin. The lady across the counter took one look at the coin and told me that she did not recognize the coin. I appologised and put a 2 Euro coin on the counter.

I took the bottled drink and a glass and slowly felt my way to a table across the room from where I could hear the voices of my companions. The next challenge for me was to open the bottle and pour out the drink into the glass without spilling its contents. I managed the task by touching the mouth of the bottle to the rim of the glass
.
The lady seated next to me confessed that she had opted for a coffee simply to avoid the messy possibilities while pouring from the bottle into the glass. Good thinking indeed I said, but How were you to know if there was a fly or a dead insect in the coffee, ha ha ha!

We were told that dinner was served on weekends. Diners preferred to use their fingers while they ate to be sure of what they were imbibing. Forks and knives were not to be trusted. Menu cards were called out and diners took their pick.

The one hour in the dark clearly sent out one loud message to each of us”even if we don’t see, we still can get on with life”. There is a great deal of ability in each of us. We only use a small part of it.

“Dialogue in the Dark” is a commercial venture that has been traveling from country to country drawing huge numbers of visitors. The venture is by and large managed and manned by visually impaired people. The “Dialogue in the Dark” is an experience that helps people take cognisance of the fact that there is life beyond blindness. Besides the profound realization , the experience is great fun and an exciting exploration of human ability.

George Abraham

A fast bowler that wasn't

As a 11 year old, I did fancy myself as a tare away fast bowler in the mould of Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillie. I could not see the wickets at the other end. I could only see a human figure at the far end and would go for it. More often than not , it would be the man or his wickets that I hit. Either way, my captain was happy.

Cricket has been an obsession with me from early childhood. I see the game as a mystery thriller that captures your imagination right from page 1 till the final paragraph. Once you begin, the game tends to draw you in and fully engage you with a plot that is tantalisingly unpredictable, characters that are exciting and action that has its fascinating highs and lows.

A cricketing experience puts one through all conceivable human emotions, right from happiness, excitement to anger, frustration and disappointment. It is an experience that transports one into a simulated World of fantasy that very often seems to be very close to reality.

The England-Australia series of 1972, saw the emergence of the dynamic Ian Chapel as captain of Australia. His positive, aggressive approach of taking on the adversary head on was inspiring. He not only inspired a bunch of out and out losers but transformed them into World beaters. His philosophy of facing the problem rather than running away from it has been very meaningful and real to me.

My dream of becoming a fiery fast bowler had to be consigned to the file of childhood fantasies as I grew older and began to realise the physical limitations of being visually disabled. However the passion for the sport remained.

Many years later, I was woken up by the loud noise of children playing cricket in the ground just outside my window. I heard a shrill voice scream out”Kapil Dev moves into bowl to Azharuddin, outside the leg stump, Azhar flicks through mid wicket, four runs.” Obviously the stars were missing. But the passion , the skill , the thrill and the enthusiasm was certainly there in ample measure. A small white plastic ball that rattled while in motion, underarm bowling and audio signals and the blind boys were well on their way with their game of cricket.

The playing field is a powerful learning arena. As the former West Indies opening batsman, the late Conrad Hunt once told me” On the cricket field you learn to Dream, develop the Desire, imbibe the discipline, Dedication and the Determination to succeed.” This is the “Mantra” to success.

The National Cricket programme for the blind that was launched from 1990 and the 1998 World Cup cricket for the blind was an effort to provide the blind with the platform to experience and imbibe the 5 Ds. More importantly on a personal note it was a huge outlet for all that pent up passion of years of a tare away fast bowler who was kept out of the game.




George Abraham