Onkyo Braille Essay Contest 2006 -- International Section (Middle East, Central and Southern Asia) ¡ Otsuki Prize for First Place (Groups A & B) "How Braille Changed My Life" Mr. Nikhil Jain (India: 33-year-old) |
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I was born with visual impairment but I did not realize its ramifications. It is the society which inculcated in me the feeling of being blind and different. This feeling of being different from other children was the essence of the initial seven years of my life. I spent these seven years as totally dependent on others for all my day-to-day activities. During this period, I was sent to a school named Holy Child meant for sighted students. I had to leave this after Upper Kinder Garten because I could not learn reading and writing in print which was a requirement at that level. After much hunting I was admitted in J.P.M. Senior Secondary School of Blind Relief Association (BRA), Delhi, India at seven and half years of age. It was at BRA that I got a collective identity because for the first time I found all the students like me. I still remember that seventh period of my first Class when our Braille teacher, Mr. M.S. Negi came up to me and placed a card on my table. He asked me to put my finger over it and have a feel of it. I found something in a dotted form -those were Braille alphabets in Hindi. The moments were really ecstatic for me as I could perceive the possibility of self-learning independently. This was something I was longing for for last so many years. I could perceive a sense of freedom and individuality was gripping me. All of a sudden, life seemed to be very colourful and fulfilling. I gained my 'vision' back. My school life was full of tempo and colours. I was stepping up from one class to another. With the help of Braille, I learned subjects like Hindi, Science, Mathematics, English, Sanskrit and Social Sciences. We followed the CBSE syllabus meant for the sighted students. The need to have the basic textbook education was thus fulfilled. I was deeply attracted by stories of all kinds from my childhood. With the help of Braille, I had the pleasure of reading story books and novels. With this, I moved deep into the world of literature. It provided me the much needed pleasure and enriched me in developing my rationality and the sense of literature. I love sports. Braille also moved me into the sphere of sports and helped me enjoy many games like playing cards, Chess and Ludo. Braille made the most visible impact over the playing cards as Braille is inscribed at the two corners across the card mentioning the number and colour of the card. This enabled me to play cards with sighted people with the same skill and joy. I was also exposed to Chess where a wooden Board is used with holes all over it so that Pawns could be placed in it. Here Braille acts as a culture rather than a script in the form of touch and embossing which are the 2 main parameters of giving the utmost glee and empowerment to us. Braille proved to be a very effective tool in my college days as I had to compete with sighted students. I used to take class notes in Braille due to the paucity of material in Braille and in recording. It was really empowering to take class notes in Braille in my college days with sighted students. That exercise not only boosted my confidence inside the class but also helped me to have utmost concentration in class lectures. I often use Braille to take notes in Seminars and Workshops. This has helped me in retaining the knowledge and content of the issues discussed in those Seminars. Braille promotes interaction with others as they like to inquire about its functioning. Many people interact with me to know about Braille. Buses and trains have been the main venues, where such kind of interaction has taken place. Many of these interactions have transformed into a wonderful relationship that are still continuing. Car Rally is one such event where Braille has bridged the gap between visually challenged and sighted persons. It is organized by National Association for the Blind every year. We are given Braille charts to navigate the route. Various sighted persons from eminent fields are contacted to act as the drivers. It promotes an excellent understanding between the visually challenged navigator and the Car driver. It has not only fetched me the much needed fun and excitement but also enhanced my ability as an equal doer in the society. Let me confess, I met my life partner through an interaction of this sort. Her desire to learn Braille moved us further towards each other. Braille has played a significant role in helping me to become a successful person in life. It has motivated me to have ambitious dreams. It has inspired me to strive hard to get those dreams realized. I have succeeded in becoming a lecturer because of the ambitions germinated in me due to Braille. Braille is not only the script but is a way of life with which I have lived and grown to the maximum extent. It has brought me at par with the sighted people and has given me the much needed identity, individuality and equality. The memory of World Disabled Day is still fresh in me. I was in Standard Eleven and was reading out the Vote Of Thanks in Braille in front of the then Honfble President of India, R. Venkat Raman and the Honfble Prime Minister of India, Chandra Sekhar. I was praised a lot for my commendable presentation and excellent accent in English. This boosted my confidence to move ahead and excel in English language. No wonder, I feel proud and happy for such eventful movements. Life has a lot to offer. It is on us to grab the treasure of life. This is precisely what Braille has taught me. It drove me out of vulnerability to self-reliance. It provided me the strength to challenge the negative approach of society towards me and strive for a new social order where rights prevail over sympathy and disability is eliminated. |
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