New case of Blind child, Zunaira. How the process for mainstreaming starts in Kolkata August 2016

16 August 2016

                                                                 Zunaira with Rashmi

Dear Hena di,

  Warm regards to you..

   I met Mr. Alam on Saturday. We had a detailed talk. He enquired about his daughter's education, schools, system of learning and everything. I invited him to my house to meet Rashmi. They came yesterday and are very happy to see Rashmi. They have decided to mainstream her daughter's education.

   Zunnaira, their daughter is very intelligent, quick learner, and active. She just reminded me of Rashmi's childhood. She is talkative, curious, and good at singing. I feel she will be able to do well in mainstream school. I suggested to get ready to face interview at APeejay School. If we strat training the child from now, she will be ready for the interview by October./November.

  I spoke to Ruma di, they will be coming to this centre on 24th August. Zunnaira's Mother is also keen to learn braille. Ruma di will start their training after that.

With regards,

Annapurna

SVH Braille & Digital Talking Book Library, State Central Library, Kolkata

Janab Siddikulla Chowdhury, Hon'ble Library Minister, Govt of WB, visited SVH Braille & Digital Talking Book Library, State Central Library, Kolkata immediately on taking charge of the Ministry on Tuesday 26 July 2016. He showed appreciation for the service rendered here for the education empowerment of the Blind.
On 04 August 2016 he made a repeat visit.
SVH Braille & Digital Talking Book Library, State Central Library West Bengal, Government of West Bengal,  Kolkata is managed by the volunteers of the Society for the Visually Handicapped (SVH), kolkata by raising public funds. Goct of West Bengal facilitates the service by giving free of charge space & electricity.

Digital Talking Book project and Computerized Braille Book Production Project are supported by the Hans Foundation, New Delhi.
Todate approx 1000 GB of digital audio books have been recorded, edited, circulated among Blind listeners and are now being gradually uploaded in "SOUNDCLOUD", a domain sponsored by Devasis T Das, USA.
SVH beneficiries, Blind, Vision Impaired & Low Vision number 450+ approx, from school to PHD level students and general listeners.

Blind swimmer West Bengal 2016 media coverage

Renewal of registration of the Society under Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 under the Dept of Social Welfare, Govt of West Bengal. Visit for inspection on 01 August 2016

Yesterday 01 August 2016 I got a call in the morning, a male voice introducing himself as a representative from the Dept of Social Welfare, Govt of WB, planning a visit for inspection of SVH activities. He could not arrive on time as his car got held up in a traffic snarl. I assured him to come de-stressed as we shall be waiting to receive him.

He, Mr Arnab Ray, arrived around 5.40 PM, questioned on specific queries, inspected our activities briefly as it was almost evening and left by 6.15 PM. What we all liked about him was that he was extremely reassuring, did not wield his Governmental aura, shared with us his experience of studying with a Blind classmate in his College days, observed the technical nitty-gritties of Braille embossing and digital audio recording for Blind students and left a very warm impact on us far from the image of a Government Inspector we are accustomed to imagine. Thank you Mr Ray, we feel encouraged. I excerpt below his comment on our Visitor's book: " I came for an inspection but leaving the place being enriched with a lot of knowledge. Thanks to all the members."

Rashmi's independence 02-08-2016

At last Rashmi is free from the hassle of rushing to find a writer, which every Blind and vision impaired examinee has to undergo in the traditional system of exam in India. Now her new School provides her the Equal Opportunity of accessing a computer and she can submit her answer calmly. Bravo Rashmi!

Rashmi Maruwada July 2016

The above photographs speak a lot. First six ones show Rashmi moving independently within her school (Apeejay Group of Schools, Park Street, Kolkata). In her red sports uniform she was asked to perform a Rabindrasangit. With a Telugu mothertongue she spontaneously sang "Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy" a legacy she carries proudly from Patha Bhavan School, Kolkata. The last two photos show Braille volumes prepared on special requisition from Rashmi, in SVH embosser and handed over to her mother Annapurnaji.We wish Rashmi "Go ahead! Sky is the limit! We are with you! Courtesy The Hans Foundation, New Delhi

An Inspiring Personality with loss of Vision: Asit Ranjan Bandyopadhyay 22 july 2016

                                                            Asit Ranjan Bandyopadhyay

                                                    Asitda's garden at the back

                                                               Manju Bandyopadhyay

Asit Ranjan Bandyopadhyay. DOB 24 November 1933. Residing at Shyamkhola, Jagaddal, PO Sonarpur, South 24 Parganas

In 1994 I had an opportunity to meet Asitda. At that time volunteers of SVH, mainly sighted Braille transcribers faced serious problems in operating Taj Braillers. Perkins Standard Brailler at that time was an absorbitantly high priced product, something we, the volunteers with very modest means could not even imagine to possess.

Late Raja Paul, a very skilled self-made “Do-it-yourself” technician  and an extremely reliable escort and resource person in our thethen annual mountaineering programs, with the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling, introduced us in 1994, to Asitda, a highly-skilled photographer & technician, a man of strong personality and self-confidence, a hard disciplinarian and an ardent Nature-lover, whose garden was a heaven for bird-watchers. Asitda at that time was busy working in his studio at Ekdalia Road and Raja took our defective Braillers there for repair. Strangely at that time Asitda had no problem relating to eye-sight and would walk long distances in Kolkata for his assignments.

We would then hear from Raja various achievements of Asitda as a renowned professional photographer till oneday, when it surfaced that Asitda is suffering from vision problem, he was diagnosed with macular degeneration. Asitda himself would handle all his problems and would innovate various tools within his home to facilitate his independent movement in and around.

In 2001 Asitda, at the age of 68 years, decided to learn Braille and with great dedication and steadfast perseverance picked up English Braille Grade 2, frequently interacting with us the advantages and inconveniences faced by an aged Braille learner and how best that inconvenience can be converted into one’s advantage. He would borrow English Braille books, gifted to us from UK & USA, read them avidly and return them carefully. Ultimately Asitda got enrolled himself with the Hadley School for the Blind, USA for a course in English Braille and completed it.

His most invaluable contribution is tutoring Meena Mondol, an adult Blind rural woman, identified from an area closer to Asitda’s house. Meena came to SVH in 1992-93 and had some education from Louis Braille Memorial School for the Sightless, Uttarapara, Hooghly & one & a half-year’s vocational training from Calcutta Blind School, Behala. She then received a sewing machine from the Dept of Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, as a tool to make herself self-reliant. By this time on our request Asitda and Boudi, his wife, Manju Bandyopadhyay extended a warm hand of support to Meena, grooming her, finetuning her Braille skill etc and other daily living tips. Professor Jefferey J Kripal, presently Newton Razor Professor at Rice University, USA, would send some funds which enabled us to support Meena for her bare necessities. By the way Meena’s widow mother supported the two by selling vegetable in a local market. In course of time Meena grew extremely smart & self-confident in her appearance, dress, association with strangers, adjusting with family problems and other challenges.

Last Tuesday the 19^th of July 2016 I went to pay a visit to Asitda & Manjuboudi. They were very eager to gift us some ripe jackfruits from their own tree, which they give us every year for our beneficiaries & volunteers to taste. Asitda and Boudi both looked very frail. Their son Ananda and daughter-in-law Najma take very good care of them. Boudi is very active too in her daily home management.

Today the 22^nd July, I have sent our IT assistant Sukla and digital book editor Debasish to fix an EVD machine in Asitda’s proximity so that he can listen to our recordists’ unedited recording and tell us the relevant points.