Today, World remembers the man who ‘Conquer the World without Eyes’ LOUIS BRAILLE-Puri
Jaswant Singh Puri
Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols. The system uses six dots to depict each letter and number. It was Louis Braille in the 19th century who invented the system for the blind or the partially-sighted people. This system helps the visually-impaired persons to read the same books and periodicals as printed in a visual font. It has been included in Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
World Braille Day is celebrated all over the world on January 4 as the birth anniversary of Louis Braille. The system has become so much in vogue that NASA named an asteroid after Louis Braille in 1992 known as 9969 Braille.
Louis was not born blind but he became blind at the age of five due to injury and infection in his eyes. It was the inspiration of Charles Barbier who pleaded the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris where Louis invented a better system for easy understanding known as Braille. It is heartening to note that the Centre for Equitable Library Access has 80,000 titles in accessible formats including Braille. It is pleasing to note that Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are accessible to people with vision loss in Canada and other countries.
Braille Day was first initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019. January is considered as Braille Literary month. A study carried out in Washington found that people who learned Braille at an early age performed equally well like their sighted peers. The competition in Braille Challenge has been introduced to motivate visually-impaired students.
Visual impairment can influence education, employment, communication and challenges of negative behaviour in society. But those visually-impaired persons who are fortunate to get family support do reach higher positions. They should be involved to learn skills as a part of their curriculum. There have been eminent personalities who reached the top though they were blind. There have been good musicians, efficient lecturers, telephone operators, good writers by virtue of their exposure of hidden talent, and of course, government schemes and participation of NGOs has been useful. Helen Keller, Louse Braille, poets like John Milton and Surdas have tremendous contributions to society. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has started recognising the services of the blind by conferring National Awards since 1969.
There have been visually impaired people in India and abroad who have not felt defeated. Kanchanmala D. Pande is a visually-impaired International Swimmer who has competed successfully with sighted swimmers. She has 106 gold medals to her treasure. Ravinder Jain was a renowned Music-Composer and singer and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015. Beno Zephine, 25 year old is an inspiration for the blind who was selected to Indian Foreign Service. Shekhar Naik is a visually impaired cricketer and a former Captain of the Indian National Blind Cricket Team. Then Tiffany Brar is the Founder of Jyothirgamaya Foundation, a social activist and advocate. Pranjal Patil is India’s first IAS Officer. Sudha Chandran is a known figure on Indian Television with many awards to his talent. Bhai Gurmej Singh, Hazoori Ragi at Sri Harmandar Sahib, a blind had started transcription of the Holy Book of Sikhs into Braille in 2000 and accomplished it in 12 years. The Department of Gurmat Sangeet of Punjabi University awarded Bibi Jasbir Kaur Khalsa fellowship to Bhai Gurmej Singh on translating Sri Guru Granth Sahib into Braille Script. Hazoori Ragi of Sri Harmandar Sahib Bhai Lakhvinder Singh is also visually-impaired but he has a very sweet and melodious voice. In the same way, Ragi Gian Singh Surjit had a gift for music who lost his eyesight at a tender age. He founded the first ever school and music academy of its kind in Punjab with the association of his three blind friends – the late Rajinder Singh, Avtar Singh Mann and Sital Singh Sitara.
Dr. Ajit Singh Puri, M.D. D.Sc (Honoris Causa) FICP, FCAI, FICA, has written a world acclaimed book ‘How to Prevent Common Diseases by Sterling Publishers. It contains a Foreword by Lord Walton of Detchant TD, MA, MD, DSC, FRCP, Former Professor of Neurology and Dean of Medicine, University of New Castle upon Tyne, Former President British Medical Association, Royal Society of Medicine and General Medical Council; Former Warden, Green College, Oxford; Former President World Federation of Neurology. It bears a chapter on visually-impaired and disability which may occur due to many causes. Brain tumours may cause neurological deficits like impaired-vision in one or both the eyes. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) is a hidden disease which may damage the eyes and may even cause retinal detachment (loss of vision).
Dr. Kiran is the first visually-impaired female having Ph.D. Degree in Sociology who is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Punjabi University, Patiala. According to Dr. Kiran, “Louis Braille had revolutionised the World of visually-impaired by inventing the Braille Script and had provided the path from the darkness to the light by opening the doors of education and I want to follow his footsteps for the betterment of visually impaired children.” She learnt Braille from Vocational Rehabilitation Training Centre, Ludhiana. She taught Braille for 15 years to students of Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, Chandigarh. Punjabi University, Patiala has recently announced a Centre for Disability Studies and Dr. Kiran will function as its Coordinator.
Schools and Colleges have been opened for the visually impaired at Jamalpur (near Ludhiana), Amritsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur etc. There is one National Association for the Blind in New Delhi; The Blind Relief Association, Delhi; Braille Press Bhawan, Bahadurgarh (Haryana); All India Confederation of the Blind, New Delhi, Blind School, Begumpur.
All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) constitutes of various State Level Associations and Organisations. AICB Captain Chandanlal Special School for the Blind is a residential school in village Behrampur of Gurgaon District. It has been established by the support from the local community and Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Singh recognised by Central and Rajasthan Government is running a residential school for the blind students upto 12th standard at Jaipur where education, lodging and boarding facilities are provided absolutely free of cost. They have a large Braille Press which prints 2.5 million Braille pages every year. A Braille Book Library was set up for the Blind readers in 1977. Besides, Siddhant Shah has created the country’s first ‘Museum Braille Book’ for city Palace Museum, Jaipur.
The Patiala School for the Deaf and Blind, founded in 1967 in Saifdipur Village, Behind Punjabi University, Patiala is a co-educational institute with about 200 students and run by Colonel Karaminder Singh. The school provides free education, lodging and boarding and serves students from Pre-nursery to 12th class on rolls out of which 60 are blind and others are deaf.
In Punjab, there have been Navchetna Charitable Institute for the Blind in Patiala; Home for Blind, Ferozepur; Blind School Bahowal; Rashtriya Andh Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Institute for the Blind, Amritsar; Drishti Foundation, Amritsar; Blind School, Malerkotla; Guru Nanak Mission Netarheen Blind School Phagwara; Rishi Kutiya, Nawanshahar etc.
UNESCO declared 4th January as World Braille Day to imbibe a sense of inclusion of Braille in education for visually-impaired persons. The day is an occasion to support Braille Literacy and acknowledge the struggles of blind people. The theme of World Braille Day 2023 is to honour Louis Braille and create awareness about possible means of communication for the blind.
Note: This article is dedicated to Smt. Alka Puri, M.A. (Hindi, B.Ed.) who was the Secretary, Ladies Club, Punjabi University, Patiala during the tenure of Vice Chancellor Dr. S.S. Johal, awarded with Padma Bhushan in 2004. Smt. Alka Puri was the wife of Dr. Ajit Singh Puri and mother of Jaswant Singh Puri.
(The views expressed are personal)
January 4,2023
