Judoka Sushila – The Stout Hearted

The drizzles grew into torrents.

The small house in that river town was flooded with the wishes and warmth of people, which the occupants treasured more than the Gold won by their darling daughter. For them, it was India’s victory and not hers alone!

The above lines are not a prologue!

In the coming September, for sure, we will relate the above to Judoka Sushila’s victory, in the upcoming Rio 2016 Paralympics!

“I have only a normal diet. My day starts in the Nehru Stadium and ends in my hostel room, with painstaking practice, to grab the Gold for our India in Paralympics 2016. You can see me competing under B1 category (63 kg)”, says Sushila from Aathur Taluk of Salem District.

Her great respect and profound love for her parents makes VC(Visually Challenged) Sushila travel from Nilachaaral hostel to her native Aathur, sometimes, but certainly during monsoons, for a family re-union. For her, monsoons bring not only rains but also her parents, who stay away and are woodcutters by profession!

“Becoming a Judoka was not a choice, but a happening. I was the least welcomed one to participate in any event during my school days because of my blindness. Surrounded by normal sighted students, I had the only alternative to participate in elocution or dance competitions, though my craving was for sports. And my most cherished desire to participate in sports came true while I was in Queen Mary’s College. And the sport was Judo!”

The visible trajectory that has led Sushila to win Gold in the Common Wealth Games 2016(South Africa), has proved that her mother is the invisible force behind it.

“Do what you like. Don’t pay heed to the discouraging words of others. You can do much better than anyone,even with disabilities. I always stand by you”.

Words that imbued her with solace and robust confidence!

For Valliammal, her daughter Sushila’s personality development from a timid person to a brazen one and her ability to face, sustain and handle challenges are much bigger than the Gold medals won by her. An astounding fact I came to know, when I asked her about the family’s reaction to her Common Wealth victory!

“We have no secrets between us and we mutually share, teach and encourage. Vijayashanthi is my good friend. I am in my second year of B.Ed and we both do B.Ed in SRM University. UmaShankar Sir, our coach means as much to me as to Vijayashanthi. And all my friends are good and they encourage me”. 

“A combined article on the duo would have been a better choice”. My thought, as it read, when Sushila spoke about VijayaShanthi(another Judoka and CommonWealth Gold Medalist) and their friendship, in reply to my question on their association.

Sushila is ready to compromise on ‘Tomato Rice’, her favorite food, but not on Ouchi-gari(foot throwing) her favorite technique she adopts to win over her opponents.

Fear has no place in her dictionary.

“I want to continuously achieve and be an example to others who are like me. People should understand that even persons like us are brave and capable of achieving, instead of being looked down upon.

Further, in many families it is a sad fact that girls are not encouraged and supported to pursue and fulfill their ambition. And I request, the women of our nation, in particular to have enough self-confidence to see them through, despite hurdles on the way. Self confidence will automatically channelize the mind and lead one to the possibilities of winning”.

How beautifully she has conveyed, “Life is all about self-learning”!

“I’m surrounded by good hearted people like our warden RadhaKrishnan Sir and Lit the light group. I entirely owe my Common Wealth journey to them. And can you please highlight that support from the Government at the right time, is most needed for aspirants like us?”

With an assurance to pass on her gratitude to and request, if any, for further support from ‘Lit the Light’, our conversation ended.

And before I close - “Sushila’s father Mani, a woodcutter, should have met the Angel from ‘The Axe and the Wood Cutter’ in the Panchatantra story. And to his surprise, the Angel should have offered Sushila – the stout hearted - as a boon!!”

I think so. Do you?

Article by Anuradha 

Ramesh - The Motivational Cricketer

Almost every Indian guy is crazy about cricket and Ramesh is no exception to that. He was 7 years old when he started practicing in Po0namalle School. Like most of the parents, Ramesh’s family was not along his interest. So, he decided to play without their knowledge and he has been passionately playing for 13 years now. There was not even proper coach and he managed to practice on his own. All that toiling and perseverance made him a part of Indian Blind cricket team in 2003 and he is the “Only player from Tamil Nadu” to represent team India among roughly 150 players.

Blind cricket has three categories namely B1 (100% Blind), B2 (40% Blind), B3 (70% Sight). Ramesh belongs to B3 category and he is an all rounder. So far he has played 2 World cups and test matches representing India. In 2009, he was a part of the team that represented India against Pakistan in England. In world cup 2014 held in South Africa, Ramesh was awarded “Best World fielder”.  

But the sad truth is that there is no proper recognition given to blind cricket unlike the normal one. When Indian Cricket team plays abroad we get so interested to follow the game very closely. But we do not even have any clue when these Indian Blind Cricket matches happened.  This really makes me wonder if we are really being partial between the same game. Does this mean we are rather addicted to the team themselves rather to the Game?

It saddened me further when Ravikant of Lit the Light mentioned that “media was not interested to cover the match and it was only 1 channel that telecasted it and we took a screen shot of  the score every 1 hour and posted in Facebook.” And another heart breaking fact is that these players are not paid for any of their matches.

Apart from cricket, Ramesh is pursuing his Bachelors in History through Correspondence studies simultaneously working as a Clerk in NLC, Neyveli.

People like Ramesh are a ray of inspiration to us. I personally wish him good luck to get the appropriate recognition for his passion and hard work and also on behalf of lit the light to reach greater heights further.  

Article by Sree Mahalakshmi

Vijaya Shanthi – The Visionary

What would any of us do, when our body temperature read more than 100 degrees F, with a frequent need of throwing up alongside a dislocated thumb finger?

Work from home/take few days off, update our Whatsapp and FB with our health ‘Status’, visit the doctor, Google resources on ‘Finger dislocation’, etc etc.. ??

Meet Vijayashanthi, the 2016 CommonWealth (South Africa) Judo Gold Medalist, from Kongarampattu Gram Panchayat, of Kannamangalam Village in Tiruvannamalai District, buckling down, to ensure her Motherland, the next Gold Medal from the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics!

“My mobile battery is getting drained. I will take up the interview right away as I’m not sure when the power will resume!”

The practicality in her approach and the ground reality of our villages shook me as I heard VijayaShanthi the owner of 1 Bronze and 3 Gold Medals so far, speaking modestly, when I requested her time for a short telephone interview.

Born to poor farmers Ravi and Lakshmi as the last child, VC Vijayashanthi, had an innate love for athletics since childhood. Standing first in the victory stand for many athletic events became habitual to her.

She was in her 12th Standard when she was first introduced to Judo, though she had already befriended Karate. It was then she realized Judo is also a martial art!

“I met UmaShankar sir in Queen Mary’s College who led me to Stadiums and three National meets in Delhi, Goa and Lucknow. And the Gold Medal won in Lucknow took me to CommonWealth 2016”, says VijayaShanthi gleefully as she speaks about her coach who she considers as her mentor and pillar of support.

Her journey to Common Wealth started with handholding.

Yes!, for any VC person, Judo learning starts by ‘touching and hand holding the opponent’ for different techniques followed by rigorous practises that includes initially practising against normal sighted and well experienced opponents and gradually playing against another VC opponent. 

Interestingly, her practice opponent is Sushila, another VC Judoka who also bagged Gold Medal for India, in 2016 CommonWealth Judo(South Africa) Championship!

“As I hear Hajime(start) and when the opponent casts the entire energy or weight on me, that moment instantly I would know exactly what technique to apply to defeat my opponent. It’s all in my inner feeling. And my favourite techniques are Uki Otosho(Floating drop) and Koshi Waza (Hip throw). The shortest time I took was 3 minutes(she laughs)  ”, – These words still resonate in my ears, when I asked her how she judges on the tactics to defeat her opponent! 

2014, South Korea, her third judo Olympic proved to be her turning point and a constant motivating factor.

“I missed the gold medal in a minute difference. That was when I decided I would bag MY GOLD henceforth. Because my master UmaShankaran Sir says, you can do, keep trying. You should practice despite failures and pains! And everytime when someone says you cannot I would take it as I CAN”

Obviously, “What motivates you?” was my question.

Already a B.A, and presently pursuing B.Ed from SRM University, Vijayashanthi wants to become a judo teacher for all those interested in Judo without limiting herself to teaching VC people.

“It’s not enough that I alone learn and achieve. Every woman in whatever walk of life they are involved must be successful for a better India! Though by mere learning of Judo or a martial art a woman can safeguard herself to some extent, it is more in the presence of mind in applying what one has learned. And that doesn’t get limited to martial arts alone”!

“Awesome! What an insight!”-   My heart screamed as she put forth her views on Indian Women in Sports and Violence against women.

To my question on her journey from Kongarampattu to CommonWealth,  describing her feeling she says,  “I really feel proud. Please do convey my heartfelt gratitude to Bharath Anna from Lit the Light! CommonWealth wouldn’t have been possible without him. He arranged my to and for expenses in just a day or two’s time!”

We both said a good bye as she closed her conversation with her voice and heart brimming with utmost gratitude to Lit the light, her coach and her parents for what she is today!

I thought to myself. Her challenge is only sight, not VISION!

Watch out for photos of Felicitation for winners by LTL

Article by Anuradha

Man of Confidence - Kathir

For some, determination is just an adjective but for few people like Kathir, it is a habit or their character itself, whatever you want to call it as. When Ravi told me that he has cleared his NET (National Eligibility Test) Exam at the age of 45, I was puzzled. When I talked to him for the interview, I was clearly able to see his confidence reflecting.

His original name is Kabeer, but he is known as Kathir to everyone. Being a visually challenged person, Kathir got the family responsibility on him since young due to the sad demise of his father. But that did not stop him from dreaming big. He had managed to prepare for NET  simultaneously working for a TV channel and he cracked it. But his dream is even bigger. He is determined to pursue PhD that too from premier institutions like IITs or IIMs. “A man is complete only when he acquires his Doctorate degree” says Kathir. So, Kathir is currently preparing again for NET exam in full swing to enter the IITs or IIMs for his PhD.

 “When you are clear about what to want the universe works in every possible way to make it happen” goes a saying. The same has worked out for Kathir. Many noble hearts has come out of their way to help him achieve this. Shakthivel from lit the light, Mr. Subramanian from Thirunelveli and Mr. Saravanan, an IT employee are few such persons. For competitive exams like NET, timing is one important criterion.  Mr. Subramanian has helped him tap, that aspect of exam. His mentoring has helped him solve all the mathematical questions in 20seconds without the use of calculator, which usually requires 3 minutes with calculator. Mr. Saravanan has aided him with model question and answers in a format friendly to Kathir.

Kathir is a bundle of talent, I would say. In addition to NET he also is capable of cracking GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and TOEFL(Test of English as Foreign Language) exams which are equally competitive as NET . “I am fully confident that I will surely crack these exams that would help me secure a place in premier institutes like Harvard for my Doctorate” says Kathir proudly. He also added, “But unfortunately these universities offer fellowships only from second year onwards and we would have to support ourselves for the first year. I would feel blessed if somebody would come forward to support me for my first year alone. I will prove myself to get the fellowship from second year”. Hearing this from 48 years old person left me dumbfounded.

Talking to person like Kathir transmits positiveness in us too. True passion is what one would aspire to achieve irrespective of their age and limitations. And Kathir is one living inspiration for that. I feel entitled for having got an opportunity talk to him.

I personally and also on behalf of Lit the Light convey my heartiest wishes to Kathir to reach greater heights even beyond his imagination and hope he gets a sponsor for his studies abroad.

Article By  Sree Mahalakshmi

Insight through the Sight!!Who Am I?

What is Blindness?

Unable to see; without useful sight. Having a maximal visual acuity of the better eye, after correction by refractive lenses, of one-tenth normal vision or less (20/200 or less on the Snellen test). 

In lay medical terms, Loss of useful sight. Blindness can be temporary or permanent. Damage to any portion of the eye, the optic nerve, or the area of the brain responsible for vision can lead to blindness. There are numerous (actually, innumerable) causes of blindness. The current politically correct terms for blindness include visually handicapped and visually challenged.

General Views or assumptions on Blindness

"Visual impairment" is a general term that describes a wide range of visual function, from low vision through total blindness. It is not a functional definition that tells us very much about what a person can and cannot see. It is a classification system, rather than a definition.

The stereotypical assumption – that people who are blind or have low vision live in a type of "blackness" that sighted people see when they close their eyes – is generally not accurate. Total blindness is the complete lack of light perception and form perception, and is recorded as "NLP," an abbreviation for "no light perception."

Although every person sees differently, including persons with low vision, an individual who has light perception/projection can perceive the presence or absence of light. Some people describe light perception as knowing when a room light is on or off, or being able to walk toward a lighted lamp on a table in an otherwise darkened room. 

Essential Skills for Everyday Living with Vision Loss

Vision loss does not have to prevent you from living an active, healthy, fulfilling life. There are many tips and techniques you can learn on your own to retain your independence; in addition, vision rehabilitation services and instruction can provide you with techniques that can help you accomplish many daily living skills safely and independently including personal self-care, getting around safely indoors and outdoors, using the telephone, reading and writing, home and kitchen safety, eating skills, cleaning, household organization, and shopping.

You can read too!

Common misconceptions of blindness

Misconceptions of blind people are varied and contradictory. Most misconceptions derive mostly from being uninformed and unfamiliar with blind people. Following is a list of misconceptions:

•         Blind people can't play sports: The Paralympics athlete has physical disabilities not intellectual disabilities and competes in the Winter and Summer Games.

•         Blind people have superior hearing: Blind or visually impaired individuals are not distracted by sight. However, they are significantly better listeners.

•         Blind people need to be spoken to in a very loud voice or they might not know you are speaking to them: Most blind individuals ignore loud voices as they find it rude and impolite. Just speak in a normal voice when addressing or speaking with blind or visually impaired individuals.

•         All visually impaired people are blind: There are many levels of "blindness" from totally blind, legally blind or other variances of visual acuity. 

•         All blind or visually impaired individuals read Braille: Unfortunately Braille is not learned and incorporated routinely in the blind community. Consequently illiteracy is a problem.

•         Private Schools are the only place for blind children: There are State and other schools for blind children but not the only place where one can secure education. 

•         Figurative Speech must not be used with speaking with blind people: Using figurative speech has nothing to do with actual vision.

•         Counting steps is an effective tool for traveling: Blind individuals get to know familiar patterns in the home, work place or other areas by "walking around" to familiarize themselves but it is not a routine habit in all situations.

•         Guide Dogs can take hundreds of commands: It is interesting to note that Guide Dogs only know four to six commands that the average dog doesn’t know.

•         All blind people love music, play an instrument and appreciate music: There is no documented evidence that music has any particular preference in whether one can see or not.

•         Most blind people have magical characteristics: Blind individuals employ many techniques for getting a job done, that's not magic.

Psychological and Psychosocial affecting the blindness

Some social, cultural, and religious groups may embrace and assist visually impaired people; others may shun them and consider them a burden.

Vision loss or blindness in children always raises concerns about social, emotional, and educational growth and development. Vision loss can have a detrimental effect on the building of relationships with family, friends, and society.

Vision loss or blindness alone should not, in and of themselves, be reasons to have lower expectations of a child's scholastic achievement. Providing the right kinds of support, along with good interventions, can ensure that a child's education is not limited by impaired vision.

Adults with vision loss face different challenges, of course; many are related to social and economic factors. Unemployment among visually impaired people tends to be twice that of fully sighted people. People with visual impairment or blindness also tend to have fewer years of formal education, lower incomes, and increased dependence on public-assistance programs.

Naturally, patients with congenital conditions don't tend to experience the same degree of mourning as patients who lose their sight later on. While both types of vision loss are challenging, the adjustment in acquired conditions creates unique psychosocial impact and loss. There are obvious physical losses, such as the ability to read a book, drive a car, or orient and mobilize independently. There are also more abstract losses, such as visual perception, contact with the environment, light security, and the psychological associations we have with darkness (emptiness, sadness, isolation) that a profoundly visually impaired person is subjected to.

Louis Braille - (January 4, 1809 - January 6, 1852)

Louis Braille became blind after he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father's awl. He later became an inventor and designed Braille writing, which enables blind people to read through feeling a series of organized bumps representing letters. This concept was beneficial to all blind people from around the world and is commonly used even today. If it were not for Louis Braille's blindness he may not have invented this method of reading and no other blind person could have enjoyed a story or been able to comprehend important paperwork.

Conclusion

Visually impaired is a disorder, which needs physical and emotional support from the normal people. There are several ways through which we can help.

Let's donate our time and make this earth a better place to live in by helping the needy.

Article by Chandra

Mind Beyond limits - Sai Krishna, Chess player

              Being one of the many happy and proud members of Lit the Iight (LTL) group, I recently heard about a young lad who is a chess player. So what is special about him being a chess player? He is visually challenged person. As I got so curious and very anxious to know about him further, I took the liberty of calling him.
             Sai Krishna, complete personification of confidence, positive attitude and focus, impressed me from the very first ‘Hello’. He is a student of Loyola college, currently doing his BA in English Literature. His primary education was taken care at Little Flower convent while he continued his education at St. Louis school for blind, thereafter. He has been an outstanding student in academics as well.
            Hailing from a middle class family, Sai krishna’s parents have been a great support for all his accomplishments so far. It all started with his mother casually introducing chess to him at a very tender age of 5. This, he says, was because of the fact that he could not go out and play as any other normal child would do at that age. Though it was just an idea to engage him, gradually he got inclined towards playing chess. Seeing his potential, his parents put him in a proper chess academy, where his interest and proficiency became multifold. So his daily routine was to go to school and after school hours it was chess gurukul till 9 pm. He got trained under Grandmaster Ramesh, who in his words, is his mentor and guide, not  only in chess but also in his overall development. Sai Krishna attributes his academic achievements to his favorite game, as it gave him more focus and confidence. Though the routine was really strenuous, he never wanted to give up chess and this routine continued till his 11th grade.
            Sai Krishna with his chess guru’s support and guidance could  well play with even normal people. He has been a part of 3 prestigious international tournaments. Sai Krishna has travelled across to many places  for which his father stood as a support pillar. While his mother set off the path for chess, his father was instrumental for making the journey a smooth one. Being a Central Government Employee, his father responsibility of taking him to classes and tournaments.
           Best thing about this whole chat was when I questioned about how he managed to take the game this far, his reply was very simple. He said, “This is a sheer mind game. For people like you who see the game from outside it might look different but for us, players, it is all the same. And, this did not happen overnight for me. It happened very gradually over a period of few years. All I have to do is remember every move of mine and the opponent’s and thereby lead the game.”
          There he said it in simple sentences without any complaints or grudges. No complaints about the 20kms travel from his residence to school, no complaints about his coming back late every night and no complaints about his playing against a person with normal vision. It was just the focus and determination which brought him his international ranking. On one hand it is Sai Krishna's hard work and efforts which has paid him so well while on the other, I could not stop myself from applauding and appreciating his parents for their immense support. Cannot move ahead without mentioning about Sai Krishna's sister, who is also a visually challenged person. She has completed her M.Phil. and waiting for her Lecturer post. She is happily married and presently working as a teacher. 
          After a 20 mins chat with Sai Krishna, I felt as if it was time travel for me as he took me through his childhood, schooling, chess games and his accomplishments. I was awestruck when he mentioned that he has enrolled himself in Kingmakers IAS academy and planning to take up IAS next year. After I ended the call, I thanked him and asked for his  picture through Whatsapp. He sent is along with a message “Thanks mam and keep up the good work”.

         

Sai Krishna, you are a source of inspiration and motivation for everyone around you. I hope your story reaches and teaches many.

          On behalf of LTL team and personally from me, I wish you all the very best for all your future endeavours. May God bless you with all that you want and wish for. May God bless you with strength and power to face the road ahead. May your success enlighten many. Thanks and cheers!!

Article by Gayatri

Inspiring Musician - Perumal, Flute Artist

                Lit the Light team is immensely delighted in introducing Mr.Perumal who is a flute artist ,who hails from Rasipuram ,Namakkal and visually challenged by birth . As a 6 year old child he was handed over a flute during a temple festival and Mr.Perumal out of his playfulness like Krishna grew up to become a flute artist . He graduated in carnatic vocal music from a regular music college and works as a part time music teacher in Government college in Rasipuram. He teaches social awareness songs of Bharathiyar and loves Hindustani and Carnatic music. He spends more time listening and not many hours are put to practicing due to his job. He loves listening to to Chinmayi and Shreya Goshal for gazals . The teacher inside him speaks that "Bhavam" is very important for music and Notes is helpful only while learning and he emphasizes that manodharmam should be established.
            Lit the light  is happy to hear that Perumal never loses confidence and is always a happy person. His favorite artists are Shri.Ramani on Flute , Shri.Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Shri.Ronumajumdar. On Vocals his favourite artists are Shri.T.V.Sankaranarayan, Shri. T.N.Seshan and Shri. Maharajapuram Santhanam and many others. He vibes with Vanaroopini raaga in Carnatic which is a Janyaraagam from the 72 melakarta raagams.
           When LTL asked him how he mastered the fingering techniques, he expressed a great sense of joy on the technical question and said it was natural for him and overjoyed when he had positive comments from a few people whom he requested to check his fingering techniques. He feels GOD taught him and it comes to him.
           When LTL asked about his musical journey, he said that temple programs start by 10 p.m in the night and go until 1 a.m in the morning and initially he used to get very upset and disturbed because he lost his sleep. When LTL asked him to share his dreams, he expressed two wishes . One is, he wants to play in a studio and he is never given a chance since he is a VC, though without notes he can still understand from the key board sequence . Another wish is to buy a device named Victor reader which is available in website humanware.com and he describes that it’s a Canadian product  and the website has accessible devices for visually impaired and it’s a combination of Technology and Music.
           He explains more by specifying about Daisy (Digital Access Information System) which when subscribed in Bookshare as a member, any Visually challenged can be provided access to a wide variety of knowledge. Living in a small place Rasipuram, Perumal hooks himself into Youtube from his Nokia E5 mobile where he uses browser screen reader and able to understand the nuances of the music he loves, plays and lives for.
          Sruthilaya group in Mylapore provides him an opportunity to play in stage shows and he has played flute in over 1000 programs since he started playing back in the year 2000. It was so melodious to listen to Katrinale Varum Keethame’,’Yenthan Kannainai parayo’ from his flute. He says his purpose of birth will be served if he meets Hari Prasad Chaurasai once in his life time. 
          LTL team wishes him to reach glorious heights in his musical career and expresses our heartfelt thanks for his time and Mr. Perumal concludes his conversation with us by thanking us and inviting us for his next orchestral program which he will communicate with us shortly through Facebook and Whats app.

Listen to his mesmerizing rendition:

Article by Anita