Muthuselvi - Empowered to empower

We all have certain common notions of what a disabled person’s mind set is, what their expectations are, what do they expect from our society. But have you ever thought of what do they look forward to from the society? Are we really aware of what they think of the way we move with them? If you would have asked me all the above questions before I talked to Ms. Muthuselvi, my answer would have been Yes like most of yours, but not anymore. It’s only after talking to her I realized that whatever we think are presumptions and they are not true.

Muthuselvi, basically a B.L (Hons) graduate from Ambedkar law University, Chennai is currently the manager of Allahabad bank T-nagar branch, Chennai. As alumni of Little flower Convent, Chennai       she owes her success to her parents and her School. In addition to conventional education, the school has also taken mobility classes, Road crossing and cooking classes which helped them to operate independently. “Every Visually challenged person should be independent, especially ladies” she says. “To effect that they should be a technology literate. Being familiar to the key board softwares such as JAWS (Job Access With Speech), NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) would help them to a greater extent. Talk back in android devices is the another technology they should be aware of” she added.

She is also a committee member of the All India confederation of the Blind(AICB) since 2011, an NGO headed by Mr.J.L.Kaul a Padmasri awardee based out of Delhi which provides legal literacy to the VCs. They conduct leadership workshops and workshops for advocating sexual right to empower the VCs. She handles the south zone of AICB which consists of 5 affiliated branches where she handles various projects and website maintenance. Her notable projects in AICB include coordinating the printing of VC friendly Magazines in which they print Mangayar malar and Chutti vigadan in Braille format. The NGO also works to get the appropriate rights and reservations for the VCs. Muthuselvi has worked for one such event where they got the 1% job reservation for VCs out of 3% in Pandian Grama Bank prior to which the bank had reservation for other disabilities such as orthopedics but not VCs. She also represented India in United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). For her notable works she was awarded the Women Achiever Award on March’2016 on the eve of women’s day by the organization name Sakhi Mandal Sahayog and was honoured by the Governor of Tamilnadu. 

When I asked her about her work place and whether her colleagues are helpful “Yes, they are helpful. But more than help I expect the people around me to treat me equally. It is not that we are always in need of help. We are not passive receivers. We are empowered as well. Sometimes we can also help others as well, share knowledge and many such things” she responded. She continued “Society always has a preconceived notion about the people with disabilities. Once when I was travelling to Kerala for a workshop, I was asked in train if I am Vikom Vijayalakshmi, A popular Singer from Kerala who is a Visually Challenged person too. I was asked this not just by one but by a couple of people. Initially I was cool and answered No, I am not. But when many such people asked the same, I asked them back if they have actually seen Vikom Vijayalakshmi for which they answered no. This is the situation in our society. Because we are blind they assume themselves that we can be only in certain professions like singing and cannot hold other occupations. There were also situations in which we were humiliated by the non-disabled people just because we are blind. All these preconceived notions should be gone and people should realize that are independent as well.” The heart reckoning part of this is that even the educated ones behave in such a way to them. 

Our society is stereotyped to a great extent out of which some are really hurting a group of people. Becoming a developed and educated nation doesn’t revolve only around economy and technology of the country but also in the quality of thoughts of the people and the way they treat their fellow beings. How friendly we make this society for them in terms of moving around in the roads, shops and accessibility to technology by themselves without having to depend on others to a greater extent shows our real concern for them. Treating the people with a disability as equally as non-disabled is the best gratitude non-disabled can express to the almighty. 

“To break the stereotypes non-disabled people should also be educated about the disabilities” we both unanimously accepted.  

Aleast after reading this will each of us break the common preconceived notions we held so far about a person with disability?  

Team Lit the Light thank Muthuselvi for her time and wish her the best for her endeavors.

Article by Sree Mahalakshmi

Let our Eyes live to see Infinity and Beyond!

Netram Pradhanam Servendriyanam
(Translation: Eyes are the precious gift given to the humans by the Almighty)

Eyes are very valuable part of a human being, which should not be wasted by burning or burying the body after death. There is a choice to make while we live, and that is donating our eyes. Eye donation is donating the eyes after a person’s death. Donation of the eyes gives sight to TWO Corneally blind people, enabling them to see this beautiful world filled with colors through our sight! 

Ever wondered how life would be for the blind? A world of unrelenting darkness! Lucky are those who have the gift of vision but not everyone is equally fortunate. Every year thousands of people are losing their vision due to various factors - but fortunately many of them have a second shot at regaining it, thanks to the cutting-edge corneal transplant procedures. However, surgery alone is not the solution!

Age does not matter while making this precious donation. Person suffering from Diabetics, Hypertension, Systemic disorders like Asthma and Tuberculosis CAN ALSO donate their eyes. Cataract surgery patient can also be a happy donor. Above all, all Religions endorse the practice of eye donations and its one great valuable service a person can do in his/her life. Eye donation is a pure act of charity for the benefit of society.

In India, alone 4.6 million people are estimated with corneal blindness, which are curable only through corneal transplantation that is made possible mostly via eye donation program. The sad fact is that 75% of these cases are of preventable blindness, but thanks to the nation's acute shortage of donors, most of the cases either go untreated or inadequately treated. A meager 25000 corneas are collected for transplants against the annual demand of 2,50,000.  Currently, India retrieves corneas from less than 0.5 percent of all deaths. If we could increase it to 1 percent, most of our needs would be met.

By donating your sight, you give vision to the society and make it more meaningful and colorful....doesn't this give you a tremendous satisfaction? So, take the pledge, donate your eyes and become a part of the god's own work!

To pledge your eyes or the eyes of any deceased loved one, go to the nearest eye bank and ask for a pledge form or you can register and pledge online too. Fill this form with the correct contact details, get it signed by at least two witnesses and submit it back to the eye bank near to you. Once you have done that, the eye bank will issue a donor card with their particulars on it. Carry this card with you all the times or keep it in a place where any family member can access it. You must also let your family know that you wish to be an eye-donor, because without their consent, the donation won't proceed. At the time of death, the family or friends may inform the concerned eye bank. There is no maximum age limit for eye donation. Even a person with poor vision, or previous history of eye surgery can become a donor.

Vision is the most precious gift god has ever given to mankind. So, don't turn a blind eye to this noble cause and help someone see the world. Pledge Now! I am a registered DONOR…Are you?

Article by Chandra

Manoharan- A man beyond everyone's Vision

Sozhipalayam- A place that is not much heard previously. But not anymore. A person named "Manoharan" from this little village emerged to grab a Bronze medal at "Commonwealth Games" conducted at Port Elizabeth, South Africa in the year 2016. The following words will definitely make you raise your eyebrows. Manoharan failed in his Tenth standard due to some difficulties. As the old adage goes "Failures are stepping stones for your success", it was after that moment when his life stepped into the staircase of success. When his life was in question mark, he joined in a plastic company as a Coolie. There was a Karate Class in a distance of about one and a half kilometers. He joined the Judo class and his first coach was Marimuthu. After joining the Judo class, his concentration power had tremendously increased. He got trained for about seven years at "Judo Bodhidharma Gurukulam". As time changed, he became a coach for Dr.Anantharaman. Through Anantharaman, he got introduced to Uma Shankar, a Judo coach at Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu. After three years of rigorous hardwork and training, the following table lists the feathers added to his cap.

Game	Place	Medals won
World Judo Championship 2011-2012	Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh	Silver
World Judo Championship 2012-2013	Delhi	Silver
World Judo Championship 2013-2014	Delhi	Gold
International Asian Para Games 2013-2014	South Korea	Bronze
World Judo Championship 2015	Delhi	Gold
World Judo Championship 2016	Uttar Pradesh	Gold
Commonwealth Games 2016	Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Bronze

 Manoharan claims "Bruce Lee" as his inspiration. He proudly states that "I stood as an Indian Player in the stage of Commonwealth games only because of Lit The Light". He dedicates the award and appreciation to his Master , friends and Lit the Light.  Not only does he stop here, his further aim is to participate in Olympics. His long term goal is to open a Sports Academy for Blind people, so that every talented blind person shines in the Universe. Lit the Light wishes him great success. Kudos to your efforts!! He is truly an inspiration to every soul!

Article by Sujatha

Bala Nagendran - Man of Perseverance

Sri. Bala Nagendran, IAS is born visually challenged. His mother is a home maker, father was in Indian army and later worked for United India Insurance company, his elder brother works for United India Insurance as well and younger brother placed in a private firm.

When his father was working for Indian Army, he met a visually impaired person who introduced him to Little Flower convent, which is dedicated school for educating visually challenged kids and thus Bala Nagendran got enrolled in Little Flower Convent. There started his journey in schooling. He was basically a very aspirant child and used to be curious, asking lots of questions to his teachers, which in turn encouraged the teachers to attend to hidden needs. Teachers also advised his parents to never stop his education.

He finished his preliminary studies at Little Flower convent and moved to St. Louis at Adyar for his further school studies, where he completed his 10th standard.  On completion of that, he did a collaborative program at Ramakrishna Mission school at T.Nagar for completing his 12th standard.  He finished his under graduation in Bachelors  of Commerce (BCom) at Loyola College.

In 2010, his life took a new turn, when he joined Manidha Neyam, an organization that helps visually challenged people to prepare for IAS (Indian Administrative Services) coaching. It’s so truly said “Constant dripping hollows out a stone.”  His constant search for knowledge was identified  by his teacher, Ms. Catherine, when he was as young as 6yrs old. She got inspired by his questions and in turn encouraged and aspired him to be an IAS officer, for his abundant knowledge. She fed his inquisitive mind with details about IAS and its significance. And finally it is Manidha Neyem which helped him achieve his goals to become an IAS officer.

He has been with that organization since 2010 and on his fifth attempt, he cleared the IAS exams, which wasn’t an easy one.  At the age of 26, and hurdles like visual impairment, it is an applauding achievement indeed. Inspite of having undergone so many hardships, he considers himself to be lucky technologically, since he has access to Computer equipped screen reader called JAWS – Job access with speech. This software helped him with browsing the internet and he is proficient with Braille too. He feels that he is fortunate to be surrounded with inspiring people like teachers, professors, parents and close friends, who were there at the time of his need.

An important role model he mentions is Dr. Roman Saini (He is an Indian educator, motivational speaker and was one of the youngest IAS officers, before he resigned. Saini was previously posted as Asst Collector in Madhya Pradesh.)  who started online free coaching classes for IAS preparation for under privileged. He also values Mr. Armstrong, who laid a 100km road in Thailand without the help from the Government. These two great people have influenced his life to a greater extent.

Bala Nagendran has specialized in Sociology and Public Administration, his specialization in IAS being Public Administration. When asked about his interest in Public administration, he said his focus is on decentralization of education, which plays a main role in eradication of poverty.

He is extremely grateful to that unknown person who guided his father to the little flower convent, which has helped him achieve his goals and made his dreams come true. He also advises that there are no short cuts to success and never to lose faith. He also wants to emphasize that confidence is very important to achieve goals and particularly self-confidence, which is believing in yourself. He also advices people like him with disabilities, that anything can be achieved with persistence, confidence and most of all faith.

Now, on his personal side, he loves books and he spends his spare time reading books, like fiction and non-fiction. He plays chess online with his friends, writes about social issues in Facebook and other social media websites. He used to play keyboard until he was 7yrs old, then he had to quit to focus more on studies.

When asked him about his contact with Lit the Light, he said it was through WhatsApp, Mr. Barath contacted him. He wasn’t using mobile phone from 2013 and started using again from May, 2016.

When asked about what is missing or what can fill the gaps for a visually challenged person, he says social inclusion and rights based approach. Education, marriage, kids, adoption are something which he considers that visually challenged people should not fight for. He also mentions that there should be a social change where everybody should be included equally. He is also happy to see that visually impaired people working in banking sectors, and Robotics, etc, which is very inspiring for the future generations.

We hereby thank Mr. Bala Nagendran, IAS for his time for the Lit The Light, and thanking the Lit the Light organization for an opportunity to meet an inspiring person like him. We wish him all the best in all his future endeavors and hope to see more such people who could be role models for the society.

Article by Chandra

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