Enlightened souls

G, Sriraksha shares her experiences of being at the Louis Braille day celebrations in Hampinagar on 20th January 2008

On 20th January 2008, a sunday quite unlike any other, the public library in Hampinagar was bustling with unprecedented activity. Hundreds of visually impaired enthusiastic young people directed their minds and hearts to participate in the various competitions that were to be held there. While melodious voices set the tunes during the singing competition, the aspirants for Braille reading and writing competitions paid ‘literal’ tribute to Louis Braille.

For 20th January is the ‘Louis Braille Day’!

Tens of young visually impaired children started engraving words dictated by a coordinator into dotted Braille script in one such competition. The atmosphere was vibrant with the spirit of the young people who had come from various schools for visually impaired from across Bangalore as well as from rural areas of Karnataka.

This event was the organized by Sahana charitable trust, an organization committed to aiding the visually impaired and empowering them with education.


Sahana charitable trust, an organization started by 5 people, some visually challenged themselves, aims to create study materials like textbooks and literature in Braille. Printed textbooks and other precious literature dyed by ink worthless to those whose eyes cannot comprehend; these are translated into dots of Braille by and for those undaunted spirits who just believe that the visually impaired have every right to be literate and educated as the visually endowed are!

1 print page gets translated to 4 Braille pages - So, hundreds of pages encompassing books from 1st standard school syllabus to Pre University are converted to thousands of Braille pages. The entire activity is driven by 6 braillies (visually challenged themselves) and comprise 3 employees, 1 manager and 1 coordinator. The staff is aided by 8-10 volunteers who contribute time to read out from printed script so that the content can be translated into Braille. Each month 10 such books are churned out, each book comprising about 200 Braille pages. These books are then distributed free of cost.

Dignitary Vijayanagar MLA Krishnappa, who supports this noble cause and was the Chief Guest of the occasion. Lakshmi N, an indomitable spirit, one of the creators of Sahana and currently the managing trustee gave her heartfelt opinion on the occasion. “Nowadays there are so many, means and the technology which can and should be used to overcome obstacles. The visually impaired should be aware of such opportunities so that they don't crumble down in underconfidence. For this, on one hand the facilities should reach them and on the other hand awareness should be created in every such person that they can and should reach out to get the qualification they need." Visually challenged herself, she lives her words and her spirit inspires many.

The Chief in-charge of Sahana, Mr. Narasimhaiah has fought the darkness in his eyes to enlighten many a life. In his words “ Sahana creates Braille script which cannot be bought in shops. It also creates employment among the visually impaired. We need more volunteers. Volunteering matters.”

While computerization has made the lives of visually impaired easy (Softwares like ‘Jaws’ convert letters to sounds and enable them to type) , there are however practicalities like the rented house for running the institution, employing people and dearth of volunteers that Sahana is fighting to cope with.

Sahana, the organization, tries to create awareness among the visually impaired, encourage Braille in the true sense and thus inspire hundreds. May these words reach the right volunteers, philanthropists and generous souls to further their cause of providing education to everyone.

If you want to share such experiences with us, please write to us at sattva dot ezine at gmail dot com

January 2008 : Everydayman

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“The history of the world is but the biography of great men”, wrote the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle. And for long, the “Great men” theory has held its ground dividing the world into achievers and the rest of us. If there was any point in time when this theory faced its stiffest competition, it is today. Everyone is a source of knowledge in Wikipedia, everyone a writer or a journalist through his own blog, everyone has a face and a voice in YouTube.

And everyone is an agent of social change.

In this New Year special edition of Sattva, we wanted to highlight the role of Individual Social Responsibility in the social change process. We wanted to capture the entire long tail of experiences right from stories of unbelievable grit and sacrifice to little things we do in daily life that matter. And today, we have more stories than we can share.

We found remarkable individuals from far and wide beyond here and now - From John Johanan who single-handedly organizes road safety campaigns in Bangalore to a regular blogger from Cuddalore who got his district collector’s attention to development issues in his
town. From KV Krishnan Nair who ensured everyone has an equal right to education back in 1918 to Harekal Hajabba who built a school in his home town by selling oranges in the Mangalore Bus depot.

We are thankful to Rebecca Thomas for sharing her experiences on how Music gives physically and mentally challenged children the gift of expression. Vishal Talreja, the founder of Dream a dream, shares his views on volunteering and social responsibility. And you, our dear readers, have shared with us a million ways in which one can make this society a better place to live in. In our photo feature, we have showcased individuals we see everyday, who are socially responsible by doing their duty. And our salute to the army soldier who refused to be photographed but deserves his place in that page.

Here’s the last nail on the coffin of mythical superheroes. Move over, Superman and Spiderman. Here’s the new superhero – Everydayman. Each one of us.

Click here to read the January issue.

December 2007 : Where the streets have no name

Exactly a month ago, we decided to showcase how religion and spirituality make a positive difference in the society. The debate has been on since then - How can an organization started by members of the same faith be truly inclusive? In a country like India, where religion has always been a political trump card, can the issue be dealt with neutrally? How can we be sure that a spiritual organization is not about splurging wealth and advocating a misguided belief system?

Now that we have compiled all our articles, we have a different story to tell.

Today, we believe in what religion is or can be, among its many other manifestations in the society. Religion is divisive, manipulative and blinding. But it is also loving and compassionate. When we care to see, there are so many instances where there is all but an indistinguishable line between love of god and love towards mankind. In our Forefront section, we showcase organizations and practices started by members of the same faith that today serve a community regardless of religion and caste.

We realize that spirituality is about opening your mind and being at peace with yourself. Our Sattvic celebrity, Sri Ramachandra Mission, aims to achieve world peace by helping every individual find peace through spirituality. In the Postscript section, Shanthi shares how spirituality helped her find her place in the world. In the Guest column, Siddhartha, who founded Fireflies Ashram, shares his vision of creating a community that engages in spiritual dialogue to address the risk of the world becoming “a wasteland of souls”. We are thankful to Professor Ramnath Narayanswamy for sharing his views on religion and spirituality in our Expert Speak section.

And if you didn’t know that the Uniform Civil Code is already implemented in one part of India, we recommend our Refractive index section where we have compiled an FAQ on the Uniform civil code.

As I write these words, churches have been torched in Orissa, Shiv sena members have vandalized an exhibition by MF Hussain and there’s a perennial fear of another religious strife in the country. In the backdrop of such events, it is easy to dismiss the optimism of this issue. But I believe that is what makes these initiatives special. Because it shows us that there is hope.

Bono, U2’s lead singer, once wrote about streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, where a person's religion is evident by the street they live on. In an evocative song, he wished for a world where we transcend these limits, a world “where the streets have no name”.

This issue is dedicated to that vision. Click here to read the issue

Services delivered at your doorstep. Ah, those were the days…

The abridged version of this article appeared in our November issue. However, since the original article was so adorable, we couldn't resist posting it on our blog

Many moons ago Bangaloreans got fresh milk off the tap, pasta made at home, kitchen utensil repairmen, clothiers, doll-makers, ice-cream wallahs and such, all landed at your doorstep, to deliver the goodies. That is, until time and the retailer juggernaut hit town ... and changed our lives.

The milkman cometh. With fresh milk.
At dawn, bungalows awoke to a series of door deliveries. First it was the milkman. With cow in tow.

The cow's hind legs were strapped with a chord – so it wouldn't kick. The milkman washed the udder before calling out to mother. When she responded from the kitchen window, he'd hold the bucket upside down, as if to say, "Ok, lady. There's no water in the bucket. I am giving you undiluted milk."

With that, he'd squat on his haunches and work the animal's undercarriage – squeezing milk into the bucket. The first jets of milk made a hollow tinny sound. As the bucket filled, froth and a new sound emerged. Later, the milk was measured, delivered. Closure came after the man doled kosuru, extra milk.

The 'nati' egg and ghee/curd man
At about that time, an old, bare-footed turban-wearing individual arrived with a long thin bamboo strip with two bouncy reed-baskets at either end, carrying farm fresh produce. Country eggs in one basket, and ghee/curds in the other. About the person there was an unmistakable aroma of the village – grass, cattle, nati koli, and farm. He'd dunk the eggs in water in an open vessel. If the eggs sank, they were good. If they floated, they were rotten!

Out of the other basket, came two pots. The smaller container had ghee. The other, black clay pot held curds. Lumpy, sweet and sour. But that's how yoghurt was in those days.

The pasta makers
Pasta came early misty mornings. Cycle vendor went about the street crying "Idiappam! Idiappam!!" Or in summer a couple arrived at your doorstep to make semiya. They'd knead, prepare the wheat dough before inserting lumps of it into a mounted little aluminum extruder. With a few cranks of the handle, came oodles of noodles! The string pasta was manually collected and sun-dried on a large white muslin cloth spread over reed mats in the open backyard. At the end of the day, the dried vermicelli, for delicious payasam, was stored in large tin boxes. But not before mischievous kids, nicked the drying sticks and scooted with old attendants screaming after them!

The household utensil tinkerman
The bearded 'kalai-wallah' came about once a year, to repair and re-surface dekshis, tawas and other cooking utensils. To work he made elaborate preparations in the back yard - digging, scooping, forming a hollow in the ground, before inserting a metal pipe to the muddy formation. A flat hide bellow was connected to the pipe, to pump air for the makeshift hearth. With that the foundry got going, and vessels were repaired and polished.

The knife sharpener
Another service-provider was the knife-sharpener. He'd come with a wooden contraption strapped to his back. Setting the treadle machine down, he'd stamp on the pedal and get the grinding stone going. A host of knives, scissors, 'cut-throat' razors and such came out for sharpening. This happened with a wonderful stream of red, orange, and blue sparks flying off the emery wheel. Kids were wowwed by the magical sight!

The toys and clothier
Toys and cloth were home delivered too. Two Chinese gentlemen nattily clad in tie and suit, happened at our bungalow, just before the festive season. On their bicycles, were big bundles of exquisite clothing fabric – for ladies and men. While one laid out the selection, the other Chinaman got children's attention with his box of clay and material to make dolls. His nimble fingers worked fast and expertly to fashion the precursor of today's Barbie dolls. Lumpy clay took shape. Coloured with deft brush-strokes, and dusted with iridescent powder, the dolls had the girls going aaah! and oooh!

The ice-cream wallah
A mobile vendor who brought tremendous pleasure on a sweltering summer day was the ice-cream man. His timing was perfect. Post-lunch, when protesting hyper-active kids were made to 'rest' for a while. A solar hat, cotton suit, tie, goggles, and a distinct American accent marked the man.

"Aa-ISSH- creammmmMM!", he'd go, swinging an impossibly largish bronze bell, as he pedaled his cycle. Parents resting would be shaken awake, and soon the whole family was at the compound wall dazzled and salivating at the tantalizing array of stick ice creams in a large thermos flask. What joy! If this was a treat beyond compare, it had many a kid taking in the vendor, and wondering about career choices – engine driver or ice-cream vendor?!

Waiting for Doctor Gladys

Scoop of the century! The mysterious identity of Doctor Gladys finally revealed. Our correspondent Rathish Balakrishnan reports.

Doctor Gladys is from clownland and speaks in a strong cockney accent. She looks just like all of us, if you can ignore the obvious huge red cherry stuck on her nose. “Everyone from clownland has one just like this”, she confides. She has a bag of tricks and rivals the medics with injections of her own. I cannot do magic, she tells the kids. But she can make them smile. And that’s just what kids in the pediatric ward want.

Like Lois Lane in Superman, I have been after Doctor Gladys for quite sometime. And finally, I get something close to a lead in Nazu Tonse (Spoiler hint – think Clark Kent), a distant cousin of Doctor Gladys. People tell me that she has a striking resemblance to Doctor Gladys; Except for the cherry nose that is.

It’s immediately clear that Nazu shares her distant cousin’s passion for clowning. “The basic objective is to bring joy in the lives of the children. All they do the whole day in the hospital is to obey orders and do what is told. The clown is the only person that they can say a no to. And the clowns do their bit to distract the kids from the daily monotony and make them smile”. So, does her cousin have a fixed act that she performs everywhere? “No. It’s a lot of improvisation based on the age of the kids, their condition and the props that we find around. We often use music and story telling to get their attention. The idea is to make every kid feel special.”

I notice the subtle shift from ‘she’ to ‘we’ but let it pass. I ask her if what she does is just like the circus clowns. “There are some basic differences. We use clowning as a way of taking care. Our jokes are not slapstick and we don’t hurt anyone. Not even the fellow clowns.” Clowning is also serious business, she tells me. Hygiene is of highest importance. The entire paraphernalia – from the shoes to the gloves – are washed after every visit and are not worn outside the hospital floor. If any kid touches one of the toys, it is made sure that the other kids do not use it. And if any of the clowns are unwell, they do not visit the hospital to make sure the infection doesn’t spread to the kids.

Having trapped her in a cul de sac, I finally confront her with her true identity. And this time, she has no choice but to admit.

As the time wheel spins backwards, she tells me how Severine Blanchet, a member of Docteur Clown in Lyons France, came down to India. Nazu met Severine in a workshop that was held last year and was trained to become a clown. “The actual workshop is divided into 10 two hour sessions, with three sessions every week. The main focus is on finding and developing one’s clown character, from the name to costume to personality. The participants are also introduced juggling, acting and hospital procedures.”

Docteur Clown India, an offshoot of Docteur Clown, was started as a cultural activity of the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. Right now there are four clowns, two each from India and France. They spend around two hours in a week with children in various mainstream hospitals. And what does it take to become a docteur clown? “It helps if you are in touch with your inner child, understand the importance of emotional health and are compassionate about others and yourself.”

The music heightens as she continues, “We all seem to be caught up in getting things right. It’s like life is one big race. Being a clown teaches you how you can fail sometimes and how it doesn’t really matter”, and vanishes into thin air.

It’s not just the children who need this lesson. Even adults need one of her laughter injections. The world needs more smiles. More clowns.

And more superheroes. Well, that’s another story.

Contact details
Nazu - 98800 70079 / Severine - 99800 94001
Email - selfpropelled at rocketmail dot com / sblanchet at yahoo dot com
Website - http://doctorgladys.blogspot.com

October 2007 : Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Sex is red. Sex is pink. Sex is gaudy and bright. Sex is an act, an attribute, or just a field in a form. Sex is a contradiction – there is both too much of it (in the movies) and too little of it (in education). And for every definition and variation of this word is an associated definition of sexual abuse.

The classic definition of sexual abuse is in itself a topic worthy of an issue. There are vast amounts of research and literature on the topic but very little discussion. But we define sexual abuse as any form of physical, psychological, moral and social abuse against an individual in the name of sex. It ranges from physically exploiting women and children to denying sexual minorities and hijras their rightful place in the society. While we have put together these varied issues under a common umbrella of sexual abuse, it is important to understand that each of these issues is unique and addresses different existential challenges. While child sexual abuse deals with issues of victimization and exploitation, hijras and sexual minorities are demanding acceptance in the society that is rightfully theirs. As Vinay, the executive director of Swabhava, mentioned, talking about homosexuals and hijras in an issue titled sexual abuse, we run the risk of treating them as a social anomaly, which is the exact opposite of what we want to accomplish.
However, despite the obvious differences, there’s a unifying sense of human empathy and compassion that drives all the initiatives we have covered in this edition of Sattva. Sangama’s work with sexual minorities and hijras, Jagruthi’s efforts in rehabilitation of child sex workers, and Swabhava as a support group for sexual minorities, are cases in point.

We also showcase Revathi, a hijra and a social activist, who is today fighting for the rights of all disadvantaged sections of the society. We are grateful to Anita Ratnam who took time off her hectic schedule to share her views on child sexual abuse. For weeks, we looked for someone with an alternate sexual preference who could write to us about his / her experience. Today, we have a story from a nameless, faceless stranger who has written to us not an article, but a story – a poignant reflection of how they have to resort to an anonymous metaphor to share what they truly feel. We are also thankful to Alternative Law forum for sharing with us information on Article 377 which we have compiled into an FAQ in the refractive index section.

18th century French revolutionaries coined a slogan to voice what they thought are the fundamental needs of a human society - Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. We dedicate our edition of Sattva to this vision of a society where “Exercising natural rights has no bounds other than those that guarantee other members of society the enjoyment of these very same rights”, where “law is equal in its eyes and equally eligible to all rights” and where you “do not do unto others what you would have not done to you.

Click here to view the October issue

Also read - On what is sexual Abuse, A Journey

On what is Sexual Abuse

In the course of every edition of Sattva comes a point when the theme redefines itself and we truly understand the varied perspectives of the issue under discussion. It happened, for instance, during the edition on Health. The story about the terminally ill patient (Ayesha) preparing for her IAS exams extended our definition of Health from being a social issue to a very personal and subjective topic.

There was a similar moment during our current issue on Sexual Abuse.

We had defined Sexual Abuse as 'as any form of physical, psychological, moral and social abuse against an individual in the name of sex. This included physically exploiting women and children to denying sexual minorities and hijras their rightful place in the society'. And we made a list of support groups for sexual minorities, organizations working with hijras, CSWs and experts based on this broad definition.

It was when we met Vinay, the executive director of Swabhava, that we saw our spread in an entirely different light. He has strong opinions against addressing Sexual minorities and issues like child sexual abuse in the same issue. While we saw them fitting under the common umbrella of sexual abuse, he saw the obvious differences between the two.

Child sexual abuse is about victimization. And as much as we believe it is terrible, we can rationalize it in some way and can define a cause and effect. And when we discuss the issue, we talk of therapy, corrective measures and ways of 'bringing the victims back to normal' life. However, with homosexuals, the issues that usually are raised, as Vinay mentioned, are "normal, moral, natural and cultural". In other words, alternate sexual preference is unnatural, against our culture and is far from normal. We cannot rationalize it but see it as an aberration to the natural and normal order.

And one of the issues that support groups are fighting is the social view that homosexuals need therapy, corrective measures and ways of 'bringing them back to normal' life.

What they are fighting for is their rightful place in the society, and to be able to live without being judged purely on their sexual preference. That is a much more existential struggle.

We had two choices - We could have either revamped the issue and removed any references to the Child sexual Abuse. Or rather than resolving the issue, we could highlight the different perspectives - Which is what we have tried to do. One of these days, I hope to convince Vinay to share his thoughts on this subject with a broader audience through Sattva, with the same conviction and clarity as I heard it over the phone - thoughts I can only paraphrase but never reciprocate with the same honesty.

A journey…

The blog helps members of the Sattva team share their personal experiences and views on the issue. Savitha Suresh shares her, ever so common, experience with the 'third sex' in the train.

It was a long journey back home- 36 hours to be precise. After a rather unappetising meal served in the train, it was time for the afternoon nap-that little pleasure of long journeys. I settled into my upper berth with a novel that was putting me to sleep…as my eyes were about to shut, I heard some noises to the left of the berth. Unwilling to let my sleep pass away, I turned to the other side…hoping to shut out the noise.

It was around this point that I felt someone tap my feet. I opened my eyes to see a big group of hijras staring at me. I was seized with fear…not knowing quite why. I looked down from my berth, hoping to catch the reassuring sight of friends I was travelling with. But everyone looked just as panic stricken. While we were trying to grapple with how we should react to the situation, the leader of the gang began to open our bags. Someone opened my red bag-the one with all the goodies I had bought for friends and family. Someone else pulled out a perfume, sprayed herself (herself is perhaps the better word, since these were people who perceived themselves as women), and replaced the perfume back in the bag. By this time, I was trembling with fear. Someone was screaming….”who has change? Someone give some money.” I had my backpack nearby. Frantically, I pulled out my wallet and handed a Rs. 50 note to one of them. They showered a set of blessings at us (I can’t recollect a single word of what was said), and moved ahead. At the next berth, a man refused to pay at first. He was threatened with the possible sight of the women (again, I chose the gender, based on how I think these people perceived themselves), stripping. He quietly handed them a note after that. The gang moved ahead.

For several minutes after that, none of us spoke. And then, for hours….we discussed how we felt, and why. We spoke of why many of the “third sex” chose to lead the lives they led…. argued passionately about there being other means to make a living. The incident has stayed at the back of my mind….I still do not completely understand the fear we felt at that moment. Of course, there were the theoretical amongst us, who philosophized about whether the third sex, by their very existence, challenged our convenient notions of gender, and if this challenge was the real reason for the fear. The more pragmatic said it was the sudden intrusion of our space that caused the fear….and it would happen, no matter who invaded that space. It was perhaps both.

But one thing we all seemed to agree about- there were better ways to earn a living than threatening people. Of course there are. But we naively assumed that securing employment was just as simple for the third sex, as it was for us…men and women. It was much later, watching a movie made by some classmates, that I realised the naivety of that assumption.

As a friend who made the movie said, this is a sex which does not find a place anywhere. Let alone company pay rolls, they do not find a place on electoral rolls, ration cards, college application forms, or for that matter, even in the minds of people.

October Issue - Tell us your experiences!

Dear readers

Greetings from Sattva! We hope you enjoyed our special anniversary edition – it was special moment for us. We hope we could translate our enthusiasm into useful and relevant information for you.

Our forthcoming issue is on sexual abuse and we are trying to cover all forms of abuse that happens in the name of sex. While there are issues like equal rights to sexual minorities that affect a certain subsection of the society, there are also issues such as street sexual abuse that all of us face everyday.

We want to know your stories – Have you been in such a situation and if so, how do you deal with it? What do you think can be done to avoid this problem? Would, for instance, better education help?

We promise to honor your anonymity, for we are sure that, it’s not the names but the stories that speak. Please leave a comment on this blog narrating your experience. We understand and honor the courage that you need to do so in such a public forum.

We would love to hear from you.

P.S: The blog, as you would notice, is now more an idea right now :) We are hoping to make it look more presentable and rich in the coming months

September 2007 : Asha - A Million Rising Suns

Sattva turns a year old this month! It has been a journey of immense self discovery for all of us exciting, challenging and emotional. It seems like it was just yesterday that a bunch of us got together over dosas and cups of coffee at the Airlines hotel, waxing eloquent about how an e-magazine should look, who do we feature, what do we stand for, what do we steer clear of… and what has emerged over the last 12 issues has been special. Each and every article. Each and every issue. It was with some hesitation that I joined this young bunch of enthusiastic people last September, none of us with journalism experience of any kind, driven purely by passion to be a part of the social change process. We had a simple aim- there was a lot of good work happening in Bangalore and that’s what we would tell people about.

Slowly but surely, Sattva grew and we with it. From being an issue every month, we have bloomed into an organization with goals, plans, people management challenges – Sattva has indeed been a character building experience for all of us! During one of the day-long discussions we are so fond of having, one of the members who was relocating cried out in indignation “Whatever happens, you cannot take Sattva away from me” echoing our sentiments, scarcely had we realized how much we would love being a part of this magazine. To me, an eye-opener has been realizing how many more kindred souls like us existed in Bangalore, who were eager to read and support worthy causes and contribute to them instead of simply worrying about the world around us.

That brings me to the issue this month featuring “Youth” – the promise of tomorrow. The word youth brings to mind clichéd perceptions of carefree, reckless youngsters, living lives in the fast lane with scant regard to the future or of being responsible adults. The image cannot be any further from the truth. Youth is a time to conquer, a time to dream, to live those dreams, a time to step out and look at the world with eyes that are not coloured by the fret to age and experience – a time to use the young blood that rushes through those arteries to colour tomorrow’s world. People like Pavitra Chalam featured in our forefront section, Nitin Rao, our Sattvic Celebrity and Aadi, our tech guest columnist, exemplify the power of youth. And so emerge “a million rising suns” among the young, racing to forge the future... can it be anything but bright?

Our Youth. Our Asha. Click here to read our September Issue.