Reading for the sightless

Social worker Devi Krishna runs ‘Hidden Voices’, which provides audio books and magazines for the visually challenged

By Shevlin Sebastian

In 2019, the Kochi psychotherapist Devi Krishna was at a loose end. Yes, she worked as a freelance psychotherapist and also as a Hindi teacher for Classes 3-5 at a leading private school. But her life lacked meaning and purpose.

One day, to pass the time, she had gone to meet a group of friends at Kochi. They were associated with the visually impaired. While there, she met a man named Sudheesh, 42, a visually-challenged teacher. He worked in a school at Tirur (135 kms from Kochi).

Sudheesh recounted to Devi that while he was on his way to school in Malappuram to do his class 10 examinations, he lost his eyesight suddenly. This can happen if you suffer from retinitis pigmentosa. It causes cells in the retina to break down over time and cause an abrupt loss of vision. It came as a shock to him. His life descended into darkness.

Sudheesh said, “The problem for us visually challenged people is that for academic textbooks, there were no audio recordings. We can read by using Braille but many of us prefer to hear. It makes studying easier for us.”

Devi got a brainwave. ‘I could do this,’ she thought.

So she proceeded to make recordings of academic books. She sent it across to Sudheesh. Sudheesh heard it and told Devi it was very good and would fill a lacuna. That was when Devi got the idea that she should set up a library of audio books for the blind.

On April 28, 2019, Devi set up ‘Hidden Voices’. Asked for the reasons behind the name, Devi says, “We prefer to remain discreet in our actions. I adhere to the notion that help rendered should be humble and concealed.”

Today, in the fifth year of ‘Hidden Voices’, Devi, 50, says there are 4753 readers. All are volunteers. They range in age from five to 92. The oldest is the Hyderabad-based Devisetty Venkata Subrahmanyam. “He loves to read for the visually challenged,” says Devi. “Subrahmanyam Sir has a very clear diction.” The other readers live in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Kuwait, the US, Mexico, and Singapore.

The readers are selected based on their diction, voice tone, and clarity. There should be no background noise like fans or traffic sounds in the recordings.

Once ‘Hidden Voices’ receives a recording, they look for factual errors and mistakes in diction or pronunciation. The team uses software like Adobe Enhance to edit the recordings.

The books that are read include fiction, non-fiction and magazines. They are aimed at students from kindergarten to college. In children’s fiction, the popular titles are the Harry Potter series, as well as the Enid Blyton books.

For older readers, there are autobiographies of Mahatma Gandhi, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam. There are plays by William Shakespeare and novels by Jane Eyre. Even American author Herman Melville’s classic tale of adventure ‘Moby Dick’ has made it to the list.

The most requested books are in the motivational and self-help categories. Right on top is Rhonda Byrne’s ‘The Secret’. This is followed by Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and many Osho books. “We have recorded 50,000 pages of Osho,” says Lekshmy. “It is an ongoing project.”

There are academic books, as well as guides for the preparation for the Union Public Service Commission examination. People ask for the Constitution of India, too. Many of the visually challenged opt for law. “For many professions, you need the use of eyes, like as a doctor or a scientist,” says Devi. “So they prefer to be lawyers.”

Incidentally, one reader does not read an entire book of, say, 200 pages. They divide it among four readers to speed up the process. “If it is fiction, listeners do get disoriented when the narrative voice changes,” says Devi. “But for academic books, it is fine.”

One student, Chilaka Nithish, who is from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, sent an audio message to Devi. Nitish said, “I want to give feedback for a Telugu novel written by Kovalli Lakshmi Narasimha Rao. I thank all the volunteers. It is an interesting book. I listened to all the stories. Thanks once again.”

Aishwarya R, a Chennai-based software engineer, has been reading for the past two years. Aishwarya came to know about ‘Hidden Voices’ through a friend, who had asked for volunteers on social media. In the beginning, Aishwarya read English and Hindi academic books. “Now I read English novels because of a want of time,” she says. “So far, I have done about 80 recordings.”

At present, Aishwarya is reading a book in translation called ‘Shivaji — The Great Maratha’ by the late Marathi writer Ranjit Desai. Asked why she is doing this, Aishwarya says, “This is a kind of social service. Secondly, it enables me to remain in touch with reading.”

The students get the recording if they send a request on WhatsApp or Telegram. The recordings are available in 17 Indian languages.

Devi says they are looking for funding. Many of the visually challenged do not come from financially well-off backgrounds. So, she buys laptops and mobile phones for them. She also pays college fees and provides software upgrades. “So far I have depended on the charity of my friends and well-wishers,” she says. “Now I am approaching corporations to help us with their funds in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).”

The elephant whisperer

 

Parbati Barua, the first female mahout of India, has won the Padma Shri for 2024 

By Shevlin Sebastian 

On the night of January 25, 2024, Parbati Barua had switched on a news channel on the television at her home in Guwahati. She felt her body tremble when the anchor announced she had won the Padma Shri (Social Work) for her career as the first female mahout in India. 

A few minutes later, she got a call from a central government official who confirmed the news. But her neighbours did not come, because they knew she went to sleep at 8 p.m. And got up at 4 a.m. 

“My work has finally received official recognition,” she says. “This was also a recognition of the enormous amount of work mahouts put in. It is a 24/7 job. People will not understand unless they see it first-hand. My heart is always with the mahouts.” 

In 1989, Parbati had received the ‘Global 500 – Roll of Honour’ award from the United Nations Environment Programme for her work in the welfare and management of wild and captive elephants. There was also a BBC documentary. 

Parbati’s elder sister, the legendary folk singer, Pratima Barua Pandey (1934-2002), had also won the Padma Shri in 1991. She had a tie-up with the legendary Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika.

As Parbati drifted off to sleep, a memory came to her mind. 

When she was ten years old, one day her mother Bina said, “Do you know when you saw an elephant for the first time?” 

As Parbati narrowed her eyes and tried to remember, Bina said, “You will not be able to recall. When you were one month and 17 days old, your father placed you on the back of an elephant. You had a smile on your face. You fell in love with elephants instantly.” 

Parbati belonged to the royal family of Gauripur, in Dhubri district in Assam. The family lived near the river Gadadhar. Her father, Prakritish Chandra Barua had a stable of 40 elephants at the back of the house. Because of Prakritish’s immense love for elephants, Parbati also developed a similar affection. “Baba was my guru,” says Parbati. “He taught me how to look after and care for elephants.” 

Every day, Prakritish would go to the stables. Parbati accompanied him. One day Prakritish told Parbati, “Give them love. They will love you in return.” This simple statement remained etched in Parbati’s mind. 

Parbati has eight brothers and sisters. But it was only she who has dedicated her life to looking after elephants. After observing the work of mahouts for several years, she became one in 1972. “The best way to learn is through practical experience,” she says. 

Because she is 70 years old, Parbati has only one elephant, Lakhimala, with her. Lakhimala stays in the village of Kalpani, around 123 kms from the capital, Guwahati. 

As for the food she gives the elephant, it includes banana leaves, green grass and branches of trees. Because the village is near the jungle, it is not expensive, as everything is available. “But in the town where natural materials are not easily available, it can get expensive,” she says. Sometimes, when it is freezing, she gives Lakhimala boiled rice and rum because it helps to keep the elephant warm. 

Asked how elephants show love, Parbati says, “It is through the eyes. And you get a feeling that they love you. You can gauge it only when you spend time with them. It is a silent language.” 

Elephants have similar characters like human beings. “Each has a unique personality,” says Parbati. “There are introverted and extroverted elephants. There are leaders and followers. Some are very social. Many are benevolent and kind-hearted. They have enormous patience. Only when they reach the limit of their patience do they get angry. They love children, be it human beings or any other animal like tiger or deer. Elephants will never harm children.” 

And they usually get along with each other within the herd. “They are very co-operative,” says Parbati. Once in a while, there is a quarrel. Then it can be a fight to the death between two elephants. “Sometimes the fight can last for three days non-stop,” says Parbati. “It is painful to watch. But it is wise not to interfere.” 

Asked whether elephants are better than human beings, Parbati says, “100 percent. Human beings can be so cruel.”  

Whenever elephants are sick, injured or become rogue, the authorities in Bengal, Orissa and Assam call Parbati. So she is on the road often. “This is my destiny,” she says.

Elephants become rogue for various reasons. It is when human beings oppress them, or they get injured. “There is no proper treatment inside the jungle,” says Parbati. “When the pain becomes unbearable, they can get angry. They will attack people at that moment.” 

The forest department has no option but to eliminate them. “They become like man-eating tigers,” says Parbati. 

Professor Aloke Kumar, Professor of Communications at the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata, who has closely followed Parbati’s career, says, “In an incident in Bengal's Medinipur district, a herd of over 50 elephants, went off course and were wandering towards human habitation. When the authorities couldn't get the situation under control, they turned to Parbati. With her team and four elephants, she guided the tuskers back to the jungle.”

The good news, she says, is that the elephant population has remained stable. According to the 2017 elephant census, the nationwide population stands at 29,964. Karnataka has the highest number, at 6395, while Parbati’s home state of Assam has 5719.  

Asked about her most memorable experience, Parbati says it was when she lassoed an elephant in the Kachugaon forest for the first time. “I was only 14 years old,” she says. “I am the only lady, not only in India, but perhaps in Asia, who has achieved this feat. Our family later sold the elephant. Since it was over 50 years ago, I don’t know whether it is alive or passed away.”  

(An edited version was published in The Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)

The long and the short of it

With director Blessy at the Crowne Plaza, Kochi.

His film, 'Aadujeevitham - The Goat life', has received critical and popular acclaim

Creating a sandstorm at the box office

Blessy’s ‘Aadujeevitham- The Goat Life’ is a critical and commercial success. The director talks about the many experiences he went through during the shooting.

By Shevlin Sebastian

At Director Blessy’s temporary office at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kochi, on a summer afternoon, the phone calls keep coming. They are from London, Belfast and North America, where there is a sizeable Malayali population. People are complimenting him on his latest film, ‘Aadujeevitham- The Goat Life’. Blessy always responds with a soft, “Thank you.”

The film is a critical and commercial success. His associates, who mill around, are smiling. At 2.45 p.m., Blessy finally has lunch. It comprises a green leafy salad topped off by a glass of watermelon juice.

‘Aadujeevitham’ is based on a best-selling novel by Malayalam writer Benyamin. It is a true story of a labourer called Najeeb Mohammed, who lived in a village called Arattupuzha. To better his economic prospects, he flew to Saudi Arabia in 1993. But he ended up working in the desert, far away from human habitation, looking after 700 goats. The Saudi boss treated him like a slave. After two-and-a-half years of agony, Naseem managed to escape through the desert and return home.

Blessy’s first and only choice as hero was Prithviraj. “I knew I needed an actor who would have the dedication,” said Blessy. “The shooting would take around two years. Second, Prithviraj is an intelligent actor.”

This was important. When Blessy interviewed Najeeb, he could not articulate the emotions he went through except to say he cried a lot. So Prithviraj had to discover the emotions of a man in the morass of despair. “I knew Prithviraj had the calibre to do this,” said Blessy.

Of course, the extraordinary transformation of Prithviraj from a healthy man to become stick and bones, because of a lack of proper food, is a sight to behold. Prithviraj lost over 30 kgs mainly by starving. “Yes, it was an incredible effort by Prithvraj,” said Blessy.

But, during the shoot, Blessy faced obstacles. The original plan was to shoot the desert sequences at the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. When he went there, he discovered Indian goats looked different from Saudi Arabian goats. So they decided to import around 100 goats from Saudi Arabia. But to do this, the goats would have to be in quarantine for one month in Dubai.

After that, veterinary doctors would inspect the goats to ensure that they had no viruses. Only after that would they issue a certificate. When the goats would disembark at the port of Kandla in Gujarat, they had to remain in quarantine for one month. If any goat fell sick or died during this time, the authorities would cull the entire group. So the director gave up the idea.

Blessy went in search of the ideal desert. He travelled to Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, and Abu Dhabi. Finally, he zeroed in on Wadi Rum in Jordan, and the Timimoun desert in Algeria.

Indeed, the desert visuals in the film are stunning: vast vistas of undulating sands, followed by high mountains and rocky formations. “Members of the Bedouin tribe live there,” said Blessy. “They added to the charm of the place.”

But the shooting was very difficult. The logistical challenges were immense. The climatic conditions changed all the time. It could become freezing cold or boiling hot. “A sandstorm could start at any moment,” said Blessy. In the end, they could shoot only between March and May, when the climate was most suitable.

In the film, Prithviraj interacts with goats a lot. Asked about the psychology of goats, Blessy said, “They are stubborn and individualistic. It was very difficult to get them to do something. It was after much cajoling they would behave in a certain manner.”

But the crew was ecstatic when they found a kid (baby goat) who was loving, obedient and followed commands. “We would feed it biscuits, which it liked a lot,” said Blessy. “The shooting went forward smoothly.”

Unfortunately, two days after the shoot, the goat suffered from severe stomach problems. The reason: it had consumed too many biscuits. Then it fell sick and passed away. “That was the saddest moment during the 150-day shoot spread over four years,” said Blessy. “It remains a heartache for me.”

(An edited version was published in The Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)