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Lal Bihari Shah ........Sri Amiyo Biswas
It often happens in history that the creator remains hidden under the overwhelming magnificence of his own creation. Lal Bihari Shah who founded Calcutta Blind School in the year of 1894 is seldom remembered today though the school he set up has retained its rank as a leading institution for the sightless in India with its century-old legend of glory. It was only the third blind school in India and the first in the East. The part he played in introducing and promoting education among the sightless in India earns him the place of a pioneer in the pages of history. The life of the millions of sightless was hitherto destined to an existence of dependence. Begging was the only profession the sightless could undertake to earn their bread in these parts of the world till the early years of the twentieth century. In fact, the first pupil Lal Bihari Shah managed to find for his school was also a beggar whose parents depended on her alms for their bare subsistence. Lal Bihari had to pay compensation for the loss the poverty-stricken family incurred on account of this sightless girl’s education. The best fortune a sightless person could dream of for himself was the security of a shelter in an orphanage maintained by the Christian missionaries on the charity of rich zamindars in the nineteenth-century India. Some attempts were made for the first time in the eighteen-thirties at Bengal Military Orphan Institution in Calcutta to provide some sort of education to sightless orphans using carved letters. Some textbooks of Lucas type, a system of raised lettering on thick papers, were imported from London for this asylum. But this school did not last long and little remains of its details. It was the missionaries who brought braille system to India in the later half of the nineteenth century. In 1886 merely eight years before the establishment of Calcutta Blind School, the first blind school in India was started at Amritsar by Miss Sarah Hewlett and Miss Furnaces Sharp. Lal Bihari Shah’s achievement should be evaluated in the background of this state of affairs. Lal Bihari Shah was born in a poor Christian family at Hudalaksmihacha village in the district of Nadia on the 1st of December in 1853. His formal education was frequently interrupted on account of his poverty in spite of his mother’s eagerness. He received education in different schools which he often had to change following his change of fortune. He was appointed teacher at the Weslian Mission School at Chitpur in Calcutta in 1877, but he did not continue his service here for long . The only mention worthy career he seriously and sincerely held on to for some time during this period of his life was as a teacher at Bhagoa of Santal Pargana. It was a Christian school. Some action of injustice on the part of the authorities injured his self-esteem and he relinquished his position without caring in the least for the maintenance of his wife and children. He even sold vegetables in Calcutta for a livelihood at this stage. It was a crucial time in the history of Bengal and India – The Renaissance reached its culmination. Born and brought up amidst the times epoch-making charges, Lal Bihari too, was impelled by the same spirit to perform some noble task for the sake of the society and the country. His acquaintance with Mr. Garthwait in 1894 brought a rare opportunity for him. He learned from him braille system, still little known in India, and he not only mastered the system in a few days, he devised a Bengali braille script based on systematic arrangement of Louis Braille’s six raised dots on thick paper. This Bengali braille script, named a Shah Braille after him, was in use till nineteen-sixties. Lal Bihari’s indomitable will did not let him hive up the idea of educating the sightless in braille system. He was a proof-reader at the Baptist Mission Press on a moderate income. He contemplated over starting a school all on his own. It was not an easy task to find out a sightless student. He must make arrangements for his escorting, food and clothing. A generous European lady whom Lal Bihari taught Bengali offered monthly assistance of Rs. 5 for one student. It was just enough in 1894 and he soon found a beggar-girl whose parents assented to send her to Lal Bihari’s school on the condition of daily payments of 2 annas and 2 paise as compensation. The school started at 154 Kareya road in a small house. The news spread all over India. Students came from Assam, Deoghar, Agra and even Delhi and he had to shift the school to a bigger house at 194 Lower Circular Road, He resigned his job as a proof-reader of the Baptist Mission Press to devote himself wholeheartedly to the school. As his income was gone after quitting his job, he ran into financial problem. He had to support sixteen students apart from his own family. The London Missionary Society proposed to undertake the school with Lal Bihari Shah appointed a Headmaster. It was a lucrative offer in those days of hardships. But the school was not his business. It was his long-cherished dream which he painstakingly brought into reality. He naturally refused the offer and accepted the challenge for conducting the school at any cost. Some of his acquaintance extended their cooperation in raising funds from the people . By 1912 Lal Bihari Shah became totally blind. He left the official responsibilities to his son Sri Arun Kumar Shah and entirely devoted himself to braille system. Braille books were not available at all in India as there was no braille press here till the early sixties. Lal Bihari started manually copying into braille form textbooks for the school. He continued to copy Braille books until he became too weak towards the end of this life. Meanwhile the school had to be shifted to various places to accommodate more and more sightless students. Finally, a building complex of its own was setup at its present location at Behala in 1925. Here Lal Bihari Shah died on the 1st of July in 1928 at the age of seventy-five. Sri Nagendranath Sengupta, who was the first sightless student in India to pass the Matriculation Examination under Calcutta University in 1919, was a direct pupil of Lal Bihari Shah. Incidentlally, Sri Sengupta was the first sightless graduate and the first sightless professor in India. He was also the founder-president of The Blind Persons’ Association in 1946. Srimati Sabitri Ray Choudhury, the first sightless woman to pass the Matriculation Examination under Calcutta University in 1938, was also a student of Calcutta Blind School. Sightless students came here from different parts of the country. The flame Lal Bihari Shah kindled, spread its light throughout the country bringing light to the life of those who were so far destined to the dark and ushered in a new era of aspiration for them. ------------
Information Technology for the visually impaired persons.
In the recent years there has been a major change in the way we look towards life. The digital revolution has changed the way we communicate, work, entertain and educate. The World Wide Web has opened up the resource of unlimited, inexhaustible information. To erase the digital divide it becomes necessary to make the technology available to one and all, which means to provide solutions for a range of users who may not be the regular cyber whiz kid next door. They may be individuals with disabilities for whom the boon of information technology yet stand still. Nations round the world have already felt the need of providing accessible contents and developing accessible technologies, which has led to the establishment of policies across the globe. Parallel to their peers, the Department of Communication & Information Technology, in 1999 launched the Project Information Technology for the Braille Literacy in Indian Language. The challenging task of implementation of infrastructure was bestowed upon Webel Mediatronics Ltd. About 9 million people in India being visually impaired need focused attention so that they can join the mainstream activity and become more productive in the different walks of life. The immediate need is to provide them with good education, effective communication with normal people and bringing them to productive employment. Webel Mediatronics Limited, has taken a humble but determined initiative to bring the benefits of IT to persons with different types of handicaps. For visually handicapped persons the main hurdles to literacy were (1) The dearth of Braille books in regional languages, as the manual replication process is very slow, tedious and transcriber dependent. (2) The dependency on sighted people in the reader, writer and transcriber based education system. There was a need to make their education free from transcriber dependency. Preparation of Braille books was totally dependent on the Braille knowing transcribers. Now with the introduction of Computerized Braille Transcription System, the knowledge for transcriber has been programmed in the Text to Braille Transcription software ( This Software transcribes Text in 12 major Indian Languages to Braille) as a result any ordinary person without any knowledge of Braille is able to produce books for the visually challenged persons easily and quickly using computers and automatic Braille Embossers, so it is no longer necessary to employ only the persons knowing Braille to make a book and or the individual students spending initial months of the curriculum year making the books manually. Empowering visually handicapped person with the new technology of CBTs and their capability of operating the computer directly has helped them to communicate with the rest of the world in an easy and effective manner. Nowadays the generation of Braille books, question paper, class notes, circulars, notices in Braille script in local language are no longer a problem in the schools. Moreover the classroom has been made interactive by the use of Braille keyboard with audio support and software. Each individual student in the classroom can be given a Braille keyboard and while writing the students using Braille keyboard, the teacher can monitor the Braille file (as well as the converted text) of each student at a glance on a single monitor. Thus monitoring the performance in a test has been made easier using E-Classroom environment. Even appearing for examination is often a grueling task, where either a blind student has to emboss the complete answer sheet using the Braille slate and stylus or has to depend on the sighted writer. The need of writers can been removed with the help of Direct Braille software. Now the students are capable of writing in Braille using computers and submitting the text print out at the end of examination. Direct Braille brings the revolutionary change by making the students possible to sit in the examination hall using computers; they may also work in an office environment as a stenographer. Availability of Braille books in number of copies in a library has always been a limitation. Moreover to convert the current topics of knowledge (needed by individual persons) into Braille books requires continuous support of a Braille press. To solve the problem WML has introduced the concept of E-library. Any information available in the computer in text format can be converted to Braille format within a moment and through the help of tactile reader the information can be distributed to a group of visually handicapped persons by a single librarian. Thus the need of individual readers can be removed. Each person can read text of his / her choice at his / her own speed. Webel Mediatronics has hosted www.braille-aids.com, a user group website for the visually challenged which provides a broad overview of the activities of WML. This website maintains a online Braille Resource Archive in Indian Languages in Braille ready format, from where text can be downloaded; also a Creative Writing section and online Audio Station. This website is intended to be used as an information exchange platform for the visually challenged people. WML has also fixed the target of making available in the Resource Archive of the web library of their website www.braille-aids.com all text books in the syllabi for all classes up to Class XII (for CBSE, ICSE and state boards also) in Braille ready format so that a visually impaired student from any corner of the country can access and download for use. The success of the nationwide project that aimed to make life a little more exciting for the countless visually challenged people, who would henceforth be capable of approaching mainstream with enhanced confidence, has boosted the fervor of WML, who strive a better tomorrow when technology will walk hand in hand with humanity. ------------
New Light Tuhina Mondal, Class IX, Calcutta Blind School
New Light Spreading over the eastern sky Removing deep darkness by and by. To the joy of the sightless it brings The bell WML rings. The wonderful software brings this revolution The sightless gets the books of huge production. No longer sorrow but a ray of hope The sightless will be able to cope.
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Human Aspect of Information Technology for Braille Literacy in Indian Languages Sri Ashok Choudhury (Ex-principal Calcutta Blind School, Kolkata-34)
Modern world has achieved excellent scientific advancement from Information Technology. The educational world of the visually impaired has been much enlightened with the invention of the Braille Transcription software by Webel Mediatronics Ltd for spreading Braille Literacy all over the country. Now it is high time to consider what was the condition of the visually impaired in matters of education and what is the present scenario with the invention of the Braille Transcription software by Webel Mediatronics Ltd. The Braille embossed characters have been accepted all over the world as the only script to facilitate reading and writing of the sightless. Credit undoubtedly goes to Monsieur Louis Braille who regularized this script from 12 Dot night signal to the soldiers, innovated by Charles Barbair, an artillery officer of Nepolean Bonaparte. After this several Braille presses were established and Braille books were available for the sightless students in Western countries. In those countries production of Braille books was done on large scale. But in developing countries like ours there was paucity of Braille books owing to inadequate Braille presses all over the country. At this point the discovery of Braille Transcription software is an important historical transition in the education and training of the visually impaired all over the country. Now with the initiation taken by Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Govt. of India, Webel Mediatronics Ltd has furnished this Braille Transcription software to 30 Resource/Training centers for the sightless in the country. Now the paucity of Braille books has been reduced to a great extent and every sightless individual is now in a position to get text books, reference books and other books on literature. Is it not an important change in the history of education of the blind? Let us scrutinize the human aspects of this Braille Transcription software and evaluate how far this information technology has been able to make the sightless individual independent in educational world. The salient features of the software are to convert the text into Braille and vice versa. For text to Braille transcription data entry is made by the seeing person and with the Text to Braille Transcription software the entered text is easily converted to Braille embossed characters by the visually impaired person, who is aware of dealing with computer. The second important software is the Direct Braille software which provides the computerized environment consisting of Braille terminal and Braille to text transcription software and enables the visually impaired person to operate computers independently. Braille entry terminal is nothing but a conventional qwerty keyboard having musk over it so that the blind can easily access the required keys. The software decodes the Braille codes from keyboard and generates the Braille characters in display as well as printable output. The communication with the other visually impaired person and also with the sighted person can be simultaneously done by the use of this software. One very important and useful gadget is the Tactile Device in which a sightless person is enabled to read any poem or any story of his favorite author with this device . For example, one is interested in reading Tagore’s Sanchayita the same will be perceptible by the sightless person in this device. This is called paperless reading by the tip of the finger of the blind, as the embossed impression will come out on this device. Another important feature is the flexibility of the Braille keyboard with the help of which a sightless student can give examination on particular paper independently without the help of the writer and the same will be converted to print for facilitating the sighted examiner to look over the papers. So long the sightless had to give examination with the help of the seeing person but gradually if the institution for the blind conduct their school examination, the system will be mastered by the examinee and in course of time the blind examinee may appear in the public examination independently with the help of the Braille keyboard. After all seeing believing. Please pay a visit either to Calcutta Blind School Computer Resource Centre or at Webel Mediatronics Ltd to have the visual impression of this technology.
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IF DREMS COME TRUE Ms. P Joanna, St. Louis School for the Blind, Chennai
I entered a garden full of trees I lay down enjoying the cool breeze Looking high I saw the blue sky The beautiful birds soaring so high I heard the birds singing Flapping their colourful wings The rabbits came out of the burrows Seeing them I forget my sorrows The busy bees sucking honey For flowers are many I saw the flowers smiling at me Which showered joy and happiness on me Though I visioned a part of life It gave me joy for all my life
I fell deep into my sleep When the sun rose from the deep I learnt a lesson from the beam That life is different from a dream. ------------ BRIGHTER WAYS TO BRIGHTER LIFE
Lighting is the way to keep darkness away Sharing is the way to keep worries away Learning is the way to keep ignorance away Working is the way to keep failure away Listening is the way to keep dispute away Forgiving is the way to keep enemies away Confidence is the way to keep obstacles away Punctuality is the way to keep tension away Acceptance is the way to keep disappointments away Saving is the way to keep insecurity away Enjoyment is the way to keep sorrows away Love is the way to keep violence away ------------ The Better India A country where there is no enimity A country where there is unity A country where people always share A country where people always love and care A country where people reach out to others A country where all men love each other like brothers A country where people serve the needy A country where people are not greedy A country where people are ready to serve the nation A country where people have passion towards nation Yes, that country can be INDIA if we all join our hands in unity, With no difference in caste, religion and community. ------------ News & Current affairs Mother Teresa declared Blessed An ailing Pope John Paul II beautified Mother Teresa before a crowd of 3,00,000 on Sunday, calling her an icon of charity and launching her on the first track to Sainthood. The two and a half-hour ceremony in St. Peter’s Square was a multi-coloured, multi-lingual service that reflected Mother Terasa’s global appeal. There were Indian girls dancing with red silk, Presidents in blue suits and Rome’s homeless wearing handouts. The VIPs of the day were the spiritual army of Mother Teresa’s nuns, who took the homeless to launch after mass without fanfare.
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Blind Opera The Blind Opera, a well-known theatrical Organisation, has achieved reputation in the realm of Theatre. It has been performing dramas on different stages with successful accomplishment. The Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of West Bengal has recently sponsored Three Months Mobility to Theatre Workshop and the same was inaugurated on 16th September’03 at Baghbazar Reading Library by Shri Ashoke Chowdhury, Retired Principal of Calcutta Blind School by lighting the Lamp in the Galaxy of Spectators and Actors. It is a matter of great hope that some seeing interested boys and girls have joined the Workshop to make their future theatrical performance more attractive to the audience. The sincerest effort on the part of the Director, Secretary, and other devoted members have made this possible.
------------ News letter from Resource Centre Calcutta Blind School The Computer Resource Centre has already published two News Letters and circulated them to different Institutions for the Visually Impaired all over the state. The Centre is desirous of publishing News Letter in broad manner but cannot execute the task owing to lack of feedback from different Institutions of the sightless and their indifference to mail information regarding their important activities. However, the Centre hopes that with the third publication of the News Letter and repeated request to different Institutions will inspire them to come forward with their important activities, which may be enrolled in the next publication.
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