Indian journalist brings out magazine in Braille
The visually impaired students of Maharashtra now have an opportunity to be as attuned to what’s happening across the globe as those who are in the habit of reading newspapers and watching television.
Credit for this must go to Swagat Thorat, a journalist and filmmaker whose ‘vision’ is now being experienced by students who earlier had no easy access to general information. Since the year 1993 when Thorat made a documentary on educational methods for the visually impaired, the germ of creating a fortnightly having information about various fields continued to grow in his mind. He says: “There was limited literature in Braille for the visually impaired. So I thought of coming up with this journal in Braille.” The experiment first found a proper shape in 1998 when Thorat produced a single Diwali Braille issue called Sparshgandh. He then came up with four issues of this publication in next three years. Later, he felt it was still inadequate in providing information to the visually-challenged students. Prompted therefore into doing some more, he thought of a magazine in Braille. And then finally from February this year, he started the first Marathi fortnightly Sparshgyaan in Braille. Elaborating on how it all came about, Thorat says: “To begin with, it was undoubtedly tough. But then I bought a Braille printing machine from abroad and started the operation. The media network I had developed through my work also helped in setting this whole thing up. Things went smoothly after that and the response I have got for Sparshgyaan is overwhelming.” He gets a tad emotional whenever he reads from letters received from visually impaired students saying how much they have liked it and how fundamental it has been in developing their knowledge about the world. The fortnightly is printed at Mumbai and has columns written by renowned Marathi litterateurs and columnists. These include such eminent literary personalities as Nishigandha Wad, Dr Vijaya Wad, Supriya Mahajan, Raju Parulekar, Rajeev Khandekar and many more, who collectively contribute to the high level of standard that Thorat wants to maintain. One of the most unique things about Sparshgyaan is its exclusion of any negative news from its content. It has regional news from Maharashtra along with coverage from the sectors of politics and journalism. It also has columns on poetry, theatre, films, music, literature, sports, personality development, general knowledge and so on. There are entertaining short stories too. The first issue of the magazine had 100 pages. That was no mean feat considering the various limitations Thorat and his fellow supporters had to work within. But they achieved their aim and came out with a fantastic first issue, which was dedicated to social activist and champion of the lepers Late Baba Amte. The subsequent issues have been between 50 to 60 pages. “The biggest blocking factor is that the paper needed for printing in Braille is very expensive,” Thorat explains. Further, the way they circulate the paper is quite different. They post it to subscribers since any Braille material so dispatched is not levied any charge by the postal department. Thorat is now planning to convert it into a weekly magazine. “Ultimately I want it to be a daily,” he confides. As for some short term goals, from the month of June this year, he wants to start a column on improving English language skills as also a series of features on yoga to help the visually impaired become physically and mentally strong. A foreign affairs column is also in the pipeline. For Thorat, visits to two schools for the visually challenged in Pune - one in Koregaon Park and another in Kothrud - was the genesis of coming up with the fortnightly. In 1997, he had produced and directed a play titled Swatantryachi Yashogatha with 88 blind students as also another one called Teen Paisacha Tamasha with 44 blind students. Experiences like these have been instrumental in the creation of Sparshgyaan. Finally, the objective behind it all is best illustrated by what Thorat has to say about his venture. “Why shouldn’t the blind have equal opportunities as those with sight?” he wonders. |
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