DR.G.JAYARAMAN:
THE VOICE FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLENGED
Written by
Latha Ramakrishnan
Dr.G.Jayaraman
13.05.1934 – 25-09.2012
[Dr.G.Jayaraman, retired Professor,
Department of English, Madras
Christian College,
Chennai & Founder-President, Welfare Foundation of the Blind]
Visually as
well as orthopaedically challenged since his childhood, yet with grit
and determination he became
a well educated person and his qualifications included a double M.A., PGDTB,
PGDTE, BGL, Diploma in TAXATION and also in INDIAN MUSIC, thereby showing
others that visually handicapped could indeed study well and become
contributing citizens of the society.
Born as any
normal child he lost his eye-sight at the age of eight due to some ailment and
at the age of fourteen he lost his leg in an accident. Yet, realizing the need
for education his father arranged for his being taught at home and then
studying VIII Std at Poonamallee and passing the University matriculation
Course he then joined the Madras Christian College and completed PUC, BA and
MA. After securing an M.A in English from the prestigious Madras
Christian College
in Tambaram, Chennai he went to the Perkins Institution affiliated to the Boston University
for undergoing the Special Teachers’ Training for teaching the visually
challenged.
He was the
first one in the whole of India
to serve as Supervisor in a Rehabilitation Centre for a period of three years
and then got a job in Madras
Christian College.
He served in Madras
Christian College for more than two decades, teaching English and it was
during his tenure that he brought into being the Readers’ Service Wing
which tried its best to bridge the gap between the sighted and the visually
challenged by enthusing the sighted to learn Braille and write at least one
printed book in Braille.
Dr. Jayaraman
had always been instrumental in bringing into being many innovative initiatives
towards creating awareness about the plights and potentials of the visually
challenged.
He had been
instrumental in bringing into being several Organizations Of and For
the Visually Challenged.
In 1991 he
founded the WELFARE
FOUNDATION OF THE BLIND which has
educated visually challenged persons holding key posts in t and the
Organization has been conducting awareness exhibitions and seminars and also
publishing books by way of highlighting the plights and potentials of the
visually challenged.
Some of the
books penned by Dr.G.Jayaraman are:
1] Schools for
the Blind in Madras
State.
2] Distance
Education in the Education in the Education of the
Blind[for IGNOU Project]
3] Vision[a
short novel]
4]Kaanaadha
Ulagil Kelaadha Kuralgal[Unheard Voices of the Non-Seeing World] – Two volumes
in English and Tamil, comprising essays highlighting the problems and
challenges faced by the visually challenged since the time of birth.
5]
Kannoettam[Viewpoint] – a collection of short-stories in Tamil
6]
Mozhipeyarppin Savaalgal[The Challenges of Translation] – Co-translator of
essays on the various aspects of translation – from English to Tamil.
Dr. Jayaraman
was very much interested in writing tales for children. When he was a young boy
he had won prizes in short-story competitions for children conducted by the
magazine called KANNAN. More than fifty stories written by him had been
published in the same magazine and in 1956 he won the First Prize in the novel
competition held by the same magazine.
In the recent
years too he had penned a few books for children. MY DEAR CHINNOO is one such
having his pet-dog as the chief protagonist! SANDAI VENDAAM NANBARGALE – DON’T
FIGHT, BE FRIENDS has little stories
written by him both in English and Tamil, which thus proves useful for learning
how to translate a piece of work.
Can the
visually challenged be creative writers? Can they write literary works? This
was the theme of Dr.Jayaraman’s P.hd dissertation. Based on extensive research
and documenting them Dr.Jayaraman had succeeded in proving in his P.hd dissertation
titled THE EFFECT OF VISUAL HANDICAP ON CREATIVE WRITING that the
visually challenged could excel in literary field.
A friendly,
unassuming person, kind-hearted and socially conscious Dr. Jayaraman was
wel-versed in Carnatic Music and in playing Flute.
To encourage the differently-abled and also the employers
to give jobs to the handicapped, realizing the fact that the physical
impairment is no great hurdle when one has the will, our government has been
giving National Awards in the field of the Welfare of the Handicapped since
1969. Separate awards are presented to the outstanding Visually Challenged,
Hearing and Speech Impaired, Orthopaedically challenged and also mentally
challenged and leprosy cured employees and to those employers who give jobs to
such persons. In
the year 1992, in recognition of his
yeomen service the Government of India had bestowed on him the
prestigious National Award under the category ‘Best Handicapped Employee.
His beloved
wife Mrs. Vasantha has always proved to be his pillar of strength and support
and so do his two daughters and a son.
Dr.Jayaraman
had great vision of a better tomorrow for the visually challenged and he worked
towards realizing it throughout his life with passion and dedication.
Given below are excerpts
from a face-to-face session I had with him some time after the National Award
For Best Handicapped Employee was bestowed on him , in which he had spoken at
length about the ways and means of finding
a better tomorrow for the visually challenged and the way he had the
challenge of life.
·
Were you born blind? What was its impact
on your childhood and school days? On Education, as a whole?
When I was
eight years old I lost my eyesight due to Optic-a-trophy wherein the eye-veins
turn dead and information will not go from the retina to the brain. I was too
young to feel the impact of the loss then. But, I knew what sight meant. Only
at the age of ten the realization that I was missing education struck me. I
started thinking of Education but I could not get admitted into the School in
which I was a student before losing my eye-sight. After turning blind, for ten
years I was without education. But, with the help of my father I gained
knowledge. He helped me overcome my sadness, loneliness, My sisters, brothers –
my entire family helped me. Father would even bring home students of my age to
chat and interact.
It was in 1955,
when I was 21 years of age that I joined Poonamallee Government School For The
Blind. The highest was VIII Std then. I passed that and also passed Music
Higher Examination in Flute. For one year I studied in Seva Sadhan IV Form.
Then I passed Matriculation privately and joined Pre-University Course in Madras Christian
College. Mine was the
First Set to do P.U. Earlier there was Intermediate. In P.U everyone would have
to do Science and Arts. There was no practical exams. To write exams I had to
go to the University and write in the presence of the Registrar. Only two
visually challenged persons wrote in my time. The college authorities would
appoint the scribe. I usually finished my paper 15 minutes ahead of the
stipulated time and then revise.
·
Who assisted you in your Studies?
Family alone
helped me in my School Education. In P.U.C a lot of help came from the college.
It was then that they started Readers Service for the Blind. Recorded lessons
were not available then. Mr.Stanley.S.Dhaaraj learnt Braille and transcribed
books. Initially the college hesitated whether I could be admitted in Science
Group. But, they were willing to take a chance. We even conducted Braille
classes to the seeing persons at the end of which they should transcribe one
book each. It was at that time that we started the Braille library also.
Initially there were fifty books. Then, with the help of foreign aids that
multiplied into 1000 and now the college has 8000 and odd Braille Books.
·
After College?
After finishing M.A. I won a Full-Bright
Scholarship and went to USEFI – United States Education fund for Indians –
recommended by the National Association Of the Blind, Bombay. Perkins
School for The Blind, Boston University
also offered me a scholarship. As teacher of the Blind I worked there between
1963-65 and also acquired a Diploma in Special Education Of The Blind. There
was a Competition – Henry Holmes Prize for The Best Thesis Of The Year. It was
conducted on an international level and I wrote on Schools For The Blind In
Madras State and won a prize for that. Then, I spent sometime in England as
British Council visitor during which time I visited various Institutions.
Afterwards I came back to India
and worked in ‘School for The Blind’ in Palayankotai for some time.
·
How
was your life in India
then?
Not so bad – so to say. Rehabilitation
Centre for the Blind was started towards the end of 1965. I worked there for
three years. I was the first superintendent there. in 1969 I joined Madras Christian
College and was there
till last month.
·
What
induced you to work for the cause of the Blind?
When I was a student in Madras Christian
College one Mr.Robert Bridges, himself a visually challenged person, was the
Director Fro South East Asians’ Office – a American foundation for the Overseas
Blin d. we had invited him to M.C.C. that time he asked, “ So, you’ve come up.
Now, what will you do to the rest?”. So, I took up Teaching Course. But,
realizing soon that teaching alone was not enough I went to the Rehabilitation Center. Its aim was to get people who
became blind in their adulthood and refit them in their old jobs. To cite an
example, Mr.Sundararajan was a teacher in Thuvaraiman. Then ‘Vitreous Hemorrhage
turned him blind. He was the eldest son and the family spent everything on him.
He attempted suicide. At last he came to the Rehabilitation Center, took
training and worked in a ‘Day School For The Blind’ and was placed in a post
similar to the one that he was holding before he lost his vision.
‘National Association of the Blind, Bombay increased my
interest in doing something constructively towards the welfare of the visually
challenged. At the Second all India Conference in 1959, I was one of the
youngest delegates. Senior representatives welcomed me whole-heartedly and
inspired me greatly. The model of Madurai
Center was in South
East Asia itself. I wanted to do something really new. I brought
into being the concept of ‘Day Schools’ as against the residential system of
schooling.
·
Why
Day-School?
True, Residential system has its own
advantages – like, for example, there are special teachers, but its greatest
disadvantage is ‘seggregation from the society. Society looks at the visually
challenged as at a stranger, an inferior. The visually challenged comes out of
school with confidence, but the society treats him with suspicion. He has not
learnt to mingle with the society, mix with people. So, he gets angry with the
society. Further, in residential schools segregation between the two genders is
so great that it breeds unhealthy attitude towards the opposite sex. But, in
Integrated Education a visually challenged can benefit only on three
conditions. Family should respond to him positively. Teachers should also
respond. And the student should be above average, for, the teachers can’t give
him or her any kind of special attention.
So, we worked out something in-between.
Specialization is a must but segregation should be avoided.
Another factor is that, for Day Schools
sufficient number of visually challenged students should be in one place. We
found that 1% of the population in every State are Blind. So, we went around
for taking statistics and within two days we were able to locate fifty
students. With them we started a School and brought them by a rickshaw.
Schooling was free. Lunch should be provided by the parents. We got a small
grant for this project. Students came from home, learnt and went back. They
were happy. In the first year itself it was a great success. More and more
students came, but sadly, due to lack of funds we have to close it and sent the
children to other schools. Yet, our experiment did bear fruit. Madurai Government School
for The Blind was the result of it. But, the Government converted it into a Residential School. In Bombay Mahalakshmi Trust had
started a Day Care School for the visually challenged children.
“Generally we found out that all projects
for the visually challenged were run by seeing persons and we felt that the
visually challenged should organize themselves and voice their demands and
problems. As a result, in New Delhi
the Blind Graduates’ Association was started. That later led to the National
Federation Of The Blind in Madras.
Tamil Nadu Association Of The Blind was also started. Mr.K.M.Ramasamy, Asir
Nallathambi and myself were founder members of it. From 1969-76 we were all
together. Afterwards, due to my physical inability I resigned from Tamil Nadu
Association Of The Blind.
“In 1974 Tamil Nadu State Conference took
place which was attended by the then Chief-Minister Mr. Karunanidhi. Free bus-passes and one
school for the visually challenged in each district were assured by the State
Government. But, the free-pass facility was implemented during M.G.R’s tenure.
“All the while I was deeply involved in
Students’ Service For The Visually Challenged. On an average 20 visually
challenged students benefited every year by this scheme and today most of them
are employed. In 1980 I joined the National Federation Of The Blind and was its
vice-president for one term. Now I am the Founder-President of Welfare
Foundation Of The Blind, which has visually challenged educated persons in
key-posts. We conduct Awareness Exhibitions in and around the city of Madras to educate the
public regarding the plights and potentials of the visually challenged. So far,
with the help of philanthropists and welfare organizations like the Loins’ Club
we have conducted some ten or more of such exhibitions. And, in Informex, the
prestigious exhibition conducted by the University of Madras our stall had won the First
Prize.
·
What
is your reaction to the National Award coming your way?
I
consider it a recognition and acknowledgement for the cause of the visually
challenged. At the same time I have several observations to make:
Concessions
like Tax-Free, Tax-Exemption, Interest-Free Loans, Priority Supply Of
Raw-materials, Priority Purchase of finished Products etc., should be made
available to them.
Award
for the best employer should be based on total wage bill rather than the number
of visually challenged persons employed. This would induce the employers to
give higher posts to the visually challenged.
Dr.
Jayaraman had quite a lot of concrete points and observations to make on each
and every issue pertaining to the well-being of the visually challenged. He
firmly believed that if the various organizations working for the cause of the
visually challenged in Tamil Nadu come
together and work on a common minimum programme better results would be surely
achieved in rehabilitating the visually challenged and securing their rights.
Awareness programmes are very essential, held he and he used to say with great
emphasis that the Media should create a positive image about the visually
challenged and not a negative and unscientific one.
He
was deeply concerned about the plights of visually challenged women. “Their
problems are multiplied because of the fact that they are women and visually
challenged”, he would point out and proceed to explain, saying, “ For
them mobility is restricted for they need dependable persons to move about.
Access to Education is also restricted. Parents do not take enough care and
interest to marry them off. Men marry them for their money and harass them.
They are exploited by men in various ways. Women’s Organizations have not taken
up their cause in right earnest. I wish with all my heart that someone does
research on the conditions of visually challenged women in Tamil Nadu, India
and the World.
“My
Life-time ambition is to make Tamil Nadu a really progressive State in the
welfare of the visually challenged” –
so Dr. Jayaraman would often observe, and it remained his vision and mission
throughout his life. And, on behalf of all the visually challenged he had this
message to put across: We Need Empathy; Not Sympathy”.
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