BRAILLE NEWSPAPER - Kolkata's visually impaired get news dose

Swagata Majumdar
Kolkata

IN THIS age of information, visually-impaired persons too can get their dose
of news, albeit fortnightly.

The Voice of the World-first Braille newspaper in India-is an endeavour to
ensure that. The newspaper, being brought out by a Kolkatabased
non-government organisation by the same name since August 15, aims to keep
visually-impaired persons updated. The newspaper has an electronic as well
as a print version.

The four-page newspaper like a mainstream daily has lots of hard news, and
even editorials. In size, however, it is a little bigger than a tabloid.
After a couple of trial issues, the current issue on Durga Puja is big hit
among visually-impaired. This issue extensively covers how the
visually-impaired community as well as others celebrate the festival.
Its reporters do the stories as well as decide on how to treat them. Most of
the reporters are visually-challenged. Some of them are completely without
vision while others can see partially.

Reporters Pradeep Jha and Nimai Das are completely without vision, but they
are as good in the work as their mainstream counterparts.
The editorial board consists of a former journalist along with
visually-impaired members of the organisation. The board has decided to keep
news related to politics, deaths, suicides and accidents away. Instead, it
focuses on the activities of physically or mentally challenged people.

The Voice of the World's reporters had even gone to flood-affected areas of
Bengal during the recent deluge to cover the ground situation. After their
return, they wrote an impressive cover story on the disaster.
"Though we have had escorts with us, we covered the flood-hit areas
ourselves," says Sanjay Sen, one of its reporters.

When the students of the organi sation double up as reporters, their
approach is often that of a professional. They go to the spot, interview
people and take notes in Braille.

The main hindrance they face while doing their job is when curious onlookers
crowd around them. "People often gather around us to watch the way we take
notes in Braille. This creates problems for our reporters," says Sukumar
Chakraborty, headmaster of the blind school.

The organisation has a personal Braille embosser where the students compose
the newspaper. The computers have voice software by which the reporters can
layout pages with ease.

These newspapers are then supplied to various blind schools and
organisations for the community.

"The newspaper is a good initiative. We hope the organisation will continue
the newspaper with the same vigour after the initial issues," said a
spokesperson from the Calcutta Blind School.

With a nose for news A four-page fortnightly newspaper in Braille is being
brought out by an NGO in Kolkata since August 15. The reporting, lay-out and
selection of stories for the newspaper are done by students of a blind
school.


URL :
http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=16_10_2006_008_020&typ=0&pub=264