By I was first introduced to Vinita in the year 2012. She entered with her trunk and occupied the room opposite to my room in the Dingy corridor of the residence hall of the Lady Shriram College (LSR), New Delhi.
While most of us had arrived with our parents/relatives being the first day in a hostel; Vinita had entered the hostel alone like a tigress. I remember her asking the girls in the neighboring rooms about the whereabouts of the various amenities. I remember her walking about her room memorizing where each thing was while feeling the surroundings with her touch.
She was blessed with immense courage and sense of direction. Perhaps it was this blessing that overpowered the fact that she was visually challenged …. She could not see with her eyes. I had made a casual acquaintance with her.
Meanwhile, I had volunteered for the National Service Scheme (NSS) and was working for an NGO for blind students that resided both within and outside the campus.
Volunteers like me were each allotted a student to assist in their studies for the entire academic year. While filling out the form for volunteering, I had mentioned that I am comfortable in reading and writing the language Hindi as well. I later learnt that many of the other volunteers had only selected the option for English.
It was this selection of option that allotted me to assist Vinita, for she was pursuing honours bachelor course in Hindi- B.A (Hons.) Hindi.
On our first meeting after this allotment, she was happy that I lived next door and that she could contact me anytime. However, she knew that I had a south Indian surname and asked if I could really read Hindi. I assured her that I would try my level best and if not satisfied, I would myself request the NGO for a replacement on her behalf. That’s how we both started off this journey….her with doubts about my knowledge of Hindi and me with a doubt about whether I could really pull off graduate level Hindi reading.
We met a minimum of 2-3 times per week and I would read to her the required readings for her course. Over a period of time, I read the following to her the following:
- हिंदी उपन्यास (Hindi Novel)
- हिंदी साहित्यका इतिहास (History of Hindi Literature)
- आधुनिक हिंदी कविता (Modern Hindi Poems)
- Many other topics that I cannot readily recollect.
Sometimes, I would make mistakes in pronunciation while reading and she would correct me like a younger sister. She would ask me to spell out certain words for her and while I spelled out, her expression changed as if it was she who was reading the spelling through my eyes.
While I read, if she found a point interesting or wanted to note down something; she would ask me to pause while she took out her Braille writing kit which consisted of thick pages, a Braille writing slate and a Braille stylus (or a sharp object).
Most of us might have come across visually impaired individuals reading Braille. However, observing the writing of Braille language is a totally different dimension of experience.
While I read, she would ask me if she could record my voice in her phone so she could hear it later too. She owned a small feature phone which had certain features like telling the time out loud and telling the names of the contacts saved etc.
During the session of reading, if the author mentioned another reference in his writing; Vinita would request me to check if that material was available on my next visit to the library.
During the second year, she gave feedback to the NGO that she wanted to continue with the same volunteer…..ME….a Statistics honours students very far from words in any language with a south Indian surname over other Hindi scholars.
Therefore, I continued to read to her. At the end of the session, we would chit-chat about college life and future. Her attitude towards life and independence was one to learn from. Perhaps it was for scholars like her that LSR is known to be one of the biggest feminist colleges.
During exam season, she would enquire about my exam timetable and accordingly add possible slots in her timetable where I could read to her.
In the final year, our interaction was limited to greeting each other in the corridors and the dining hall as our rooms were changed and the earlier physical proximity was no longer accessible. Further, now audio aids were provided to her.
I wonder where you are today Vinita didi*?….Will you be able to read this article (or hear it)?
Do you still have the audio recordings in my voice? Do you listen to them?
Are you happy in life? Have you become even more brave?
I was allotted to Vinita as her teacher by the NSS….but the truth is that I was allotted as a student to Vinita. I just read out to her, but her presence made me learn what any University could never teach me.
I wish that one day, the way I read so many things out to her- I can read this article to her which is dedicated just to her – this article about my teacher, Vinita!
*Didi meaning Elder Sister in Hindi language
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