Sharads Sunday Sojourns (wk#99): BEING A HANDICAPPED: DOES IT INVOKE SYMPATHY, ANTIPATHY OR EUPHORIA ? Case 1: Whether it is a CSTC bus in the heart of Kolkata, or a BEST bus in the suburbs of Mumbai, as soon as you board it, you will invariably locate a few seats reserved for ‘Pratibandhi-der jonyo’ or ‘for the disabled’. The seat occupants are of course absolutely fine individuals. If as a matter of fact, a compromised soul does arrive and ask for it, he or she will be allowed to take the seat, but with pity! Sympathy ? Case 2: Sudhir and Ranita (names changed) had no physical or mental problems when they got married. Unfortunately, their son has got congenital Down’s syndrome. Who is responsible? What happens next? Antipathy ? Case 3: What is common between Sudha Chandran, Vincent Van Gogh, Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, John Nash, Hellen Keller and Frida Kahlo? Unfortunately, God has been unfair to them all in terms of taking away some form of their mortal possessions, but in turn handed them with extraordinary guts and superior powers to overcome their inadequacies. And thus unified in graciousness, they are champions and world beaters on their own rights. Euphoria ? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Actually, for eons and ages, rooted deep inside our conscience, is the understanding of ‘healthy’ and ‘normalness’, like a pandemic. That which is followed by all, is the righteous path, the correct way and that must be ‘normal’, isn’t it? Even if a minuscule deviation to that would be shunned by all, with unanimous heinousness like a herd of hungry hyenas! Some even consider closing their eyes or worse, erasing the signatures. Similar to what perhaps used to be done at the ancient Sparta: anybody born with disability and was physically compromised had to see the end of the day! In medieval Europe, a birth of a physically challenged child invited abominable comments from the society: the parents are either involved in witchcraft or black magic, or the mother has slept with the Satan! Consequentially, the entire family was considered a bane and used to be blacklisted (read ‘Hansel and Gretel’). Even in this country, and even in recent times, several people believe that handicapped persons are the undignified metamorphoses of the malevolent deeds of their hapless parents in their previous births. Or they are the outcomes of some ‘evil’ genes that left concealed deep into their mothers’ genomes! What follows is an unbearable saga of family negligence, social laxity and unspeakable torture on the sufferers. Still today, blind or visually compromised examinees at the secondary or senior school certificate levels find it difficult to collect Braille scripts or suitable reference stuffs. The books are not updated year after year. Even arranging for a writer for someone with no upper limbs is a nightmare. Critics will protrude their tongues: so many NGOs are doing so many things; government is stepping in with encouraging schemes etc. My dear, all are farce! When do we admit that? At least in countries like Australia and USA (seen through my eyes), Government has ensured that they have separate facilities for transport, entry and exits in private and public buildings, parking permits, washrooms, convenient chairs and desks that cater to their unique needs. In this country? Well, nobody even cares to put the steps in the public transport systems a little lower! You don’t care? Well you will if (God forbids) you have a handicapped family member!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Mar 2014 02:51:36 +0000
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