Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Impairment no impediment

Varahala Swamy

GUNTUR: Sporting a fashionable and trendy outfit, talking about some software updates he requires for his laptop, this youth from an ordinary family in Guntur is the latest to be enrolled as a practitioner on the Guntur Bar Association.

A recent pass out from Jagarlamudi College of Law, the first look might be deceiving. A visually impaired Varahala Swamy is no different from or less efficient/intelligent than his contemporaries in the mid-20s.

“We do not need sympathy, or any special legislation. What is needed is proper implementation of current provisions, which can produce better lawyers, software engineers and structural engineers,” Mr. Varahala Swamy told The Hindu.

Louis Braille might have created the special characters for the visually impaired one and a half centuries ago, but the read-back ‘Jas’ technology on his laptop and physical help from his bosom friend Nagarjuna helped him complete his law degree with élan. Classmates from Intermediate at JKC College, Mr. Nagarjuna is astonished at the retention capability of Mr. Swamy. An employee of the Cooperative Bank, Mr. Swamy’s father is bed-ridden. But Mr. Swamy is confident of pulling on life and supporting his family by securing a job or practicing law. He uses his cell phone like any normal person with the special ‘Talk back’ software loaded on it. He wants to limit himself to fighting for the rights of the visually impaired.

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