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Seeing through BLACK
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Meet the man who has done much to change the perception that the world is black and silent for those who can't see and hear
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M. Srinivas, the Chief Employment Officer of the National Association for the Blind, at the call centre run by the visually challenged. — Photo: Murali Kumar K.
FOR ALL those who could never fathom why a visually-challenged should dream of "a normal life", Sanjay Leela Bansali's film Black ought to be an eye-opener. The belief that those who cannot see, whose world is all black (and perhaps, even silent), are of no use to society is constantly being turned on its head not just in Bollywood, but in real life as well.
Ask M. Srinivas, Chief Employment Officer of the National Association for the Blind (NAB), and he'll tell you that those who believe life is black and silent for the visual and hearing impaired are the ones who cannot see or hear. Since 1986, this award-winning placement officer has been showing the way to independence and self-esteem and giving meaning to the lives of hundreds of such young men and women. Even as you read this, there are at least 15 visually-challenged persons in a bright little room in NAB headquarters in Jeevan Bima Nagar selling Tata Indicom allconnections to customers who just wouldn't know they are talking to young men and women who cannot see too well or not at all.
Just two months back, Srinivas was presented the NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Award 2004 for promoting the cause of employment opportunities for disabled persons from Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, apart from the National Award from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
The road to recognition, needless to say, is never smooth. Work itself is reward, yet Srinivas is aware that all the laws and all the policies in the world cannot make a difference to the blind until society changes its mindset. Ninety per cent of the jobs held by visually-challenged persons are in the private sector, says Srinivas says. Karnataka is far behind Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh when the Government is employer. NAB, which enjoys the status of being a Special Employment Exchange, is constantly battling insensitivity, lack of awareness, or worse, lack of interest among the various Government departments to pay even lip service to Constitutional guarantees such as reservation in jobs for the disabled.
When 30 boys were selected for jobs in New Delhi in 1994 after being trained in the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, it became obvious that a survey of jobs in Government would be in order, though the jobs were mostly in Delhi and the Union Territories.
But there are moments that make it all worthwhile. Like making the call centre happen. Like starting a computer-training centre in 1999 after everyone realised that IT was here to stay. This could be just the thing the doctor ordered. Additionally, over 180 people have passed SWIFT and advanced courses and have been trained to teach the blind and prepare them for jobs in top companies. Intel, NIIT and other companies have helped make it all happen.
When Srinivas was in Delhi to receive his award, he met a girl from Punjab who wanted a job in HR in Bangalore. He was convinced he could help her and he did. He also trained a girl named Bhagawdgita working in Perot Systems. And for those who want more, chew on this: the exchange at State Bank of Mysore has long been manned by a team of six blind persons and there is one person in the State Bank of India who can find anything anyone wants in the stores even when there is no power precisely because he cannot see! Putting the right person for the right job is what Srinivas does.
NAB can be reached on 25281590/ 1493.
ALLADI JAYASHRI
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