by Nandini Srinivasan
When S. Kavyashree expressed her views on life at the graduation ceremony at the Ranga Rao Memorial School for the blind in the city yesterday, she was reflecting on her own life. All the threats that seemed to loom large in her life were turned into opportunities, thanks to her grit and the continuous support that she received from her family and well-wishers.
The visually challenged Kavyashree, who was born completely blind, today has completed her Ph.D in Political Science. Her thesis on ‘Dynamics of Administration in Karnataka with special reference to Kengal Hanumanthiah regime,’ has been accepted by the University of Mysore which has notified that she be awarded the Ph.D and is eligible to receive the degree in the next convocation of the varsity.
Her parents B. Siddaramu, a retired Commercial Tax Inspector and mother Meenakshi, swell with pride at their daughter’s achievements. All the fears and agony that they underwent when they realised Kavyashree was completely blind, when she was around 8-months-old, seemed unfounded as they saw her outgrow her shortcomings and excel in everything she did. Kavya’s elder sister and brother have been her main pillars of strength.
“I was always fascinated by the ‘Doctor’ tag with one’s name. I knew I couldn’t become a doctor because of my blindness. It was my siblings who encouraged me and said I can get a ‘Dr’ tag if I get a Ph.D” she says laughingly and warmly recalls the efforts of one Nataraj, who initiated her into schooling even as her parents were unsure about any school that would admit her. Nataraj, who had just then completed his training in Braille script, persuaded her parents to enrol Kavyashree in the MTM Government School in Ashokpuram. It was here that Kavyashree was ably supported by the teachers of the school, especially the music teacher R. Krishnaiah and Nataraj who drove home the importance of education and fuelled her interest to pursue her education in spite of all odds.
Kavya later joined the Ranga Rao Memorial School for the blind where she studied from 5th to 7th standard. It was here that she strengthened her skills in Braille and was able to give a clear structure to whatever she studied. She came into the main stream of education from the 8th standard when she joined the Jayalakshmi Smaraka High School in Ramakrishnanagar. The teachers were impressed with the kind of interest Kavyashree evinced and were extremely supportive. “They would go slow when dictating notes, so I could take them down in Braille script. They patiently explained when I had doubts and were more happy than me when I scored well in the exams,” says Kavyashree.
The same support from the faculty and friends continued during her PUC at the Sri Vivekananda Composite Junior College in Jayalakshmipuram and her BA degree at the Vishwakavi Kuvempu First Grade College.
“During those days we had to completely rely on Braille and the lectures in class. There were no recorded texts or computers that we use today. My father always read out to me and I made my notes during the lectures. I also knew that if I needed to get a good job and settle down in life, a mere degree would not help. I had to achieve something more which will not only help me overcome my physical disability but also ensure that I can aspire for a decent job” says Kavyashree who has a passion for teaching and is eagerly looking forward to taking up the profession. She has already cleared the National Eligibility Test too and is now preparing for the IAS exams.
Having studied up to MA (Political Science from Manasagangotri) in Kannada medium, Kavyashree till then did not find the necessity to learn English and was happy with the little knowledge of the language she had. However, when she decided to pursue her Ph.D, she met her Guide Dr. Midathala Rani, who insisted that she wrote her thesis in English and encouraged her to learn the language. Though very apprehensive about learning English well enough to write her thesis, Kavyashree decided to give it a try. She also realised that she would need English if she had to use the software for the blind. She did pick up the language quickly and today she speaks English fluently, fluent enough to write articles for reputed national dailies and Journals and present papers at Seminars.
Kavyashree has presented papers on Social Work Ethics and Human Values in Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh and on Politico Administrative Relations at the Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupathi.
With the progress in technology, new software helps the blind read and work on computers. Kavyashree took up a six-month computer course at the JSS Polytechnic. The special software JAWS helps the blind to scan books, read and work on the computers.
“The Manasagangothri library has some very good equipment and not many are aware of this. The sad part is that there are so many facilities for the blind but many of them are still unaware. If the people concerned take a little more responsibility in sharing basic information, it would be of great help to the needy,” says Kavyashree and added that all the schemes and projects envisaged for the visually challenged are indeed praiseworthy but will be beneficial only when they are actually implemented.
The first visually challenged lady, who has got a Ph.D degree from the University of Mysore, Kavyashree dreams of earning enough to be able to give a good life to her parents who have given her so much. She proudly says that she helps her mother with all the household chores, except cooking.
The only challenge she faced during her studies is mobility as she had to depend on her father to take her around everywhere. She has no complaints about life whatsoever. “Society has been kind to me. There are problems in everyone’s life and we need to go ahead getting over them. Nothing special about me. May be I had to strive a little harder,” she says.
Kavyashree’s say to the world is to look at her and treat her as a normal person, which makes life much easier. She eagerly awaits the next convocation as she is again back to her books preparing for her IAS exams. ‘Life looks beautiful! I may not be able to see it, but I surely can feel it with my heart !’ she says with a beautiful smile on her lips.