The Invisible Indian

Recently IBM came up with cutting-edge technology to help deaf and blind people to connect with rest of the world through software. While reading about those technologies it stuck me that these people in India are not only deaf, mute and blind but also invisible. It’s a rarity to see a blind man crossing a street unless he/she has been forced to beg on the street, while using the handicap as a way to make money, in most cases not for themselves but for their bosses in the begging business. Having said that, I personally think that India does a lot for the less privileged, albeit through private efforts rather than Government. The area where India or other developing nations have failed is making these people visible to the world around them.

When I was in Dehradun doing my final years of my schooling, I would pass by a blind school and would sometimes see one or two blind people wandering outside to walk in the open air outside their gated school for blinds. The sight would intrigue me because I hardly saw blind people walking in the streets. At times I would wonder what it must feel to live not only as a blind person but live inside a gated community as well, separated from the rest of the world.

When I moved to Canada those invisible people in India became visible here. It became a common sight to see blind/deaf/handicapped people on streets, colleges, pubs, stores, work places. So, how was it possible that in a country like India, with a population of more blind/deaf people that entire population of Canada, these people were invisible? Sure, we would hear success stories about blind/deaf schools but never see those people among ourselves.

This is where the Government needs to step up because India will never move forward without making such a large population visible to the people around them. We will need to build pavements where everyone can walk without stepping on each other; transportation for special needs people like the Metro in Delhi has provided recently, buildings with access for everyone, street crosswalks with audible/visual signage and much more. It is no longer an excuse that India cannot afford these facilities because it can and it should. As our prime minister, Manmohan Singh said and I will paraphrase, that if India has to grow it has to take everyone with it. India’s progress will mean nothing if we ignore a major portion of the population because one of their senses do not work. It is good to look at innovative techniques like IBM has been working on but the real progress can be made by opening our hearts and minds for that invisible Indian.