Not many people can overcome their disability like Anuradha Mohit, the head of the Dehra Dun-based National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), did. Despite being visually impaired since the tender age of 10 when she lost her eyesight in a car crash, Mohit (46) is not only now trying to realise her own dreams but also showing a new ray of hope to all those for whom the world is just black.

Be it a FM radio or a call centre, Mohit, the author of three books, has chalked out various plans to make the visually impaired self-independent and free them from the shackles of the disability.

Last year when Mohit joined the NIVH, the only institute of its kind in India, several eyebrows were raised apparently to cast doubts whether she will be able to overcome her disability. But few months down the road, proving all sceptics wrong, Mohit has left her predecessors far behind as far the changes in the training programmes for the blind are concerned.

Being the first blind woman Director of the Institute, things have now begun to take shape.

When the assembly election was held in Uttarakhand early this year, it was for the first time that visually impaired voters cast their franchise without the help of escorts. Taking the help of Dehra Dun District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar, booth no 40 in the Rajpur constituency was split into two places establishing an auxiliary polling booth 40-A within the premises of the NIVH.

Through this innovative approach, the blind were able to cast their votes with full secrecy. The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was modified by installing Braille numbers on it. The list of the candidates compiled by the Election Commission was also transcribed in Braille ensuring enjoyment of constitutional right to vote in secrecy. This unique exercise can now serve as the model for entire country, says Mohit, who has also taught at Harvard Law School and US Trinity College.

Radio jockeys

And now, Mohit is upgrading the training centre at NIVH catering to the needs of the new globalized market economy.

With the mushrooming growth of FM radios across the country, Mohit believes that opportunities for the visually impaired have increased. The blind can work as radio jockeys and also in broadcasting networks for which the centre will start a broad-based course exclusively for them. Already the Chennai centre of NIVH is providing a short-term course for enhancing RJ skills.             

NIVH is also planning to set up a new FM radio station or a community radio station depending upon under which category it will get the license. “We have applied for the license. But we feel more comfortable with a community radio station,” said Mohit.

Recently, the blind in the institute are also honing their skills in shooting. The idea is to revive the centuries-old technique called “shabd bhedi baan” (a shot taken upon hearing the sound of the intended target), which was used by legendary king Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Mohit is taking the help of some experts in this regard so that they can be trained in this wonder skill. A separate training will also be imparted in the field of other adventure sports disciplines. A fresh survey will also be organised to see which jobs suit the visually impaired in the new market economy.

Already, Mohit has been instrumental in introducing special B Ed and M Ed courses. After-school activity courses like martial arts, skating, yoga, orchestra, music and computer skills are also being developed. A unique programme on disposable paper products is also on the anvil at NIVH.

These are some of the initiatives taken by Mohit, who is also the special rapporteur of the National Human Rights Commission.  Mohit, who has been trained in special education and administration as well as new research methodologies and music, has served as Deputy Chief Commissioner in the office of Chief Commissioner for persons with disabilities in the Government of India.

With the changes that are taking place at NIVH, the blind can now hope to regain a paradise lost.