Scripting a difference

After getting a post graduate degree in sociology from Pune University,Patil soon got in touch with the Pune Blind Men’s Association. “I remember Mr Jadhav who was heading the Social Welfare Department at the jail in 1966. He had started this initiative. I became a part of the department too for some time,before joining the prison to teach Braille,” he informs. At the prison,Patil’s job was to teach inmates who were serving sentences for serious crimes. “I was very confused initially. I did not know how they would react to my agenda. They were in for murder,attempt to murder and such crimes,but I never experienced any problem with them. They cooperated with me and in fact,some of them have even done splendid work in propagating the script,” he says.

The Yerwada jail is the only one in the country which has been conducting these classes. But the project has been stagnant for the last six months. “I have not taught Braille to any of the prisoners for five-six months. It’s because of the advent of the computer generated Braille press. The demand for hand-made books began decreasing 10 years ago after a few organisations in the city bought the press. It produces books in Braille with both speed and accuracy. It is also economical. Thus,due to these factors the orders for books dropped at the prison,” explains Patil. At the prison it would take more than three months for a book to be fully translated; the press on the other hand makes 600 copies in an hour. Patil has himself translated 1500 books in Braille. “The biggest challenge for translating is that you have to keep in mind finer details. It also needs a lot of patience,” he says.

Patil believes that there is still a lot that can be done for the visually challenged. “There are only 5-6 schools for the visually challenged in the state. The integrated education programme also needs to be strengthened,” he says. In 1991,Patil received the National Award for Outstanding Handicapped Employee followed by the Correctional Service Medal in 2002. “I owe a lot of my achievements to the cooperation from NGOs like the Pune Blind Men’s Association and its president Niranjan Pandya,” he says.