Dear Fellow Access Indians,
On May 1, famed illustrator Nala Ponnappa and Mumbai newspaper Mid-day launched
what could be India’s first comic on the lives of the visually impaired.
Titled ‘You & Eye’, this comic strip is a collaborative effort between the
Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), Jagran Group
publication Mid-day, and the Pune-based cartoonist.
You can see the comic strip here:
https://www.facebook.com/791773140841813/photos/a.792335157452278.1073741827.791773140841813/1228230177196105/?type=3&theater
The biggest problem that visually impaired people face is lack of awareness
about their condition among the general population. This leads to a lot of
myths, which get further misrepresented in popular mediums like films and
advertising.
XRCVC has been working for long to create awareness and sensitise people that
blindness is a physical condition that can be overcome, and need not become a
disability. through its flagship event, Antarchakshu—The Eye Within, which is
conducted in different parts of the country and draws in thousands of
participants every year.
When the XRCVC team brain-stormed about how the media could be harnessed to
create more awareness, it felt that rather than use columns of text to talk
about visual impairment, the same could be achieved through the medium of a
cartoon series—which with the right proportion of humour and realism, could be
a much more effective way to drive home the message. When XRCVC approached
Ponnappa in Pune with the idea, he was extremely excited.
Speaking about how the cartoon strip took shape, Ponnappa said, “Dr Sam and a
colleague visited me last year along with a friend, who is also blind like Sam.
Sam is 100 per cent blind.”
The illustrator with a 30-year-long career said the meal they shared lasted
three hours. In fact, Ponnappa even spent a part of the time blindfolded.
Chatter over how 'normal' the lives of the blind are led him to suggest he
create a comic strip on the subject. XRCVC would provide fodder for situations
while Ponnappa would give it his brand of wit. "Mid-day was excited about
completing the triangle, and here we are," said Ponnappa of the comic that will
appear every week in the paper's Sunday edition.
Appended below is a panel-by-panel description of the contents as accessible
content.
I hope you enjoy You & Eye as much as we did putting it together!
PANEL-BY-PANEL IMAGE DESCRIPTION
YOU & EYE – A WEEKLY HUMOUR SERIES THAT DEMYSTIFIES BLINDNESS, CURATED BY
XRCVC.ORG
Image description:
A cartoon strip with 8 frames…
Frame 1:(A sighted man wearing glasses looking backwards)
Frame 2:(The sighted man speaking to a sighted woman wearing dark glasses, who
is seated at a table with the visually impaired man, who sits back and
listens)Sighted man to Sighted woman:Pardon me, but I overheard you say that
one of you is blind! Are you the one?Sighted woman to Sighted man:Not me! My
friend here is!
Frame 3:(The sighted man still speaking to the sighted woman)Sighted man to
Sighted woman:Oh! Shouldn’t he be the one wearing the shades?Visually Impaired
man to Sighted man:Why not ask me directly!
Frame 4:(The sighted man with his arms folded still speaking to the sighted
woman who appears to be getting irritated, while the visually impaired man
lifts his cup from the table)Sighted man to Sighted woman:Don’t the blind
always wear dark glasses!Sighted woman to Sighted man:Ask him!
Frame 5:(The sighted man with his arms resting on his hips appears miffed as he
still speaks to the sighted woman. Both, she and the visually impaired man are
now looking away)Sighted man to Sighted woman:But wouldn’t he be more
comfortable wearing the dark shades?!
Frame 6:(The sighted man walks away)
Frame 7:(The sighted woman and the visually impaired man have a conversation
while he takes a sip from his cup)Sighted woman: He just walked away without
speaking directly to you!Visually Impaired man: I could sense his discomfort!
Frame 8:(The sighted woman and the visually impaired man all smiles as they
continue their conversation)Sighted woman: Do the sighted always do that when
you’re with a companion?Visually Impaired man: Do you have an extra pair of
shades?!
BLIND PERSONS ARE LIKE THE REST OF US. NOT GENIUSES OR DUDS, BUT PERSONS TRYING
TO FIND A SWEET SPOT IN A WORLD WHERE RULES ARE MADE BY THE SIGHTED. IN A NEW
WEEKLY COMIC SERIES CONCEIVED BY THE XAVIER’S RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE VISUALLY
CHALLENGED (XRCVC) AND CREATED BY THIS CARTOONIST, VISION IMPAIRMENT GETS
DEMYSTIFIED WITH A GARNISH OF WIT. NO OFFENCE IS MEANT, AND HOPEFULLY, NONE
WILL BE TAKEN.(Signed Ponnappa)
Best Regards,Dr. Sam
Taraporevala------------------------------------------DirectorXavier's Resource
Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC)
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