Hello list members, I am glad to share with you all that by God's grace, I bagged the first prize in readiscovery 2025, a story writing competition exclusively for the blind, requiring the use of all other senses except sight. I am sharing my story with you below, I humbly request all to please share their honest feedback with me so that I may improve my skills as a fiction writer.
Winning Stories - Readiscovery '25 Experiencing the Ramayana: A Blind Man’s Perspective First Prize : Avichal Bhatnagar It was the final day of my penance and my heart was throbbing with excitement. For the past three years, I had maintained strict spiritual discipline — cooking my own food and eating one meal a day, sleeping on the floor in my room, focusing on chanting mantras on a rosary. It was during a pilgrimage to Varanasi three years ago that I had come in contact with a highly learned ascetic by sheer luck. Helater became my Guru. On that first encounter, I had expressed to him my desire to meet Lord Rama, and he had explained to me the procedure and rules of the penance I would have to undergo to fulfil my desire. Now, as I completed the final round on the rosary, I ffelt both trepidation and joy in equal measure. Would my dream of meeting the Lord come true, or would a slight mistake, perhaps committed unknowingly under the influence of Kaliyuga, ruin the hard work of the past years? However, as soon as I touched the meru of the rosary to my forehead, I started experiencing an ecstasy I had never felt before. The entire room was filled with the enchanting smell of sandalwood and flowers, and the sounds of a conch shell and various musical instruments created a symphony I had never heard before. Amidst all this, “I am happy with your penance, tell me, what boon do you wish to seek?” it said. For a moment, I was rendered speechless. I did not know how to react. More than anything else, I was not certain whether the Lord had actually come to meet me or my mind was playing tricks on me. “O Bhagwan, ” I said in a shaky voice. “Yes, my dear devotee, I have come all the way from Saket Loka to meet you. You have won my heart with your infinite devotion, a devotion that is becoming a rarity in today’s day and age, a devotion filled with innocence, and totally untouched by materialism, ” Rama said in a tender voice. His words brought tears to my eyes, and I asked him, “Lord, if you permit me, may I feel you by touch?” “Of course, why not?” He replied in the same soothing voice, then asked after a pause, “But, my dear, don’t you feel me in each and every cell of your body? Are you and I really different?” “I understand, my Lord, that at the level of consciousness you and I belong to the same source, but still, just so I can treasure this moment, may I touch you physically?” “Here we go,” Lord Rama said and helped me up to my feet by holding my hands. He guided me as I felt his entire body, from head to toe. His hair was long and soft to the touch. His crown felt heavy, with different gems covering it in entirety. His face felt soft and supple. His ears had earrings that were so heavy they had to be made of solid gold. His nose pin was similarly solid, and his lips were soft, as if someone regularly nourished them with butter or ghee. His hands were tender, and once I touched his feet I realized that when various saints and sages described them as lotus feet they were not indulging in hyperbole at all. His dhoti and uttariya felt silky and smelled of sandalwood. It struck me then that his hands were empty. “My Lord, aren’t you carrying a bow?” “No, my dear devotee, I came to meet you bound by your infinite love, not as a warrior. Hence, you will experience me in my ordinary form,” he replied in the same melodious voice. My eyes started brimming again with tears, and I lost myself completely in contemplating what the Holy Lord had just said. “Tell me, dear, what boon do you want?” the Lord’s voice brought me back to the present moment. “My Lord, having experienced you, I have no more materialistic desires remaining. However, I will consider myself really blessed if you could help me, a blind person, experience through your Yog Maya some glimpses of the Ramayana,” I replied. “Tatha Astu,” the Lord said. Suddenly, I felt my entire body vibrating and being transported through the air. In a short while, my feet touched solid ground, and beneath my slippers I could feel the softness of grass. The surroundings were filled with sounds of different birds, insects and animals. Yet, the place exuded a distinct feeling of peace and tranquility. I breathed in the scent of wet earth and forest flowers. “We are now in the Dandakaranya forest, where I will be spending my exile with Sita and Laxmana.” The Lord’s voice reached me from my left. “Now, you can touch the bow that I am carrying in my hands,” the Lord continued. I eagerly turned towards my left and touched the heavy metallic bow. I sensed Him lifting the bow – and thwang – He fired an arrow, whichbrushed past me, causing a rustling sound in the grass. Before I could ask about it, the Lord asked, “Shall we proceed now?”. “Sure, my Lord,” I replied. “Hold this, and start walking ahead. I shall walk beside you,” He said. Then he placed something in my hands, which I realized from touching it was something like my white cane, though made of many metallic pieces. “This is your white cane, made from the arrows of my bow,” the Lord said. “Lord, may I hold your hand as I walk?” I asked. “Walk straight, my dear, and I shall walk with you,” He replied in the same tender voice. Not really sure how to walk on an unknown path without any guidance, I gripped the cane and took a few tentative steps forward. To my utter surprise, I found a clear pathway laid out between the trees, wide enough for two people to walk along. I realized what the Lord had done a few moments before. He had fired the arrow to create a path for me, his devotee, so that I could walk independently and yet enjoy the company of the Lord of the three worlds. His kindness and compassion moistened my eyes once again. After walking for approximately five to ten minutes, during which time the Lord explained the different flora and fauna of the forest, we reached a place that felt like a clearing, with no trees on either side, and my cane brushed against what seemed to be a wooden structure. “Welcome to Rama’s hut.” The Lord said in a hospitable voice. “Sita, Laxmana,’ he called out, ‘come and meet our guest.” Soon, I heard the footsteps of a person walking in wooden slippers and the jingling of metallic ornaments, indicating the arrival of Mother Sita and Laxmana. “Welcome to our humble abode,” Sita and Laxmana said in unison. Following their voices, I bowed down and touched their feet. Soon, I was sitting comfortably on a grass mat on the mud floor, which had the pleasant odour of cow dung, indicating its recent application. While Rama and Laxmana had gone out to collect ingredients for a meal, I had the good fortune of having a conversation with Mother Sita. I recited for her couplets from the Ram CharitaManas, which I remembered by heart. She sounded pleased and blessed me with attainment of infinite spiritual treasures. Once Rama and Laxmana returned, Sita rustled up a quick dish on the chulha outside the hut, and we sat down to eat. Laxmana led me by the hand to a grass mat on the floor. As I sat, I sensedRama and Laxmana settle down on either side of me. I reached out to adjust the banana leaf kept before my seat so I could reach it easily. The food was wild berries and fruits, and the wild herbs and roots that Mother Sita had cooked with love and affection.The aroma of the food was tantalizing, and when I took the first bite I felt a heavenly joy. I asked for more, and Mother Sita served me a large portion with a lot of love. Satiated, I lay down on the floor and soon fell asleep. When I awoke for a few moments from sleep, I heard Rama, Laxmana and Mother Sita conversing softly. “O Lord, the food was very less for you, why did you not bring more?” Sita asked. “My beloved, if the food was less for me, it was lesser for you and Laxmana, as you ate last, and Laxmana pretended not to be too hungry. He gave a portion of his meal to me.” Then he continued, “But it doesn’t matter; I am fully satiated and satisfied, if my devotee is satiated and satisfied.” This made me feel ashamed of myself. I was so occupied in gobbling down the heavenly food that I had not bothered to think about the portions for the other three. The next morning, Mother Sita held my hand and brought me outside the hut, whispering in my ear that she wanted to reveal a miracle that one had to experience to believe. ‘Here is Rama, comfortably taking a nap under the sun,’ she said. ‘Reach out and you will feel how gently the snakes cover his body withtheir hoods and how the scorpions caress it with their stings.’ I was astounded at the thought of this, but Mother Sita described the scene to me as though it was something that occurred every day. At first, I was too scared to touch the creatures, but when the all-loving mother assured me that no harm would come to me, I gingerly extended my hands and touched both creatures for the first time. These beings had been a source of constant fear for me, throughout my life, and it gave me goosebumps to feel them beneath my fingers. Even as I turned to Mother Sita to express my gratitude for this extraordinary experience. I felt my body vibrate again, and this time the place I was transported to was covered with sand. I staggered forward as the sand shifted beneath my feet. Then thesound of the sea reached my ears. I was standing on a beach. The crashing of waves was soon joined by a medley of other sounds, including the calls of monkeys and growls of bears. “Who is he, and what is he doing here?” a voice sounding half human and half bear-like asked. “He is our guest, o Jambawanta,” I heard the Lord reply. “How kind you are, my Lord. You are enabling a visually impaired person to experience scenes from your life. Only you, you alone, can do it,” said another voice, heavy with emotion. “I am always bound by the love of my devotees, O Hanuman. I can do anything for them,” said Rama. The Lord introduced me to all the commanders in His army – from the mighty bear Jambawanta to Hanuman, and from Nal and Neel to Sugreev and Angad. They greeted me like I was one of their own. It was a delight to ride on Jambawanta’s back, and to be air-lifted from one part of the beach to another by Hanuman on his shoulders. >From their conversation I gathered that they were busy in constructing the Rama Setu, a bridge over the sea to travel to Lanka. I requested them to allow me to contribute to their labour. “When a squirrel can contribute, why can’t I?” I said. Soon, I was counting the stones that each monkey in Sugreev’s army had to take from the beach to the sea. When the bridge was ready, Rama, greatly pleased with my service, fired another arrow and then took my hand to make me touch something. My joy knew no bounds when I felt the metallic plate at the entrance the bridge as it had “Sri Rama Setu” embossed on it in Braille. The judges said they could imagine the story in their minds as they read. -- Avichal Bhatnagar Assistant professor at Department of English, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College University of Delhi Doctoral research scholar at Department of humanities Delhi Technological University (formerly Delhi college of engineering) -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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