Dear RSKC Team,
Thank you for sharing this powerful update regarding Ramaswamy Dharmarajan. It is a vital reminder that representation in governance is the ultimate shift from being a "story" to being a "fact." Your message resonates with me deeply, particularly the focus on reshaping systems. In my view, society remains far too focused on the former part of the word—the "Dis"—rather than the latter, which is the "Ability." We need more drivers of systemic change to carry the flag of our true ability into the world, ensuring that our presence in public systems is viewed as authority rather than a "good deed." While my personal efforts have been focused on influencing change through technology, I am acutely aware that social and policy change is the other essential side of the coin. Technology can provide access, but policy determines our security. I have felt the weight of these systemic barriers personally. At the age of 45, as the sole breadwinner for my family, I found it incredibly challenging to obtain term insurance. The lurking fear of "what if I am not there" is constant, yet I felt failed by a system where policy barriers and being misled prevented me from securing my family’s future. Even when options exist, we are often penalised with higher premiums—a "disability tax <https://www.mister-kayne.com/2025/10/the-kryptonite-behind-inspirational.html> " that puts us at a disadvantage when we already navigate a more expensive world. This is why your mission to move beyond "coping" toward "agency" is so important. When we have blind leaders in economic and policy roles, we can finally begin to dismantle these specific financial and social hurdles that technology alone cannot fix. Sincerely, Mujtaba Merchant Bangalore | INDIA Mail: [email protected] Website: <https://www.mister-kayne.com/> The Somebody, Nobody, Anybody & Everybody Blog! Sent from Outlook ® for Windows 10 From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of RSKC-Rising Star Khilte Chehre Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 3:13 PM To: accessindia <[email protected]> Subject: [AI] Re: The Republic doesn’t need blind citizens to be inspirational. It needs them to be normal. We are proud to say that Ramaswamy Dharmarajan is a vital part of the RSKC community — and yes, you’ll get to meet and engage with him inside the community. He is India’s first visually impaired officer in the Indian Economic Service. That sounds historic — and it is. It is strategic. It is philosophical. It is necessary. Because RSKC was never built to create emotional stories. It was built to change who occupies public space, power, and decision-making. Our mission is not to help blind individuals “cope” with the world. Our mission is to reshape the world they move through. And that requires more than travel. It requires leadership. It requires representation inside institutions. It requires blind professionals shaping policy, economy, education, and public systems. Ramaswamy Dharmarajan embodies that future. When a blind officer works inside India’s economic system, something fundamental shifts: Blind students see career horizons expand. Families see security, not vulnerability. Policymakers see competence, not charity. Society sees authority, not dependence. This is exactly what RSKC stands for. Travel, for us, is not leisure. It is training for public life. Every journey builds: confidence to move independently, negotiation skills, social courage, public presence, decision-making capacity. So that blind individuals don’t just exist in society — they participate in shaping it. Ramaswamy Dharmarajan is proof that this journey works. Not in theory. In governance. His presence in our community raises the bar for what blind leadership looks like. It tells every young blind traveller at RSKC: You don’t have to stop at independence. You can move toward influence. You don’t have to limit your dreams to survival. You can step into nation-building. You don’t have to ask for inclusion. You can claim your place. This is why his presence matters to RSKC. Because our goal is not access. Our goal is agency. Not sympathy. But systems. Not applause. But authority. Not inspiration. But impact. And this is the Republic we are building — one journey, one leader, one life at a time. On Mon, Jan 26, 2026, 3:06 PM RSKC-Rising Star Khilte Chehre <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: I don’t remember Republic Day by images. I remember it by sound. The thud of shoes on a road somewhere far. A TV volume turned up in living rooms. A neighbour saying, “Dekho dekho, missile aa gaya.” And the quiet sentence that sits behind all of it: Where does the Republic touch my day? Because if the Republic is real, it should show up in ordinary places. At a bus stop where nobody grabs your arm and calls it help. At a metro station where the announcement is clear and the staff is trained. In an office where your competence is not treated like a “good deed.” In a classroom where accessibility isn’t a favour. In a city where you can move without negotiating your dignity every ten steps. That’s my Republic Day test. Not the parade. The pavement. And somewhere inside this test, I think of @Ramaswamy DharamRajan Iyer IES Officer VI Dubai Trip Ramaswamy Dharmarajan. Not because he is a “story.” Because he is a fact. A visually impaired Indian Economic Service officer. Inside the government. Doing the kind of work that shapes how a country thinks: numbers, policy, priorities, planning. No dramatic background music. No poster line. Just a blind person doing what the Constitution promised on 26 January 1950: participation. This is what people miss when they talk about disability and patriotism. Patriotism is not clapping when a blind person succeeds. Patriotism is building a system where their success isn’t an exception. The Republic doesn’t need blind citizens to be inspirational. It needs them to be normal. Normal in classrooms. Normal in hiring. Normal in leadership. Normal in travel. Normal in public life. Because the most radical thing a blind Indian can do in this country is also the most basic thing: Move freely. Choose freely. Work freely. Belong without explanation. So today, if you want to wish someone Happy Republic Day, don’t do it softly. Say it like a citizen speaking to another citizen: Happy Republic Day. May your freedom look like access. May your independence be ordinary. And may this country stop acting surprised when you contribute—because you always have. On Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 1:56 PM Amiyo Biswas <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: https://scroll.in/article/1090010/why-making-live-events-accessible-for-people-with-disabilities-makes-sense-for-everyone With best regards, Amiyo Biswas Cell: 6290527506 -- 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] <mailto:[email protected]> . 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