Dear All,
An article about my Dad is enclosed. Kindly go through it... This credit is
all because of wellwishers like you...
regards
Roshan Fathima & Jaseela
=============================================================
This article has been sent to you by Roshan & Jaseela (
coolja...@yahoo.co.in )
=============================================================
Source: The Hindu
(http://www.hinduonnet.com/mp/2009/04/09/stories/2009040950180100.htm)
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A born fighter
Known for his never-to-die spirit and will power, S.M.A.Jinnah lives up his
dreams, says SOMA BASU
Photo: Soma Basu
MAN OF STEEL Braving all odds
He holds a famous name - Muhammed Ali Jinnah. But the similarity ends there.
For, this Jinnah is no politician. But his will to convert his and other's
visual handicap to a challenge is not only well known in this small town but
discussed at various local, national and global platforms.
When one has to combat the twin struggles of poverty and blindness and that
too at an age meant to enjoy childhood, it is far more easy to give up. But
obviously Jinnah, born in a small village Eruvadi in Tirunelveli district,
was different. When he was a toddler his father deserted the family and he
lost his mother when he was barely five. His maternal uncle brought him up
but fate remained unkind to him.
At the tender age of 13, he lost his vision in an accident and had to give
up studies for five years visiting every eye hospital in the hope of cure.
Finally at the age of 18, in 1962, he reconciled to the fact that his optic
nerves damaged in the accident were beyond repair.
Renewed determination
And that is when Jinnah renewed his determination to be "educated first".
"Even as a child, I was always interested academics. When I had to give up
school post-accident, I kept in touch with news and developments around the
world listening to the radio," he says.
When he wanted to join a school for the blind at Palayamkottai, his family
refused. "It was a social stigma because people lacked a professional
outlook. My family thought it was an asylum. One day I just ran away from
home. If I hadn't done that, I would have been lost somewhere today," he
smiles.
His grandmother, of course, came later enquiring and pleading him to return
home but young Jinnah refused to budge. Since he was over-age, the school
too refused to give him admission initially and instead asked him to learn
Braille first. Once they were satisfied with his progress, was he taken in
Class VIII. But there was no class IX for the visually impaired those days
and he had to join a regular school for his High School education.
Madurai visit
After matriculation, a friend's suggestion brought him to Madurai in 1966
for a three-year vocational training course at the Rehabilitation Centre for
the Blind started by the founder chairman of Arvind Eye Hospital, late
Dr.G.Venkataswamy. Jinnah then went on to become the gold medallist in both
B.A from American College and M.A from Thiagarajar College.
He amazes with his zeal to work and ability to laugh at himself. With hard
work as his life's mantra, Jinnah believes in being independent and
self-reliant. He joined the Government School for the Blind in Madurai in
1974 as its head master and continued in that post till 1980 before opting
to work as a teacher and "be of more use to visually challenged persons."
To be treated on par with the sighted people, is Jinnah's goal. "Our plight
should not be looked down up. We are like any normal human being minus the
eyes. But we are no less in brain or ability if provided with right
opportunities," he says.
His projects
To materialise his dream, he set up the Hellen Keller Education Society for
providing integrated education to blind children along with normal-sighted
children. This was followed by the National Federation for the Visually
Disabled, a self-help movement.
With the help of Dr.V, he started a school for the Blind at K.K.Nagar which
was later taken over by the Government.
"It is a crime to segregate disabled children. Integrated education places
them in a position of exercising equal rights and opportunities," says
Jinnah who also founded the Madurai chapter of the Indian Association for
the Blind (IAB) in 1985 with 12 students and Rs.6,000 in pocket.
Today, the IAB Higher Secondary School for the Blind at Sunderarajanpatti,
caters to more than 350 students from eight primary schools in the southern
districts of Tamil Nadu. An equal number are currently put up in dozen
mainstream schools and colleges. Jinnah has employed 30 visually impaired
people in his own institution, besides placing another 100 visually impaired
people in government jobs and around 500 people in private firms. He has
helped over 3,000 individuals through education, training and employment
opportunities.
Library
In fact, IAB, Madurai was the first institution to introduce a computer
course for the visually impaired higher secondary students. Its library is
equipped with a Braille world map, a computer-based Braille translator and a
reading machine. The IAB prints textbooks on various subjects for students
from Standard VI to Plus-Two under the State Board. Efforts are on to also
make books of interest like the Tirukkural, Agni Siragugal and Kamaraj's
biography into Braille.
Jinnah's year-long Post-Graduate Diploma course in "Teaching for the
Visually Disabled" at the Boston University, USA, was actually an eye-opener
for him and he returned even more determined to make his ilk self-reliant.
Since the conferment of the International Rotary Award in 1981, there has
been no looking back for Jinnah whose kitty has over a dozen prestigious
awards including the last one in 2007 from Government of India for Best
Institution for the Handicapped.
A man who does not believe in wasting time or wallowing in self pity, not
only did he educate himself under trying circumstances, but also saw to it
that the other visually disabled do not feel different from the rest of the
society.
"Each of them has a special skill but they lack opportunities and
recognition. Even the visually challenged are forced to seek new avenues
today to make a living," he asserts, adding that the Government should on
priority educate the blind and provide them with jobs so that they are not a
burden unto themselves.
On his part, Jinnah slogs round-the-clock for the uplift of their lot and to
make their lives a lot more better and brighter.
Making a Difference is a fortnightly column about ordinary people and events
that leave an extraordinary impact on us. Email to somab...@thehindu.co.in
to tell about someone you know who is making a difference.
Dear All,
An article about my Dad is enclosed. Kindly go through it... This credit is
all becasue of wellwishers like you...
Regards
Roshan Fathima & Jaseela
=============================================================
This article has been sent to you by Roshan & Jaseela (
coolja...@yahoo.co.in )
=============================================================
Source: The Hindu
(http://www.hinduonnet.com/mp/2009/04/09/stories/2009040950180100.htm)
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A born fighter
Known for his never-to-die spirit and will power, S.M.A.Jinnah lives up his
dreams, says SOMA BASU
Photo: Soma Basu
MAN OF STEEL Braving all odds
He holds a famous name - Muhammed Ali Jinnah. But the similarity ends there.
For, this Jinnah is no politician. But his will to convert his and other's
visual handicap to a challenge is not only well known in this small town but
discussed at various local, national and global platforms.
When one has to combat the twin struggles of poverty and blindness and that
too at an age meant to enjoy childhood, it is far more easy to give up. But
obviously Jinnah, born in a small village Eruvadi in Tirunelveli district,
was different. When he was a toddler his father deserted the family and he
lost his mother when he was barely five. His maternal uncle brought him up
but fate remained unkind to him.
At the tender age of 13, he lost his vision in an accident and had to give
up studies for five years visiting every eye hospital in the hope of cure.
Finally at the age of 18, in 1962, he reconciled to the fact that his optic
nerves damaged in the accident were beyond repair.
Renewed determination
And that is when Jinnah renewed his determination to be "educated first".
"Even as a child, I was always interested academics. When I had to give up
school post-accident, I kept in touch with news and developments around the
world listening to the radio," he says.
When he wanted to join a school for the blind at Palayamkottai, his family
refused. "It was a social stigma because people lacked a professional
outlook. My family thought it was an asylum. One day I just ran away from
home. If I hadn't done that, I would have been lost somewhere today," he
smiles.
His grandmother, of course, came later enquiring and pleading him to return
home but young Jinnah refused to budge. Since he was over-age, the school
too refused to give him admission initially and instead asked him to learn
Braille first. Once they were satisfied with his progress, was he taken in
Class VIII. But there was no class IX for the visually impaired those days
and he had to join a regular school for his High School education.
Madurai visit
After matriculation, a friend's suggestion brought him to Madurai in 1966
for a three-year vocational training course at the Rehabilitation Centre for
the Blind started by the founder chairman of Arvind Eye Hospital, late
Dr.G.Venkataswamy. Jinnah then went on to become the gold medallist in both
B.A from American College and M.A from Thiagarajar College.
He amazes with his zeal to work and ability to laugh at himself. With hard
work as his life's mantra, Jinnah believes in being independent and
self-reliant. He joined the Government School for the Blind in Madurai in
1974 as its head master and continued in that post till 1980 before opting
to work as a teacher and "be of more use to visually challenged persons."
To be treated on par with the sighted people, is Jinnah's goal. "Our plight
should not be looked down up. We are like any normal human being minus the
eyes. But we are no less in brain or ability if provided with right
opportunities," he says.
His projects
To materialise his dream, he set up the Hellen Keller Education Society for
providing integrated education to blind children along with normal-sighted
children. This was followed by the National Federation for the Visually
Disabled, a self-help movement.
With the help of Dr.V, he started a school for the Blind at K.K.Nagar which
was later taken over by the Government.
"It is a crime to segregate disabled children. Integrated education places
them in a position of exercising equal rights and opportunities," says
Jinnah who also founded the Madurai chapter of the Indian Association for
the Blind (IAB) in 1985 with 12 students and Rs.6,000 in pocket.
Today, the IAB Higher Secondary School for the Blind at Sunderarajanpatti,
caters to more than 350 students from eight primary schools in the southern
districts of Tamil Nadu. An equal number are currently put up in dozen
mainstream schools and colleges. Jinnah has employed 30 visually impaired
people in his own institution, besides placing another 100 visually impaired
people in government jobs and around 500 people in private firms. He has
helped over 3,000 individuals through education, training and employment
opportunities.
Library
In fact, IAB, Madurai was the first institution to introduce a computer
course for the visually impaired higher secondary students. Its library is
equipped with a Braille world map, a computer-based Braille translator and a
reading machine. The IAB prints textbooks on various subjects for students
from Standard VI to Plus-Two under the State Board. Efforts are on to also
make books of interest like the Tirukkural, Agni Siragugal and Kamaraj's
biography into Braille.
Jinnah's year-long Post-Graduate Diploma course in "Teaching for the
Visually Disabled" at the Boston University, USA, was actually an eye-opener
for him and he returned even more determined to make his ilk self-reliant.
Since the conferment of the International Rotary Award in 1981, there has
been no looking back for Jinnah whose kitty has over a dozen prestigious
awards including the last one in 2007 from Government of India for Best
Institution for the Handicapped.
A man who does not believe in wasting time or wallowing in self pity, not
only did he educate himself under trying circumstances, but also saw to it
that the other visually disabled do not feel different from the rest of the
society.
"Each of them has a special skill but they lack opportunities and
recognition. Even the visually challenged are forced to seek new avenues
today to make a living," he asserts, adding that the Government should on
priority educate the blind and provide them with jobs so that they are not a
burden unto themselves.
On his part, Jinnah slogs round-the-clock for the uplift of their lot and to
make their lives a lot more better and brighter.
Making a Difference is a fortnightly column about ordinary people and events
that leave an extraordinary impact on us. Email to somab...@thehindu.co.in
to tell about someone you know who is making a difference.
-------
Adieu.
Saravanan.
______
Please feel free to share your comments, feedbacks and and new ideas!
(saravanan.ramado...@gmail.com or saaravanan_2...@hotmail.com)
------------------------------
GOOD FRIENDSHIP IS LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EYE & HAND!
IF THE HAND IS HURT, THE EYE WILL CRY! & WHEN THE EYE CRIES, THE HAND WILL
WIPE THE TEARS!!!
"Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him."
Emerson
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