Pushpa’s journey of scribing started with a simple conversation while helping a visually impaired person cross the road
At a time when visually-challenged students are struggling to find scribes, there is Pushpa N.M., a city-based scribe, who has helped write a total of 1,070 examinations so far. Not just blind students, but Pushpa has examinations across various subjects and streams for students with physical and mental disabilities.
She writes examinations for people with visual impairment, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, dyslexia, lower IQ levels, memory problems, slow writers, and regular students who meet with accidents or injuries. Along with SSLC and PU, she has written various bachelor and master’s degrees, law degrees, and Ph.D. examinations, and also Bescom, railways, India Post, and bank exams.
Ms. Pushpa’s journey of scribing started with a simple conversation while helping a visually-impaired person cross the road. “My education was quite tough. That conversation on the road made me think how I can help somebody and I started volunteering in 2007. It was tough initially as I kept thinking what if a candidate loses marks because of me or what if they blame me? But over the years, I have realised that our scribing should only be 20% contributor while their efforts and knowledge make up the remaining 80%,” she told The Hindu.
Pushpa N.M., a scribe who has helped write a total of 1,070 examinations so far, not just for blind students, but also for students with physical and mental disabilities across various subjects and streams in Bengaluru on March 17, 2023. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
When asked how she prepares before she goes scribing, Ms. Pushpa said: “I do not really prepare much as I write what they dictate. However, a good scribe should be confident while they are writing and also have good listening and grasping skills. I do not meet the students nor do I know their background. I just meet them at the hall and write their exams.”
However, Ms. Pushpa has taken short-term courses in languages as she has written exams in English, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. An IT professional with a start-up, she finds it easy to balance that and scribing and she follows the principals of prioritisation. “If I am working, then I give it my all. When I have three free hours, I go and scribe and give it my all too. Balancing is about your mindset.”
Ms. Pushpa has won various awards and recognitions for her scribing, including the Nari Shakthi Puraskar, which was given by the President of India in 2019. “Even though we cannot help them (physically challenged) monetarily, we can do things which matter to their career and help them complete their education. Age should not be a criterion and I urge everyone who has some free time to scribe,” she concluded.
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