Rajesh Bishambahr Dayal is looking to make his mark in the upcoming general elections from Mumbai. A visually impaired person, Dayal is contesting as an Independent from the South Mumbai constituency. A Mumbaikar by birth, Dayal says he is clued into the struggles faced by common people and wants to speak for them.

CHENNAI: A visually impaired assistant professor of a  government college in the city faces the possibility of  disciplinary action for not attending a training session on   election-related work. 

K Raghuraman from Nandanam Government Arts and Science College had reached the training centre in Villvakkam on March 24, but had to leave as there were no accessible features or proper assistance for him at the centre. Despite his requestion for exemption, he was asked to attend the training session for polling booth presiding officers. 

As his board exams neared, Anshu Kumar Shakya, a class 12 student, felt unusually stressed and anxious. Pretty common among students, one would say. But his worries were entirely different. Shakya is bright, but he cannot see and needed a scribe to write his exams. His performance, he knew, depended not just on how hard he studied but also how well his answers were transcribed by his scribe.

Amid the plethora of issues being raised by the political parties as the campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls is assuming a feverish pitch, the people with visual and hearing impairments rue that every political party has turned a blind eye to their issues. The absence of the issues related with the rights of the disabled, job opportunities for them and providing a respectable position in the society irks most of the disabled.

CHENNAI: Chennai holds a special place in former West Indies cricket captain and legendary batsman Alvin Kallicharran’s heart as his mother Padma was born here. Each visit is a celebration, and he was here on Monday for the pre-launch of his upcoming book Colour Blind. The event was held at Amir Mahal where he spoke about cricket and the book.