It was an exhilarating moment for the over 300 odd students, professionals – all visually impaired – who heard and understood each and every moment on an onscreen movie for the first time at the Mehr Chand Polytechnic College, Jalandhar. It was also the first time an audio film was screened in Punjab.

On Gandhi Jayanti today, visually impaired people from across Punjab shared the special experience of silently enjoying a film without seeking support from someone.

Students, disability group activists, professionals and intellectuals from various districts including Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar among other cities and villages all joined each other in this special screening of Lord Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary today.

This unique experience was made possible by the NGO Saksham (which in Hindi means capable). True to its name, the NGO has for the past many years – even since its Jalandhar unit came into being – has rendered hundreds of people ‘capable’ of sensing and seeing things with their ears – a privilege hitherto denied to them due to lack of adequate technology in the state.

Starting off with audio books, the NGO has branched out to other media – like films – the first of which was screened today and plans are afoot to bring in many others for the state’s and city’s visually impaired audiences.

What a film for the visually impaired does is, it fills in the gaps. When a character drives to another city or there is a scene of rioting – a normal person understands but a visually impaired loses the plot. This film, however, kept them in the loop and let them know what was happening with a dubbed voice taking them through very onscreen transition – like someone got off the car or someone else went to another city or even took a stroll in the garden.

How happy those experiencing the film today felt, is summed up aptly by Kanwaljit, a visually impaired teacher from Chandigarh, “I have been fond of watching films but today I felt greatly liberated. Whenever we go for the movies, have had to ask a friend to tell me what happened, sometimes even feeling whether the person is felling perturbed by repeated queries about whats going on. But today I needed no help and could do my watching on my own. It felt lovely.”

Speaking to The Tribune Dr Prem Sagar and Deepika Sood, the couple who made this dream for people across the state possible said, “It is just our first film yet. However, we are looking for sponsors to bring in more films. Three Idiots is certainly high on the priority list.”

“We are currently looking for sponsors to audio dub more films. For a standard dub, a standard artist is required. Gandhi was dubbed by Kavita Seth. A single is done at a cost of Rs 60,000 to 70, 000,” said Sood.

While the NGO itself also bore expenses to drop students to the bus stand and arrange autos for them travel to the Mehr Chand Polytechnic College, they said it was all worth it after students enjoyed he show. Already having created a niche in audio books in the state, the NGO even has plans to branch out overseas in the field of audio books.

“As we get repeated queries for books in regional languages from US, Canada etc. We have plans to start audio books for the overseas friends too,” says Dr Sagar, lecturer in music vocal, HMV College, Jalandhar.

“The prime focus of Saksham is to render all visually impaired capable of being self dependent, so that they may never have to rely on anyone. We are looking to fulfil this dream and are hoping for the coordination of the government and especially institutes like Mehr Chand, HMV, DAv among others which have already been very supportive to us for this endeavour,” says Deepika.

Notably, Saksham, Jalandhar, has already rendered 200 to 250 in the audio book format. Books of the Punjab, Punjabi and GND Universities have already been converted to the audio format by the NGO through its Jalandhar-based studios at HMV College and Mehr Chand Polytechnic College. Admittedly, hundreds of visually impaired students’ lives have been changed through the NGOs’ books which are made though the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) software.

Sharing an experience Deppika said, “A couple from Bilga who had diabetic children, came specially to us seeking audio books for their wards after reading about us. Now the children don’t have to go from pillar to post looking for means to study. It is this kind of empowerment which we seek and when people find it, it fills us with happiness,” quips Deepika.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/cities/jalandhar/hundreds-of-visually-impaired-enjoy-first-ever-screening-of-audio-film/140922.html