Braille magazine opens up world of creativity

By Prajanma Das
KOLKATA: Ever imagined how our imagination works? How gifted we are to be able to imagine? How ideas, images and sensations are formed from the things we see around us?
Now, try to envisage how imagination works for the visually impaired, particularly those with congenital blindness with no memory of an image to tap into. Instead of visual images, they depend on the wealth of auditory sensations in their memory; even their dreams are auditory.Sparshanandan has since 1999 been encouraging the visually impaired to voice their imagination through an annual Braille poetry magazine, Sparshanandan-Drishtihinder Braille Patrika. There have been initiatives to help the visually challenged study, work and carry out everyday chores, but Sparshanandan was the first to create an opportunity for them to explore their creativity.The white perforated pages of the magazine take them on a flight of fantasy, opening up a world of vivid images. Poetry, which is an expression of experiences, their interpretation and imagination mingled together, also works differently for the visually impaired. “For a visually challenged poet, the idea of the surroundings is not based on images. They feel it, unlike us who can see,“ said Satyajith Mandal, editor and publisher of the magazine. “It is an experience to read their poems. It leads one into a world where you can only feel. The poems let you visualise even with your eyes closed.“
Bithika Sarkar, one of the contributors to the magazine, said poetry was an inspiration. “It is not just a form of expression for us.Poetry gives us the sense of freedom. My verses let me see in my own way, and show my world to the rest,“ she said. Inspired by the freedom offered by the creative works, Sanju Panna travelled more than 600km from Alipurduar to recite one of his verses at a literary meet organized by the association. “The enthusiasm of those who send in entries for our magazine is overwhelming,“ Mandal added.