tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70159934426084900512024-03-13T21:08:46.083+05:30Esha - People for the blindEsha (www.braillecards.org and www.clabil.org) is an initiative by volunteers to make life better for the blind. We use the word blind because its neutral. There is no disability, challenge or special ability attached to this. We are blind means we cannot see. Period. Just like you are sighted means you can see.
You can access the online library directly at www.braillecards.org/audio.htmEsha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.comBlogger397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-50558088075506214422024-03-13T13:12:00.001+05:302024-03-13T13:12:46.108+05:30Looking for Researchers <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dear Friends<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As you are aware, this
year’s Esha research project is trying to answer a very important question: How
are inclusive workspaces different, in terms of employee experience? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The study is being
guided by Dr. Amit Jain, FP from IIM Calcutta and faculty at SP Jain Institute
of Management. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We will not be using a
questionnaire-based approach. Instead, we will use two deep-knowledge
techniques – Network Maps and Critical Incidents. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Network Maps help us
understand the real social integration of people, and critical incidents
technique helps us understand the dynamics of working together. This two
pronged approach helps us get a holistic understanding of the inclusive
workspace. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At this time, we are
looking for researchers who will help us gather the information required for
the research. Training will be given to all researchers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What is expected <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Researchers will be
trained on creating network maps and conducting critical incident
conversations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">They are expected to
travel to the workplaces and gather information from both sighted and blind
professionals, both in groups and individually. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This information then
needs to be recorded as per the project standards and submitted. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Data gathering will be
done from April to July. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Where<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru,
Ahmedabad, Chandigarh. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">How much time is
expected<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">About ten hours per
week. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Who can Volunteer <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Students above the age
of sixteen can volunteer. All adults can volunteer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">People with interest
in, and some knowledge of behavioural sciences, will find this easier. We are
open to everyone who displays empathy, wants to learn these techniques, and can
devote time. Quality of data and documentation is crucial, so an eye for detail
will be very helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What do the
researchers get? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In addition to a
wonderful experience, all researchers can choose either a certificate of
volunteering or a small honorarium, depending on their preference. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">How do we sign up? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://forms.gle/A3ofJV8SGCvHu8JA6">https://forms.gle/A3ofJV8SGCvHu8JA6</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fill up this form. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Training will start in
early April 2024. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-4196302397667460612024-01-12T23:18:00.000+05:302024-01-12T23:18:02.441+05:30On Esha completing 19 years <p> <span style="text-align: justify;">Why do you do Esha?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know. Why do we breathe? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On 5<sup>th</sup> January, Esha (www.eshabraille.org) quietly completed
19 years and stepped into the 20<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And that, led to a moment of introspection. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is how Esha has truly
remained a volunteer-driven initiative. In this year, I hope that we are able
to deepen ties with our existing volunteers. That has been a long-standing area
of improvement. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The second is that the last few years of uncertainty might have been
necessary, but they have put us back a little bit. So, we will have to work a
little harder to make up for lost time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The third is that now that there is clarity of purpose and a clear
boundary around what we want to do, it should be a top priority to get things
going. Being a primarily action-oriented person, this one comes easily to me. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">AND, given that there is much to do, we will take a minute to list the
work done so far, and then focus on the future. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Were able
to talk about Braille enabled visiting cards and create a service center in India.
This service center, run by Venkatesh, services braille visiting cards all over
the country. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Were able
to create an online audio library in Indian languages which required no sign up
and no subscription – in 2010. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Were able
to create and help deliver a theater workshop that was conducted by a blind professional
for sighted participants. It was a super hit! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Were able
to create a structured student volunteering program, and then run it every
year, from 2012 onwards. Later, such programs have become a lot more frequent. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do some
very interesting work in research in our sector. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was good work, and we are grateful for being the medium through which
it was done. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, if you are reading this post, do join us. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Esha currently has three clear verticals. You can help in any one. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->A.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Knowledge
Democracy – www.clabil.org /audio.php – <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Content – Needed in Nepali. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Please help us take the library to more
stakeholders. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->We need help in publishing our content on
archive.org – we started a channel but have not been able to upload enough
content. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->B.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Sensitisation
– When I started the season of inclusion in December 2023, I thought it would
be as simple as going to a public place and hosting a blind walk. It wasn’t. We
realised that we now need organising support to conduct a Blind Walk. So, if
you are looking for an employee or student volunteering opportunity for your
own office/school/college, do consider a Blind Walk. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify;">More details here: <span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://eshabraille.org/current-projects/"><span lang="EN-US">https://eshabraille.org/current-projects/</span></a></span> and here <span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://eshabraille.org/blind-walks/"><span lang="EN-US">https://eshabraille.org/blind-walks/</span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->C.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Research –
Saving the best for the last. Data driven policy making needs data. One of the
most important gaps we have is independent research. So, Esha’s third vertical
is going to be research. So far, two out of our three research reports are in
the public domain: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">Career Choices: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://eshabraille.org/3d-flip-book/career-choices-of-the-visually-disabled/"><span lang="EN-US">https://eshabraille.org/3d-flip-book/career-choices-of-the-visually-disabled/</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">Attitudes towards specially-abled colleagues: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://eshabraille.org/research-report-attitude-of-the-sighted-towards-specially-abled-colleagues/"><span lang="EN-US">https://eshabraille.org/research-report-attitude-of-the-sighted-towards-specially-abled-colleagues/</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">This year, we are planning follow-up research –
What is the workplace experience of both sighted and blind colleagues, in an
inclusive workplace? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">We are currently in the research design stage.
Amit Jain, who is a Fellow from IIM Cal and now a professor at SPJIMR is
mentoring the research. If you have inputs that can help, experiences to share,
that will be very welcome. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">Otherwise, you can do one of the following: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Join the
research. All responses are confidential and very important. Data gathering is
likely to be from April – Aug 2024. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Connect us
to researchers. This is going to be a behavioral observation + conversation
study and we are going to need good researchers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Long ago, I used to send an annual update on Esha which was emailed to
all Friends of Esha. That will, if all goes well, be resumed this year. Please
do wish us luck as we start this journey, and, hop on! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-83684888177876421072023-12-14T00:50:00.003+05:302023-12-14T00:50:55.299+05:30First Blind Walks<p> And the first Blind Walks of the season will begin this weekend - Saturday in Delhi and Sunday 4 30 pm at the Leisure Valley park in Gurgaon. </p><p><br /></p><p>Be there! </p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-92104616252896727092023-12-14T00:49:00.000+05:302023-12-14T00:49:50.403+05:30Meeting India's National and International Level para Judo Players <p>Junta Rehab Center for the Blind has been operational since 1996. </p><p>It works in an important and overlooked area - rehabilitation of late blind individuals. </p><p>Recently, the school has found amazing success in the world of para Judo. Players trained at their facility have won national and international medals. </p><p>Today, we went to meet them and recorded some excellent videos with the players, their coach, and the Principal of the Institute. </p><p>See them on our Youtube channel: </p><p>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgkrKjjfJsEZ8bIRaH3YPtQ</p><p>The individual videos are: </p><p>Narendra Sir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNq0tz_pMxI</p><p>Pankaj Kumar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jV5flOBbUA</p><p>Jaisingh Sir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW87bDmjZWw</p><p>Deepak on how others can join Judo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGBrt5wwFoA</p><p>Ankit and Faiz talk about Judo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR9L_qxKtpE</p><p>Jaidev on who all contributed to his journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdRURD2-fVs</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-49513452266778743022023-12-09T17:07:00.001+05:302023-12-09T17:07:20.844+05:30Online Audio Library updated today <p>Esha's online audio library - CLABIL, was updated today. </p><p>This version has content from the Summer Project and a new partnership that we had with PWC this year. </p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-53272558191928226612023-12-09T16:58:00.001+05:302023-12-09T16:58:36.377+05:30Esha Launches the Season of Inclusion<p> Its the season of cheer. </p><p>Let's also make it the Season of Inclusion </p><p><br /></p><p>Esha invites you to conduct a Blind Walk wherever you are! </p><p>Help make this an inclusive world! </p><p><br /></p><p>More details here: </p><p>https://eshabraille.org/current-projects/</p><p><br /></p><p>The page and the program are running from Dec to Feb. </p><p><br /></p><p>Join us! </p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-7099013916779792892023-09-14T00:52:00.007+05:302023-09-14T00:59:45.348+05:30Attitudes of the Sighted Towards Specially Abled Colleagues <p>When we try to create an inclusive workplace, CEOs and HR Leaders have one doubt on top of their minds - </p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"How will the rest of our colleagues respond to the initiative? Will they welcome the change? Will they think of it as tokenism? Will they make the changes needed to create true inclusion?" </span></p><p>To help all stakeholders make unbiased decisions, Esha conducted a nationwide research to answer the question: </p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What, really, is the attitude of the sighted towards their specially-abled colleagues? </span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To ensure zero bias, the research questionnaire was circulated only through friends and family. To further enable honesty, it was made possible to answer completely anonymously. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The research was a year in the making - we started in May 2022 and completed only by July 2023. The report writing took another month. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are many things that we learnt as part of this research, but for the decision-makers, stakeholders, and everyone involved in creating a more inclusive world, we have just two insights to share: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Every interaction matters. Even people who have had a very brief encounter with a blind person earlier are more likely to believe that the blind can be financially independent. Not just that, they are also more likely to support the changes (longer transaction times, physical changes) if it means having specially abled colleagues. So, initiatives like Blind School visits, public space accessibility et al, are not just important for the blind. They are also important for the sighted. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. We usually assume that most colleagues would be hesitant to make the changes required. In fact, when thinking of our colleagues' attitudes towards changes, we "Start with No." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The number of people who said they would be very glad to make the changes required is 93%!! 5% were neutral and had a wait-and-watch approach. That means that just 2% of corporate salaried professionals have a negative attitude towards changes required to make an inclusive office! Let that sink in - Only 2%! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Our advice to all stakeholders in general and corporate employers in particular is simply this - Start with an assumption of Yes! The people are willing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The entire report can be read on the Esha website here: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">https://eshabraille.org/research-report-attitude-of-the-sighted-towards-specially-abled-colleagues/</span></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-17715637929040912762023-09-13T23:08:00.003+05:302023-09-13T23:13:29.014+05:30Talk on Esha <p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Talking about Esha is our favourite thing to do. But listening to this chat made us realise that this conversation, these subjects - they are important. </span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Even if we live them every day, we need to talk about it. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thank you, <span style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/sidbaliga?__cft__[0]=AZXMeoE_nCVGxYMo1UIg2TR0USNexjEj0_ZMC4DkRdfxpz7_BCpqfpHCqBmaXwe76xJCvDp3IMJTa8sz0MuHHp7_xTtGi7VqZHsTZrn54DKNwi03dFB8lJcxrk2vbRB9-Xc&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; animation-name: none; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="animation-name: none; display: inline; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Sid Baliga</span></a></span>, for taking the time to talk to us and helping us spread the word! </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqBBP1gFMBA</span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This was such a pleasure, and reiterated, for us, and hopefully, for the listeners, why the work of Esha is small, but not insignificant.</span></span></span></div></div>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-91260511376826865362023-07-31T01:13:00.002+05:302023-07-31T01:13:48.306+05:30Report on the Esha Summer Program 2023<p>The Esha Summer Project 2023 got off to a nice start with 55 registrations. Most of these registrations were through social media. </p><p>As usual, the students were asked for their choice of project. </p><p>Orientations were held for students who opted for project management, video making, and research. </p><p>Eventually, three students were part of the research project. They did some analysis and helped us create tables and graphs that went into the report. </p><p>Students dropped out at various points in the program. </p><p>We observed the following: </p><p>A. Students who opted for video making dropped out when they realised that they have to follow a process and create an educational video, not a social media video. They did try but were not able to make an explainer. </p><p>B. Some students had travel that interfered with the summer program. </p><p>C. All the students who opted for Project Management dropped out because of the quantum of work. One student was blacklisted. It is recommended that project management should not be given to students. This experiment has failed, yet again. </p><p>D. Some students, who chose research, were not able to devote the time required to do the analysis. The learning for us is that high school students are not able to tabulate data or make basic graphs. That expectation should be corrected. Further, there is a real time crunch among high school students. </p><p><br /></p><p>About 25 students were selected for participation. 11 students completed the program, and only one of them got a Certificate of Commendation this year. </p><p><br /></p><p>Our objective at Esha every year is that the students should get sensitised to the needs of blindness. Am very happy to report that the only student who did Blind Walks this year, was very touched at the end of the program. The other students who participated in research or recording also wrote to us that they learnt something as part of the project. </p><p><br /></p><p>One difference this year was that English screenreaders are now relatively mature. So, we did not get English content recorded. Content was contributed and is being uploaded on the Esha website for free download. Like CLABIL this content is also academic or literary in nature. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lessons for the next year</p><p>1. We should be more friendly with the volunteers. </p><p>2. We need to keep the parents more involved throughout the process. Sometimes, students forget to tell us about travel plans. parents do this better. </p><p>3. Project management should not be given to students at any level - including college. </p><p>4. We shoudl try to get more college students. </p><p>5. This year, we could not convince children to do Blind Walks. Next time, we should try and get more blind walks done. </p><p><br /></p><p>Output </p><p>Audio Files - 12 audio files in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and English (1 file on lakes of Bengaluru). </p><p>Content - 12 question banks submitted in History, Physics, English, Chemistry, and Biology. </p><p>Blind Walks - Two blind walks covering 12 people. </p><p>Research - 3 students </p><p><br /></p><p>Partial work is not listed in this output. Work done but not found to be of suitable quality is also not listed. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-6366975331300255042023-07-14T14:27:00.001+05:302023-07-14T14:27:04.600+05:30Scribes Wanted for CAT Aspirants <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What: Scribes to work with CAT Aspirants and to help them in the final exam </span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Where: Hyderabad </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">When: From now to the date of CAT </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Time <span style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a style="animation-name: none !important; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>Commitment: 2 hours a day, about 2-3 times a week. Completely flexible. </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">How this works: You will be tagged with one aspirant. The idea is to get comfortable with each other so that you can effectively help them scribe on the final day. </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">How many: SIX volunteers wanted. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Details: </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">We are Vignesh and Sanjana, who are IIM Lucknow Alumni and founders of Mockat. We coach students for the CAT exam, which is the entrance test for most of the top Business Schools in India, include the 20 IIMs.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">As a part of our social initiative, we recently started training 5 Visually Impaired students - Kottakapu Shivani, Rahul Munnur, Baddam Akash, Daya Praveen, Sharath Kumar Budida, who have performed very well academically (close to 90% in 10th , 12th and college). We are based out of Chennai but train the students online with about 5 to 6 classes per week. And, we are being mentored by Nidhi Arora, (IIM Calcutta ’01 batch, and Founder of Esha – People for the Blind). The students are highly talented and are now trained to mentally solve Easy to Moderate Questions.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">CAT allows them to have a scribe who can read out the questions, write the steps and mark the answers. Given the nature of the exam and their disability, working closely with the scribe is extremely important to do well in this exam as it is a very fast-paced exam.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">We are looking for 6 volunteers who can be the scribes for these 5 students from now to the CAT exam which will be held on 26th November 2023. All of the students are at HYDERABAD and can travel to the volunteer’s places, if required, as well. It would be helpful if the volunteers could spend about 2 hours of practice, 3 times a week. Timings are completely flexible as the students are preparing full-time. A few sessions can be held vide zoom as well. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">These students are bright and motivated and want to succeed. Helping them on this front would really propel their career and their future. Please feel free to reach us at +91 9769744855 or +91 9930478173 if you could volunteer. Many Thanks.</div></div>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-80912235381475855462023-06-09T23:53:00.005+05:302023-06-09T23:53:36.257+05:30Esha and Enable India - Enable Vaani<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Esha is very happy to share a new collaboration with Enable India.
Our CLABIL content is now available on EnableVaani project of Enable India.
Enjoy the audio stories, quizzes, Asaan Ganit, and other audio content from CLABIL.
What would you like to listen to?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">http://appserver.gramvaani.org/app/user/share/audio?i=6017035.mp3&d=4ea346c658d0b1d1&u=9448277860&app_name=EVAPP</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4AJC7k_iDiNz-O2DI97wEX2y24PX7QSBFmcSnvJWaUjvSUbM3rtzGWPdbuWepe4utjRpO798wz_1uo35yWQw-zS8tHiAneuPmn0IFl4GjtS-m9BPB3SPyknMT2Ir-VydNERADldR8BZenLsfc9ADAzLz5hg3SaqXzB_rRthvqSoiJZM2YkuToilBn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1778" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4AJC7k_iDiNz-O2DI97wEX2y24PX7QSBFmcSnvJWaUjvSUbM3rtzGWPdbuWepe4utjRpO798wz_1uo35yWQw-zS8tHiAneuPmn0IFl4GjtS-m9BPB3SPyknMT2Ir-VydNERADldR8BZenLsfc9ADAzLz5hg3SaqXzB_rRthvqSoiJZM2YkuToilBn=w640-h314" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-39503532639842880442023-04-19T02:28:00.003+05:302023-04-19T02:28:26.304+05:30Esha's new logo and new website <p>This is a very big day for us at Esha. </p><p><br /></p><p>Today, we unveil the new logo and the new website of Esha. </p><p><br /></p><p>For the last 2-3 years, Esha has been trying to answer the question - What next? What now? </p><p>The research project we did in 2019 was an eye opener. </p><p><br /></p><p>Today, I am glad to share the new logo of Esha: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnaKmI_AT_ZHtdLNLDECn87gV6WJleCDmiWQLq4kt0_hW_A3iB47pLNGqeJ1uxB-D0VqiDtBFz69CFA5ogG-wvGwBnKutMHwD-NAE1dhDJNt06LtTyKiSM-HXBBghAu5tBEoLC9dlMVE7OG3AL_9qk4j6QPov8w8SUvBQZj8KvcmztN7pTynV9Qp9/s500/Esha-New-Logo-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnaKmI_AT_ZHtdLNLDECn87gV6WJleCDmiWQLq4kt0_hW_A3iB47pLNGqeJ1uxB-D0VqiDtBFz69CFA5ogG-wvGwBnKutMHwD-NAE1dhDJNt06LtTyKiSM-HXBBghAu5tBEoLC9dlMVE7OG3AL_9qk4j6QPov8w8SUvBQZj8KvcmztN7pTynV9Qp9/s320/Esha-New-Logo-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The new logo retains Braille as the main communication - the dots on top is Esha in Braille. </p><p>Under that are the three keywords of Esha - Dignity, Empowerment, Enablement. </p><p>I thought it was important to put these in the logo so that we are able to communicate upfront what we stand for. </p><p>The black and white colour scheme to represent the world we stand for, has also been retained. </p><p><br /></p><p>The new website of Esha: </p><p><a href="https://eshabraille.org" target="_blank">www.eshabraille.org </a></p><p><br /></p><p>As we restart with renewed vigour, we are looking for volunteers, because another thing that remains unchanged is our commitment to being 100% volunteer driven. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Esha Summer Project is currently underway. All school students are invited to participate and volunteer from wherever they are - to create an inclusive world. </p><p>Thank you! </p><p>#Gratitude </p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-81682972402627039352023-04-15T01:22:00.001+05:302023-04-15T01:22:05.713+05:30Esha Summer Program 2023 <p> The Esha Summer Program 2023 is here! </p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JrMRo4basnBGDMQLRDLTxNpptEEIaz0G/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The presentation is here. </a></p><p>You can also see the slides in order below. </p><p>The link to register is: https://forms.gle/P5hLAd77M3a381kj7</p><p>For any questions, please write to us at summers@clabil.org </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT08GguSmJjiCGxN1AWPZ8biFFzJxCY6nAiFekgw73zO_DbDmCWRt8mb0iKB1aP1G_9m0A3NUMFve0hqaa1s3ZR0wr-doEqKxz14x0n0vcEm2TvUqGErX04hN3ni9tXWzgdNJrjTk9gU5zF4lds35zDIzRovgMl2tAHY3_PwiQLGSb3SrCgkB88hzy/s1280/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7JI339q3RQ9Sq69Sgjf6j_5iZIxY28gEQK-uxZdw3iys3pCS696xvNfYCSdSnO9-D8TlV-Iv0n5gaAbtcBJiHrQldAhjAvaUOpv_tr9QKjLDINZdP8lUwn-RmnwpArbk7jLKUKMa6DYkUwh_9VhjSl-W2QbAyRfertVab4DKZOZGwKPXtxSYa8Ng/s320/Slide22.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-22695922029984160642023-03-02T14:54:00.005+05:302023-03-02T14:55:19.947+05:30How do Blind Schools enable people? <p>One question that we often hear is - how do blind schools enable people? </p><p>This video, made by Aditya Bhasin, educates us in this heartwarming video of less than 4 minutes. </p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-ZrTDPJR7Q</p><p>We recommend that you watch it. </p><p><br /></p><p>The school covered in the video is Saksham Trust, but its very illustrative of how most schools function. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-61418356410988736222023-02-26T13:53:00.003+05:302023-02-26T13:53:51.696+05:30Record for the online audio library <p> https://forms.gle/nLQdJXGDwC6jELwt9</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So far, we used to take recordings during the Esha Summer Program and during Read Fests at colleges or offices.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But there is a need to create a platform for recording volunteers who want to record from home all year round.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For all such volunteers, we now have the option of registering and starting recording any time.</span></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-36174785382997251772022-08-08T00:06:00.001+05:302022-08-08T00:06:38.850+05:30Esha starts uploading on the Archive.org platform<p>To give a wider reach to the audio content recorded by our volunteers over a long period of time, we will gradually start uploading our original content (not partner content, just our copyright free audio content that has been recorded as part of our summer program and through our community volunteers) </p><p><br /></p><p>You can see our content here: </p><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/@esha_braille">https://archive.org/details/@esha_braille</a></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-66568305535128472362022-07-31T13:44:00.002+05:302022-07-31T13:44:30.762+05:30Report on the 2022 Esha Summer Program <p>The Esha Summer Project 2022 was a happy one in the sense that after 2 years, we reintroduced field work. </p><p>For the last few years, the project management was being done by students. This year, I decided to do the project management myself to interact with the summer volunteers and to understand their working and communication style better, so we may train our next year's PMO volunteers better. </p><p>Here are the observations: </p><p>1. Since this project was going to be managed by a single PM, we decided to cap capacity at 15-20 volunteers only. </p><p>2. We decided that a virtual orientation with all volunteers to help them understand the ethos of Esha was mandatory. If a volunteer does not attend the orientation, they cannot continue in the program. </p><p>3. Like every year, the form had to be closed within 2-3 days. We got 45 applications within 4 days. We usually keep a buffer for about 40% dropout ratio, because students tend to underestimate the professionalism required for this work. Some children were underage. We informed them and looked forward to having them in the program once they were older. </p><p>4. The biggest dropout rate was in the orientation itself. Only 26 children attended the orientation. We held 2 sessions so children could attend at their convenience, and then one more at the request of some parents. </p><p>5. Of the 26 who attended, we gave them assignments as per their choice. The website team had some discussions, but never really delivered anything. Quite a few students started work but did not submit by the deadline date. No reminders were sent, and they were removed from the program. Which was, I think, a good practice, because we never heard from these children again, so a reminder would have been a waste of time for both. </p><p>6. A total of 10 volunteers completed the program and got their certificates. Of these, 3 were selected for the Certificate of Commendation. </p><p>7. We conducted 3 blind walks, recorded 6 audio files, and made an awareness video about Discovering Hands - a special employment and health initiative by blind women. But the bulk of the work was done in research - we collected responses from 700 people through the summer program, which is very impressive. The next stage is report writing and making that report universally available. The audio files have now been uploaded to the online library. </p><p><br /></p><p>Overall, it was a satisfying experience and we had some lessons.</p><p>Some of the students who dropped out told us that they had applied to more than one summer program and just prioritised their time. i.e., if they got an assignment with a better known NGO, or one that interested them more, they went for it. </p><p>The children who did volunteer with us said that their experience was positive and they enjoyed the experience. </p><p>Next year, I think we should have a more structured feedback mechanism so that we are able to proactively improve the program for the volunteers of the future. </p><p>These are the videos created as part of Summer Program 2022: </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdPKdxN4ys">Discovering Hands - Breast Cancer Detection without radiation - YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRUPhfeDBks">Esha Sensitisation: Blind Walks of 2022 - YouTube</a></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-10810408345780611062022-06-14T01:17:00.000+05:302022-06-14T01:17:00.647+05:30Discovering Hands - Early Breast Cancer detection - Sehar Jaggi makes a video <p>Very happy to share this. After 2 years, this year, Esha finally restarted field work on sensitisation and our summer project included Blind walks and information videos. </p><p>One of the most amazing projects in India is early breast cancer detection. Early detection, esp for cancer, can make a world of difference.</p><p>Dr. Hoffman discovered, tested, and brought to market a technique that allows early detection of breast cancer in through a non-invasive, zero-radiation diagnostic test. This special technique was brought to India by the NAB Center for Women - because - wait for it - this non-invasive diagnostic test is conducted by VI professionals!</p><p><b>Sehar Jaggi, o</b>ur volunteer for Summer program 2022, made this lovely awareness video on location - at the NAB Center for Women, Delhi! </p><p><b>https://youtu.be/GIdPKdxN4ys</b></p><p>This is the first awareness video coming out of Esha after a long time. Do watch! :)</p><p>And if you are aware of more such initiatives that we can carry, please do let us know. Just a gentle reminder - our keywords are Dignity, Empowerment, Enablement.</p><p>Any project supporting these three keywords are wonderful for us to know about and amplify, in whatever small way we can.</p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-30996619213658267632022-05-07T00:48:00.001+05:302022-05-07T00:48:07.898+05:30The Esha Summer Project 2022<p>Today, I checked. </p><p>The Esha Summer Program started in 2011. We have been running a structured summer volunteering program for students for 11 years now! This is our 12th Summer Program. </p><p>A summer program is not just a way to build the audio library, or improve the social media numbers for Esha. </p><p>A summer program helps us sensitise scores of students every year. </p><p>When they join, they are eager young people looking to add something to their resume. </p><p>But as they conduct blind walks, learn braille, record, they change. They start to see inclusion for what it is - natural. </p><p>This year, we offer 4 volunteering options. Field work is back for the first time since 2019. </p><p>Inviting student interest in the Esha Summer Program. </p><p>Entries close 15th May or when we reach program capacity, whichever is sooner. </p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xwhUvPbDpkZDVDebp7XT7FIfHLV-Yf7u/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">More details here. </a></p><p><br /></p><p>Please register here: https://forms.gle/2d26Hh1UvWF8n1qk9</p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-38969674148225731552021-10-19T14:29:00.004+05:302021-10-19T14:29:42.175+05:30Why development sector lies so much <p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I have now been engaged with the development sector for more than 25 years. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Yesterday, we found another overstated work that could not be verified. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">While complaining to a mentor, I said, 70% of the work in development sector is hogwash. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">He agreed. We both knew. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But after the angst was over, i sat down to wonder why that is so. These millions of people who make it their life's work to change the lives of others -why do they overstate their impact? Why do they project that which we know, through experience, is not going to happen? </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Malafide motivation cannot be the answer, because development sector jobs don't pay that much. Even for large NGOs, getting honest grants on an ongoing basis is a real challenge. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">There is no easy answer. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But the top 2-3 things that jump up are: </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>A. The structure of the industry </b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Everyone knows that human change is a slow and laborious job. Yet, funding agencies need to see numbers and impact within a finite time. If you want your mother to give up a habit (that is one person and one behaviour change), you do not know how long it will take. Yet, funding agencies want NGos to wave a magic wand and tell them that they will get 100x people to change 10x habits / beliefs / attitudes within the next 2-3 years. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>B. The incorrect inherent assumption </b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">This is actually my realisation after 25 years in the sector. When we did गरीबी हटाओ, we assumed that that was an objective for everyone. That everyone wants to improve their lot by working hard and /or studying. If we just create the opportunities, those opportunities will be taken. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Turns out, that is not true. People want to get rich, but not by working hard or studying hard. They want to get rich by getting doles that they can then sell at a profit and go back to being poor and underprivileged to get more doles. That is their personal revenue model. That is their chosen profession. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Low income housing, MNREGA, PDS, and a host of other welfare measures, both state and private, have taught us that a small fraction of the population will indeed choose hard work or education as a means of upliftment. But that assumption cannot be applied to the entire population. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Yet, 75 years and counting, neither the planners nor the funding agencies, nor the NGOs themselves, have started to factor in "beneficiary receptiveness" in their model. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Esha created an employment model for Braille cards. The idea allowed a person to become financially self reliant. Out of over 100 people we presented the idea to, only TWO people wanted to try it out as a profession. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In our other projects too, we have had a proportion of people who want to try it before not taking it up, and a much smaller population that then goes on to benefit from the opportunity. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">At first, we thought this was a case of poorly designed solutions. That if we created better solutions that actually do meet the need, that solution would be adopted by pull model and we won't have to push it. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">2 years and 2 research projects later, we learnt that we were wrong. It was not a case of a poorly designed solution. It was a case of poorly understood problem. We assumed that knowledge was an inherent need. It is not. People do not know because they do not want to know. This was a huge shock to us. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But think of it from their perspective, and it makes perfect sense. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">We tend to think of life in terms of a single currency - money. Therefore, the more money we have, the better our lives will be. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But they know instinctively that that is not true. Time, leisure, relationships, are all currencies. When we lift ourselves to a better financial position, we lose the social ties with our peer group. With our relatives. We have to fit into a new social circle which may or may not be as welcoming. When we devote time to hard work, leisure is sacrificed. When we spend time in studying, we cannot use that time to earn, to help, to meet friends, to do other things that lead to more instant gratification. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">So, I end this day, not with complaint, but with understanding. <br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-25059263076866058622021-09-24T16:32:00.002+05:302021-09-24T16:32:15.342+05:30The importance of the Indian Oral Heritage Project <p>In 2021, the Summer Project was very unique. We asked volunteers to record oral traditions from their own families, in an Indian language. </p><p>It could be a recipe, an oft-quoted proverb, a family tradition, a simple business or trade practice, or a simple wellness or food practice. (In my family, it was, no water after guava and watermelon). </p><p>We might take these small things for granted (and we do), until someone writes about it on LinkedIn / Facebook and we hear a hundred people comment - What a lovely idea! </p><p>Yes, they are lovely ideas and just because they come to us free, we do not have to undervalue them. </p><p> </p><p><b>Why Now? </b></p><p>Indian traditions have remained largely unchanged - not for decades, or even centuries, but millenia. The shapes of our cooking vessels, the saree, dhoti, jewellery designs, the festivals and their dates.. the everyday life, has remained, more or less the same. Some knowledge has been lost, of course, but a vast majority has been retained. </p><p>But since the 1970, the rate of this loss is staggering. There are many factors that have contributed to this: </p><p>A. For the first time, young people moved away from homes to work. Until then, even the educated Indians picked jobs near their houses. The idea of moving away from home for education or work was rather alien. </p><p>B. Within three generations, flying the nest is normalised.But more importantly, with this, comes the non-inheritance of culture and shared stories. As family units become smaller, the pool of cultural content available to us shrinks even more. </p><p>C. The third factor contributing to this is the loss of Indic languages. Very few children in metros speak an Indian language fluently, much less read it. Most people in my generation are at least-trilingual, if not more. While the transferring jobs cut people away from their own homes, they did make them polyglots, bcs being quick learners, we Indians quickly learnt the language of wherever we lived. </p><p>Till even a decade ago, a short drive from the city would take me to a place of continued cultural inheritance - the fields, the houses whose structures remain the same, the simple everyday cures for simple everyday problems, an adhesive, high-context culture. </p><p>But over the last decade, even this rural fabric has eroded a fair bit (due to internet, perhaps?), and my understanding is that things we take for granted, we will have to start preserving. The belief was only cemented further by the Linked In wisdom posts and the proliferation of self-help and wellness programs in metros. </p><p> <b>How do we do this? </b></p><p><b>Very simple. </b>Think of anything - A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G that is endemic to your house. These are some tips, but they are indicative, not exhaustive: </p><p>A. A proverb </p><p>B. Recipe </p><p>C. Story told often at home (folk tale) </p><p>D. Stories you might have heard from your parents/ grandparents/ relatives </p><p>E. A business practice or life advice that is usually followed </p><p>F. A wellness practice that is always followed </p><p>G. Food practices or rules </p><p>H. Anything related to crafts, special skills that you have seen in your family. </p><p><br /><b>There is always something. </b></p><p>Here's a trivia: Ram Charan is a global Advisor to the top CEOs of the world. One of his bestselling books is - What the CEO wants you to know. The book starts with customer service lessons he learnt from his family's shoe store in Gujarat during his growing years. </p><p>There must be lakhs of children whose parents run mom and pop stores in India. How many of them have understood the value of what they saw in their growing years? </p><p>Be one of those who did. Recognise what is of value around you. And cherish it. Amplify it. Bring it to the world. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFZF6XJHaFI/YU2v70E-S3I/AAAAAAAALI8/M1IHQr98nRMazwR9j73fRX8K7fCOKscxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s413/Young%2Bman%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFZF6XJHaFI/YU2v70E-S3I/AAAAAAAALI8/M1IHQr98nRMazwR9j73fRX8K7fCOKscxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Young%2Bman%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcity.JPG" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p>Image: An old Chandamama image of a young man in a village. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-84109675291371887532021-08-09T21:54:00.001+05:302021-08-09T21:54:13.561+05:30The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - Audio recorded by Nitesh Arora<p><span style="font-family: times;">We are glad to share the recording of The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, a story from the Sherlock Holmes series </span>by Arthur Conan Doyle. <span style="font-family: times;">This was recorded by Nitesh Arora, our summer volunteer of 2020. </span><span style="font-family: times;">Click on the link below to listen to it! </span></p><p></p><p><a href="https://cutt.ly/Jfs9T1k" target="_blank">The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton 1&2 </a></p><p><a href="https://cutt.ly/Zfs9YJS" target="_blank">The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton 3&4</a></p><p><a href="https://cutt.ly/Ofs9UCM" target="_blank">The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton 5&6</a> </p><p><a href="https://cutt.ly/Tfs9PXT " target="_blank">The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton 7&8 </a></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Enjoy! </span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: times;"><p>Check out Esha's online audio library- http://www.clabil.org/audio.php for more recordings! </p></span></span></div>Esha Clabilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06487417051546423588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-47604757006956902282021-08-06T01:47:00.001+05:302021-08-06T01:47:08.195+05:30Esha Summer Project 2021 and CLABIL update - More files added <p> We just uploaded the files recorded during the Esha Summer Project 2021. </p><p>This year, the mandate was to find content from our own families, and to record in Indian languages. </p><p>19 files were recorded in Hindi and Marathi. Its a good start. Our metro children are very uncomfortable with Hindi and with finding content from their families, but after the initial hiccups, they did manage to talk to their grandparents and record some delightful content. </p><p>The students recommended for a Certificate of Commendation are: </p><p>Rhiditya Windlass </p><p>Shlok Palekar </p><p>Archit Pargaonkar </p><p>:) Congratulations, all 3, and thank you for creating such good audio for the CLABIL project. </p><p>All the files are now available in the Esha Audio Library - www.clabil.org/audio.php </p><p>3 more files from Arthashastra were also added today. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Esha - People for the Blindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06233966583422975983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-81166709905246599252021-07-31T13:34:00.005+05:302022-08-08T00:10:23.733+05:30 Filboid Studge- Audio recorded by Tarini Malhotra<p> <span style="font-family: times;">We are glad to share the recording of Filboid Studge, the Story of a Mouse that Helped </span>by Saki. <span style="font-family: times;">This was recorded by Tarini Malhotra, our summer volunteer of 2020. </span><span style="font-family: times;">Click on the link below to listen to it! </span></p><p></p><p><a href="https://bit.ly/3dFaXAQ" target="_blank">Filboid Studge, the Story of a Mouse that Helped </a></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Enjoy! </span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: times;"><p>Check out Esha's online audio library- http://www.clabil.org/audio.php for more recordings! </p></span></span></div>Esha Clabilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06487417051546423588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015993442608490051.post-70621992319740975652021-07-25T18:56:00.003+05:302021-07-25T18:57:50.574+05:30The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez- Audio recorded by Pritika Vij <p><span style="font-family: times;">We are glad to share the recording of The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez </span>by Arthur Conan Doyle. <span style="font-family: times;">This was recorded by Pritika Vij, our summer volunteer of 2020. The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez</span><span style="font-family: times;"> is a part of the Sherlock Holmes stories! Click on the link below to listen to it! </span></p><p></p><p><a href="https://bit.ly/38715P9" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez</a></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Enjoy! </span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: times;"><p>Check out Esha's online audio library- http://www.clabil.org/audio.php for more recordings! </p></span></span></div>Esha Clabilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06487417051546423588noreply@blogger.com0