Monday, December 2, 2019

Downloadable Audio Classic Poetry

If you are fond of Classic poetry and want to spend some good time in listening to them, then feel free to use these links.



The Wife Of Flanders


The Wise Men


To Edmund Clerihew   Bentley

To Hilaire Belloc

Monday, November 25, 2019

Downloadable Audio files for Case Studies

If you are looking for case studies to help you through a long car ride, or if you are an MBA aspirant looking for cases to practice, feel free to use these. These are copyright free cases:

The Case of the Payroll Processing Mixie

The Case of the Strange Employees

Performance Appraisal Public Announcement

The Case of the Worried Man

To Chew or to Eschew

The Takeover Tango 

Perfect Competition Case

There are a lot more cases available here: www.braillecards.org/audio.php

Navigate to English> 100 Case Studies



Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Help Wanted M.tech Students

A blind M Tech student is looking for a reader for his subjects (a fellow M. Tech student who can read his content and probably help explain them). The subjects in which he needs help are:

Browser Security
Firewall security 
protocols Design
Cross site scripting 

If you can find any student who can get on video/audio calls with this student, maybe once a fortnight, to work together on the concepts, that will be very helpful. 

Please write to hello@braillecards.org or comment on the post.

Update: This requirement has been met. Thank you. 

Update: Facebook Page of Tour De Vision deactivated today

Tour De Vision is an annual event that was conducted by Esha and the students of SOIL under the guidance of Shri Rajesh Duddu for 5 years - from 2014 to 2019.

Esha will not be conducting this annual event any more.

Therefore, the Facebook page of Tour de Vision was unpublished today.

This is just an update. 

Sunday, November 3, 2019

What is Blind Cricket? Find out Now!

Yuvraj Jaipuria volunteered with Esha in October 2019. His task was to create an awareness video so that the rest of us can understand how Blind Cricket is played.

I am very glad to share this short film made by him. Within 5 minutes, he covers the main points of the game, and also finds time to share a tete-a-tete with the players!

https://youtu.be/iZS3jxJ36J8

Enjoy the video, and do share your thoughts. 

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Bloomberg Quint, October 2019

As you probably know, Esha is a 100%volunteer driven organisation. 

Daanotsava 2019 - Why Volunteering is pure magic

On the occasion of Daanotsava, Bloomberg Quint carries a special story on why volunteerism is so core to the ethos of Esha. 

In this story, the founder of Esha shares the reason why we believe so passionately in the power of volunteerism, and the magic that has been created by volunteers over the years. To each one of you - THIS!

Special thanks to Venkat Krishnan, the founder of Joy of Giving / Daanotsava, and the entire Bloomberg team. I know they worked late into the night on this story. Thank you so much!

Minutes after the story was live, we received congratulatory messages from friends who had seen it in the WhatsApp feed of Bloomberg Quint. I will upload that picture soon too.

It was a precious day for us. :) 

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

" BLINDNESS AWARENESS :Respect for the blind "

A visit to VEGA SCHOOLS along with Nidhi, with the aim to sensitize the students on how it feels to be not able to see and walk with a cane . 

The blindness awareness activity was conducted to foster student's understanding and acceptance for the blind. A path was chosen and the students were instructed to make groups of two, where one student from each group will close the eyes and the other would act as a guide, here the guide was not to pull but to walk with the partner holding his arm. With trust, each group performed actively.

The students thoroughly enjoyed and were constructively engaged.
Thanks to the Principal of VEGA SCHOOLS for such nice gestures and kind words.

Today, what I witnessed made me truely believe that how challenging it can be, yet they are still able to meet the hardships of life along with the will to survive. I rightly agree that fortune favours the Brave ! We should treat them normally and vouch for their assistance .It was a valuable, enriching experience .
Eye opener indeed!!

Some Moments of awareness..







Friday, September 13, 2019

Summer Project 2019 - Report

This year's summer project was one of the most productive Summer Projects that Esha has ever had.

Special Thanks to the Project Managers who managed this baton relay race so seamlessly that I had no idea when the project management changed!

They also managed volunteer selection, monitoring and reporting, and closure. Compared to the previous years, when our volunteers pick assignments and then drop out, this year, the sudden dropout number was very, very less. People were selected well, so they stuck to their assignments and the assignments were delivered high quality, on time, and with great professionalism.

The 3 main threads of this year's Summer Project were:

1. Content - Shreyas Kadam and Aprita Mary did an outstanding job of writing some high quality articles on the Esha blog.

2. Esha Research Project - Jainish Malhotra, Vikram Gaur, and Meenakshi Agarwal contributed to the secondary and primary research on this project. Their work was awe-inspiring because the insights that they picked up from the field, and their enthusiasm, can only be experienced, not described.

3. Voice Recording - This was, like every year, the most selected summer project option. This year, we laid special emphasis on career oriented content. So  you will now find previous years questions papers for upto the last 10 years for the following examinations:
A. SSC
B. NTPC
C. RRB
D. Civil Services Exam - Mains and Prelims
E. CLAT
F. CAT
G. SBI PO Exams


On the literature side, we added:
A. Viky Arya's poetry
B. Akbar Birbal in Marathi.
C. A story by Smita

And outside the Summer Project, Anil Bhagat ji, who is a long-time Friend of Esha, converted easy law (a long-pending dream of mine) from nyaaya.in to audio for our users.  He also converted the text of the entire Draft National Education Policy - 2019 (NEP-2019), so that the print disabled can give their feedback on the policy too. This initiative of his was much appreciated by Vasudha Kamat mam, who is part of the NEP Committee.

It was SUCH a pleasure to be a part of the Summer Project 2019. Here's to every year being like this, or better. :) 

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Vedant Hingu's Blind Walk for his school project

Vedant Hingu (Grade 6 of Lancers School) had to do a social connect project at school. His mother got in touch with us and they decided to do a Blind Walk.

The Blind Walk was done at a club in Gurgaon and at the INA Metro Station, Delhi.

Here is his experience, in his own words: 
I conducted a blind walk at INA station on 11 September 2019. I was unsure of asking people to participate but I still tried. Some people asked me why am I doing this and some wanted to know if I want donation. When I told them that this activity is to create awareness about making people spaces available and safe for blind, they were still not very convinced. But once they did the walk (where they had to close their eyes and use only the cane for help)- they realised what I meant. I showed them what the tactile tiles are meant for. I pointed out how people had kept their luggage on the tactile tiles - blocking the way of the blind.  5 people did the blind walk today and I was happy that they realised how important it is. I wish more people would participate and help the blind

Explaining what the Blind Walk is about to the staff at the Club


Experiencing a Blind Walk 

At the INA Metro Station

Explaining why a Blind Walk is necessary to create inclusive citizens

And he has everyone's attention 





Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Braille Cards no longer part of Esha

You know that moment when you have invested years in nurturing something, and finally, it grows wings, and learns to fly?

That moment, I have now learnt, is a moment of deep personal satisfaction.

Chandrashekar and Venkatesh have incorporated a legal entity and are now fully capable of handing ALL braille cards related business. They have been running the business independently for many years now, and have literally hundreds of satisfied corporate clients.
Going forward, Esha will no longer be doing Braille cards under its banner. We will direct all enquiries to these bright young entrepreneurs, of course. :)



Online Audio Library Updated with files from Summer Project 2019 - 6908 files now

The online library has just been updated. We have retired quite a few files this time, and added over 120 files from the Summer Project 2019, making this one of our most productive Summer Project years yet.

A special shout out to the project managers who made the Summer Project 2019 possible - Atharva Kale, Vaishnavi Choppalli, and Nidhi Reddy. These 3 young students did a relay race and ensured that the summer project got effective project management with no gaps. Hats off, people. You convince us that the future is very bright. If you can do project management like a boss before seeing your 20th birthdays, you are definitely onto something super special.

Special thanks also to our summer project interns who helped create the catalog. Some of them contributed immensely to the research project of Esha - Understanding the Knowledge Acquisition Behaviour of the Knowledge Have Nots.

Most of the new files added in this release - over 300 of them, are in the areas of competitive exam content, as required by the network. There are also common Indian Laws, and the entire Draft Education Policy in Audio.

Please check out the new library at www.braillecards.org/audio.php

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Draft National Education Policy 2019

Mr. Anil Bhagat, who has worked with VI since his youth, and continues to remain committed to the cause even after moving to the US, has very kindly done this.

Did you know that the National Education Policy has now been released by the Govt of India, and is accepting inputs from everyone till August 15th?

Here is the entire text of that policy, in audio. Do listen and provide your valuable feedback to the government. The link to give feedback is:
https://innovate.mygov.in/new-education-policy-2019/

The files are:

 Draft National Education Policy Introduction https://tinyurl.com/y323r9xd 17 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 1 https://tinyurl.com/y4qhl37b 9.2 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 10 https://tinyurl.com/y3zg24gu 11 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 11 https://tinyurl.com/y4csn7zt 16 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 12 https://tinyurl.com/yyx2stef 15 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 13 https://tinyurl.com/y2dl4vuk 8.9 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 14 https://tinyurl.com/yx93wxhs 18 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  15 https://tinyurl.com/y2qr5koh 11 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 16 https://tinyurl.com/yxqakdaa 17 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 17 https://tinyurl.com/y3aman2j 11 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 18 https://tinyurl.com/y6f6r58m 15 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 19 https://tinyurl.com/y6fmoc37 19 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  2 https://tinyurl.com/y3wn456g 9.3 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  20 https://tinyurl.com/y6kvn5me 16 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 21 https://tinyurl.com/y58dj95u 12 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  22 https://tinyurl.com/y5q4u7hw 2.5 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  23 https://tinyurl.com/yxujskbd 4.9 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 3 https://tinyurl.com/y4a5khej 6.8 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  4 p1 https://tinyurl.com/y5bp3z4n 6.3 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 4 p2 https://tinyurl.com/y492c7cb 18 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  4 p3 https://tinyurl.com/yymqt94u 18 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter  5 https://tinyurl.com/y29azwzw 25 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 6 https://tinyurl.com/yxkn599n 18 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 7 https://tinyurl.com/y6qxc8gl 18 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 8 https://tinyurl.com/yxmtlte6 20 MB
Draft National Education Policy Chapter 9 https://tinyurl.com/y2pjnnwt 11 MB
Please share as widely as possible! 

Friday, August 2, 2019

PMI North India Chapter joins our research project

I am very glad to share that the PMI North India Chapter has joined the seminal research project that Esha is currently undertaking.

About 40 volunteers from the Chapter are likely to join the project from this weekend. The orientation is on this weekend. Looking forward! 



Saturday, July 20, 2019

Impact of screens on long term eye sight by Arpita Mary



Impact of screens on long term eye sight

About 80 percent of American adults report using digital devices for more than two hours per day with nearly 67 percent using two or more devices simultaneously, and 59 percent report systems of digital eye strain.
Staring at screens for long periods of time can cause Computer Vision Syndrome, which can lead to two problems. First problem is dry eyes, caused by lack of blinking. When you are too engrossed in reading the screen, you forget to blink, thus causing blurry vision and discomfort. This is because you don’t allow the tear film on your eyes to re-establish.
The second problem is eye strain. This is because of the glare of the device that you are using. These bright lights or glare exhaust your eyes’ ability to focus.
Other than these, excessive use of computers/ digital devices can also cause burning, irritation, heavy or tired eyes, eye strain, or even tearing up (reflex response to the dryness). These, in effect, lead to eye strain, headaches, and even, stress.
Symptoms of eye dryness can be aggravated by a number of other exposures in our day to day lives. Contact lenses, medications such as antihistamines or antidepressants can cause eye dryness and low humidity environments such as office buildings with blowing air conditioning or heat can also cause eye irritation[1]. People with any of the above risk factors may experience eye symptoms with even minimal screen time.
Fortunately, this can be treated easily if you follow a certain lifestyle, which would include healthy eating and exercise. The most important exercise is to blink at regular intervals. You should also try to change your focus every few minutes, by looking at a farther distance, say 20 feet. Taking regular eye breaks is important for resting the eyes, blinking and limiting eye strain.
There are also some changes that you can incorporate at your work desk. Some of them are:-
·        sit about two feet away from a computer screen,
·        use a matte screen filter to reduce glare,
·        try using larger fonts, especially on your phones,
·        avoid using digital devices in dark rooms, or, use softer lighting to reduce the strain on eyes[2]
·        Consider having a humidifier in the office or close to your computer if the surrounding air is dry.
All these steps and regular meditation will help you in taking care of your eyes. And yes, don’t forget to blink!

Spectacles for children: Why has it become the common standard? by Arpita Mary Abraham



Spectacles for children: Why has it become the common standard?
Take a walk in your surrounding park and you will find scores of children wearing spectacles. Is this a new phenomenon? Was this the same case a decade or two earlier? If not, why has this become the new trend?
One of the reasons is the decreasing level of outdoor activities, which is a result of the increasing addiction to television, video games, tablets, and, of course, smart phones. This has been shown by a study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, which has concluded that children may reduce their risk of developing myopia by spending more time outdoors[1]. Even though, genetics also affect eyesight, but controllable environmental factors such as playing video games also affect the likelihood of a child becoming short-sighted. In addition, scientists discovered that children born in the summer were more likely to develop  nearsightedness than their peers, a fact researchers credited to earlier entry into the education system, which is associated with changes to the shape of the eyeball linked to myopia.
Apart from the sedentary lifestyle, increased use of digital devices is also to blame for nearsightedness. But according to scientists, this risk can be offset by spending more time outside. However, parental anxiety, demanding homework schedules and the rise of electronic equipment are increasingly keeping children indoors.
There might also be some other reasons which might be quite different from an adults’. They might need spectacles to help straighten the eyes when they are crossed or misaligned, to help strengthen the vision of a weak eye (amblyopia), or to protect one eye when the other eye has poor vision[2].
 Apart from the uncontrollable factors, there are certain steps that can be followed to prevent eye problems like myopia in children. These include limiting the phone/ electronic device usage by setting a time for it everyday and making sure that the child watches TV from a safe distance, i.e., not too close. Also, one should make sure that the child wears sunglasses while outdoors to prevent the sun rays to stress the eyes. The most important step is to increase the time that they spend outdoors.
If these steps are followed on a regular basis and by having a healthy diet, the chances of a child having to wear spectacles would decrease by a big margin.

-Arpita Mary Abraham

Erik Weihenmayer- The blind mountaineer



Erik Weihenmayer- The blind mountaineer
‘A spark of greatness exists in all people, but only by touching that spark to adversity’s flame does it blaze into the force that fuels our lives and the world.’
Eric Weihenmayer was born on September 23, 1968 in Princeton, New Jersey. At 15 months old, he was diagnosed with juvenile retinoschisis, with blindness the expected outcome by age 13. At age 4, Weihenmayer and his family moved to Coral Gables, Florida, and, in 1975, to Hong Kong, where Erik attended the Hong Kong International School for grades 2-6. As he was going blind, Weihenmayer fought against blindness using canes and learning Braille[1]. At 16, he started using a guide dog. He tried rock climbing, and found he was natural at scrambling up a face using his hands and feet to find holds. After his blindness, he started becoming more physically active, taking up both wrestling and rock climbing. He credited this to his parents’ insistence and encouragement.
After graduating from college, Weihenmayer became a teacher and also joined the Arizona Mountaineering Club, spending his free time rock climbing. Soon it was much more than just a hobby and in 1995 he reached the top of Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America. Weihenmayer went on to scale three more of the seven highest mountains in the world (the “Seven Summits,” or highest mountains on each continent) before finally setting his sights on Mount Everest in 2001[2].
His decision to climb Mount Everest was doubted by his fellow mountaineers . He was hurt by all the doubts, but he was also aware of the many problems that he would have to face, that other mountaineers with full use of sight did not. But Weihenmayer was no mountaineering novice who was simply determined to reach the world’s highest peak at great risk to his other team members. He had been climbing for 16 years at this point and, far from being a hindrance to his climbing teammates, he had often been the one to offer them assistance.
When he finally climbed Mount Everest in spite of all the doubts and challenges that he faced, he joined the ranks of the few who had been able to climb to the highest spot on the planet.
And by 2008, he had climbed the rest of the Seven Summits, becoming one of only 150 people to have ever accomplished this, yet another incredible feat in an incredible career.


Thursday, July 18, 2019

How to make it a more inclusive world: Guest Post by Tapas Bhardwaj


 

            Please ensure that no one around you keep their belongings on the tactile paths which are made for the movement of persons with visual disabilities, it creates inaccessibility. You all can contribute in making a path free of obstruction so that an easy movement of a person with visual disability can be made sure.

 

            Some people while cleaning their houses or galleries leave the water on the floors, which can be a hurdle to any person. The consequences can be worse if a person using a wheel chair approaches, then the wheel chair user can slide and fall down. It is advised that the water should be properly wiped off.

 

            I have often observed, the garbage bins are kept on the staircase of the apartment so that the sweeper can come and pick it up. However, it should be given to the sweeper only when he comes. The garbage bin if left on the staircase, can be a reason of falling of a person with visual disability as he can bang into that bin and fall down.

 

 

            At times, some people spit or scratch the dots of the Braille signage provided on the elevators thinking that it is some fancy design. The dots at times get displaced causing inaccessibility.


Advise anyone whom you see doing such a thing, to not to do so as it also gives a wrong image of that particular public place in the eyes of visitors also!


            The Government has provided auditory signals in metros and is in a process to provide these signals in buses so that persons with visual disabilities can get to know about the station they have reached.

However, at times the people talk so loudly in public transport, that the people are unable to here the announcement which creates a problem in navigating the station. Try to talk in a low tone the next time you travel, it also helps in saving your energy.


            Auditory signals have also been provided on the red lights for crossing of the roads for the persons with visual disabilities. The use of the horns often hides the sound of these signals thus creating inaccessibility. While driving your vehicle, try to use the horn to its minimum level.


            People can also contribute in providing accessibility to the persons with disabilities by participating in short courses like learning the basic of the sign language so that they can communicate with the people who are hard of hearing.

            People also need to come forward and design special programs in their community for the persons having intellectual disabilities.

            Persons with disabilities should be made part of the resident welfare associations in colonies so that the problems and the challenges that they face in their day today lives can be resolved as these associations interact with the Governments as well. The contribution of both the people and the Government can only lead to a dream of Viksit Bharat come true and the rights of persons with disabilities act 2016 properly implemented. There should be a communication, cooperation and contribution by both the public and the Government for making an accessible India which can become a role model country for the persons with disabilities of the entire world.

 
About the Author:
Tapas Bhardwaj

Tapas Bhardwaj is a student of Amity Law School Delhi. He has been the Head Boy of Delhi Public School RK Puram. He has been the recipient of the NTSE scholarship provided by the Government of India. He has been the recipient of national levels awards provided to him by the Home Ministry Government of India, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change Government of India and many others. Tapas feels that persons with disabilities requires platform to showcase their abilities. The ability if utilized properly can help any person to live his life with dignity respect and a sense of happiness. Tapas has authored several columns that have published in DailyO, Newzhook, ED Times, AB EDU news etc.

--

Tapas Bhardwaj (BA LLB Honours)

Amity Law School Delhi

Contact Number :+919958313047


Friday, July 12, 2019

Interview with Richa Bansal, Founder of Saarathee



Interview with Richa Bansal, Founder of Saarathee


This is an excerpt from an interview with Richa Bansal, founder of Saarathee- a for profit customer contact center, which has visually impaired employees working in multiple processes.

What is the work that Saarathee deals with?

It is essentially a customer contact center, where we do lead conversion and we support organizations in their customer service needs. Say, for instance, there are start ups that are in their expansion phase and they mostly need help in driving their sales, so they resort to digital marketing campaigns and they are able to generate enough leads. However, they lack the bandwidth as well as the proficiency, both technically as well as people wise, to convert those leads into actual sales and that’s where we play a role. And we have a team which addresses such clients.

What kind of clients does Saarathee deal with? Are there any specific sectors which are more frequent?

Not really, we are fairly open to all the sectors. Right now, given the fact that everybody is moving into the domain of online platforms, so there are lots of clients that we have who are actually doing their business online. So, whether we talk about Cashify, which is again an online platform, for selling old devices, or if you speak about Coding Ninjas, which is primarily into e- learning platforms for coding languages programs. We also work with Amazon, supporting them in finding sellers online so that they can come, register themselves on their platforms. These are the clients that we are working with right now.

What inspired you to start this?

Well, this is one and a half year old and it was a combination of things. When we started out, I wanted to do something in the space of providing livelihood, and I was very clear that there was a need gap which existed, in terms of superior customer engagement. A lot of companies were driving customer care, but that was sub optimal in terms of the quality of conversations that was being driven by these firms and executives, largely because most of them are being run as factories, and not necessarily from the point of driving empathy when the customer is being spoken with. Given the fact that I had an experience of working with the blind earlier in my erstwhile organization, Vodafone, I knew what they could bring to the table. Also, I had a fair stint with NAB- I spent around nine months with them. I saw them working very closely and I understood the skill set that they could bring to the table. So we tried to marry both of these together and that’s how Saarathee eventually came into being

How did you go about starting this venture? Were there any particular challenges that you faced?

Ofcourse. One, my start happened with research. I just didn’t start it at will. I invested in a fair bit of studying and research. I would like to give credit to NAB, Hauz Khas, firstly, because the director there was always a friend and, secondly, because he also gave me an opportunity and a window to engage and interact, not only with people who are blind, but also with authorities that are doing their bit of work in terms of skilling them. I got a fair understanding of what kind of skill was being invested in, what kind of people could possibly do something like this. Apart from this, I engaged with people who were already working with people with disabilities, so that I could gain from their experience. So, when I pieced it all together, I think we managed to make a confident start from there. And as for having setbacks, in the first few months, in fact the first year in itself, we had a fair bit of experiences, learning and a lot of highs and lows that we saw. But I guess, we learn, fall and move on.

Is there any advice that you would like to give to those who would like to combine the social sector with their startup?

I think it is very critical, first to identify the value that you eventually want to drive. Because, if you do not find value, you would not be able to sustain it. Here, the business need was merged with the social impact need that we wanted to create. And that’s how the marriage worked.

Monday, June 17, 2019

MEET RAY CHARLES : THE GODFATHER OF SOUL MUSIC


I have met so many of my idols - like Ray Charles, Brian Setzer - all these cats that are legendary musicians. If they had said to me, 'Hey man, I'm busy,' it would have crushed my soul.” These lines by Drake Bell (an American Actor) remind us about the intensity of affection he had for Ray Charles.
                    Ray Charles was a popular American songwriter, musician, singer and founder of ‘soul music’. Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930 to Aretha and Bailey Robinson in Alabama, Georgia. He was born as a normal child but was later diagnosed with glaucoma and was completely blind by the age of seven. Ray lost his vision at a very young age and this made his parents to worry about his future prospects. Ray was sent to the Florida School for Deaf and Blind from 1937 to 1945 where he mastered musical skills.
                    Having shown keen interest in music, he tried to master different types of music. He was a profound lover of jazz but was taught only classical music in his school. He was introduced to jazz and country music via radio. Ray, on Fridays, used to play the piano and sing songs at the South Campus Literary Society. On George Washington’s birthday and Halloween, the black department of school used to arrange a concert and Ray used to participate in it. He eventually formed his own team “ RC Robinson and the Shop boys “ and sang chores of Jingle Bell Boogie in his own way.
                   Ray Charles went further and bestowed the world with his musical talent. His songs were international hit and he is regarded as the best songwriter by many of his contemporaries. Ray Charles was also fondly called as “Brother Ray” by his fellow musicians and friends. Ray is precisely remembered for his fighting ability and ‘never give up’ type attitude. A man who overcame his blindness and produced record breaking songs of all time. “Blind at 7, World famous at 70”, this is how I can sum up his life. Ray Charles has left an unforgettable mark in the field of music that even today, 15 years after his death, his legacy continues.
                  Charles’ career spanned for more than 50 years, and in such an illustrious career, he has inspired many of the budding musicians and songwriters. They say that Music is an art and Like every other art, it needs to be felt. I find it very much true in the case of Ray Charles. Despite being completely blind, he felt the very essence of music from his soul that his soul was his vision.
                  They say when God takes up one of your sense, The Almighty strengthens the other four. These people not only overcame their blindness to achieve their goals but have set an exemplary example before us. Their achievements are of such a level that any layman with all five senses will find it difficult to achieve them. Last but not the least, Be Inspired and Inspire others. Be like Ray Charles.
  • Shreyas J Kadam    
Ref :- Ray Charles (Wikipedia)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles#Career
                                            Image courtesy – Wikipedia

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Read Euler: He is our master in everything


Leonhard Euler is regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians to have ever walked on the planet. Euler, as he is popularly known was born on April 15, 1707 in Switzerland. He was not blind by birth but suffered from Visual impairment later in his life. Today, we will understand some of the important achievements from his life and things we need to inherit from this great mathematician.

                    Leonhard Euler was born to Paul Euler and Marguerite Brucker in Basel. His father was a pastor of the Reformed Church while his mother was the daughter of a pastor, thus Euler was raised in a rather religious environment. Euler had two sisters. From his very childhood, Euler’s father taught him Mathematics thus sowing the seeds of interest in his mind. His father’s friend was Johann Bernoulli, a prominent Mathematician and Bernoulli would greatly influence the young Leonhard Euler. Thus, Euler was raised in a religious and influencing environment and this helped him further in his life to a very large extent.
                    Euler, as I said, was not blind by birth but was born as a normal child. He could see as an any average human. Euler suffered a fatal fever in 1735 that nearly took him but he was saved. Unfortunately, he lost in it, his one eye and suffered an infection in his second. He spent last few years of life in complete blindness. He worked for most of his life with one eye. Euler died in 1783, at the age of 76 in St. Petersburg.
                   Euler is credited my many of his contemporaries. He gave some of the most important formulae in the field of pure mathematics. Richard Feynman (20th century American physicist) once said, Our jewel ... one of the most remarkable, almost astounding, formulas in all of mathematics.” The formula was none other than Euler’s Identity formula as we know it today.
e+1=0
                 Euler published many scientific journals, papers, articles and books. Some of the famous ones are ‘Institutiones calculi differentialis’ in 1755 and another one, ‘Institutiones calculi integralis’ during the period 1768–70. These textbooks served as a foundation for understanding concepts of modern calculus. Euler’s knowledge was not only limited to mathematics. He further went to study “The theory of Lunar Motion” which involved the study of motions of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon. He also showed great amount of interest in Physics where he researched on optics and acoustics. He went further ahead to prove Newton’s identities. Fluid Mechanics, one of the most important branch of modern day engineering heavily relies on Euler-Bernoulli’s formula.
                What do we infer from the life of these great men ? Life is meant to be full of hurdles and obstacles. If not with these great men, the world would have been a deprived place. Helen Keler became the first deaf-blind person to secure a Bachelor’s degree in Arts. If it were not the studies of Louis Braille, we would have not got today the Braille System. These great people have taught us the Discipline of Life, this discipline we must inherit. We may not become a prolific mathematician like Leonhard Euler nor we are having great singing talents like Andrea Bocelli. What we have is the Mental Strength, we need to enhance it and imbibe in us the power to excel in our respective fields, no matter what it takes. Life is a platform, showcase your talents at the right place and at the right time. Be inspired and Inspire others.


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