Freelance Writer / broadcaster

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Lalbazar Srinagar(Kashmir), Jammu and Kashmir, India
A freelance journalist /broadcaster /sports reporter and scriptwriter from Jammu&Kashmir (India), an Associate Member of ONA (Online News Association), Sports Keeda and Elance U.K

Monday, September 28, 2009

Kamalbir Singh Jaggi,A blind leading from the front to run a National Blind school

48 year old Kamalbir Singh Jaggi, a visually challenged person is administrating country’s biggest blind school in National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) as Principal of the school since December 2008. A cool and calm sardar has proved himself as a tough administrator and effective teacher of the Model Secondary School in the vast campus of the institute situated at Rajpur Road Dehradhun, the capital of Uttrakhand State.

National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) in Dehradhun , Uttrakhand is an institute for visually handicapped and is considered as one of the biggest blind educational cum training institutes in Asia

Mr. Kamalbir Singh Jaggi in a face to face with Abid Gowhar, is really upbeat in speaking about his role to perform and his cherish for the sightless (blind) students of the school. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: Being himself visually challenged, how big challenge it is for you to administrate a blind school?

A: The challenges there of course are many but in fact the whole life is a challenge. The challenges we generally confront are related in handling the students that are coming from different parts of the country and staying together and not being able to integrate some times. But we know that the students are also willing to cooperate as much as possible and our staff makes all effort to confront these challenges together.

Q: How was your choice as Principal made by the authorities to replace a sighted person?

A: in fact when the interview for the post was held, I was the only one blind among the candidates. It was the performance of the individual that counted rather than selecting a person on his disability. I think I was selected on my merit only. Perhaps they thought that I should be able to run the school much better keeping my life experience in view vis-à-vis to understand the blind’s psychology better .

Q: This being the biggest school of its kind in the country, what are the specialties you are offering in the school?

A: Yes the institute (NIVH) is certainly quite big, it has its own reputation all over the country. It is been there since 1959 and this year we celebrated its golden jubilee also. Actually the Model secondary school is a part of the Institute that runs a variety of programmes providing training to adult blind, education to blind children, equipment and text-books to the visually handicapped and their institutions at highly subsidized rates and supply of books in Braille and cassettes. It also runs a wide-variety of staff training programmes and research and development project. The model School attached to this institute provides free education to blind boys and girls from preschool stage to class XI. Nearly 250 students from various parts of the country, are provided free boarding, lodging, clothing and monthly pocket money with separate hostel facilities for boys and girls. The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Q: As you said, the year 2009 is the golden Jubilee year of the school, At this point of time, have you taken any special initiatives for the overall betterment of the school?

A: This has also being my first year in the school as Principal and I have been involved in many new initiatives like we have first time introduced Science and Mathematics in the school from class IX to replace music and Sanskrit. Also we have sent our students to different kind of competitions at zonal, state and country level. Three students from our school have gone to Colareda America into participate in an international athletic event in July this year. Sanjay, a IX class student made us proud by bagging the most gold medals by an Indian at the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Youth and Students Championship held at Colorado, USA. He secured three golds for the Indian team. At the Games, our students bagged four gold and two bronze medals in the championship in which as many as 27 countries participated. Among girls, Gulshan won a bronze medal each in 100 m and long jump. This year we have we have achieved good results in Board exams with highest 82% marks in XII class and 86% in 10th . I plan to continue with the same efforts and enhance the activities this year.

Q: The students are coming all over the country. Who do you cope with the students coming from different social-cultural back grounds and traditions?

A: You are right, an example is that majority of the students presently hail from J&K, UP and Uttrakhnad. Out of 234, the large number is from J&K, other majority is from UP and. Bihar, Assam, Meghaliya are other parts from whom good number of students are coming every year. Although there may be differentiations in their different habits but we try to integrate them by offering various kind of foods offered in different regions of the country and expose them to different cultural activities.

Q: Why the studies in the school can’t be transformed from Hindi to English medium?

A: yes, we have started to transform Hindi medium into English so that our students should be able to compete well with others in CBSC exams. Initially we have introduced it up to class 3rd and at the same time we have to recruit new staff for which we have a long project ahead. In a phased manner, we shall be able to complete the project in next five to six years.

Q: Other than providing schooling to the visually disabled children through specially trained teachers, how do you cope up with their other extra ordinary intelligence and of course problems?

A: What are the problems with them? Why don’t we look at them as normal being? Why so we segregate them? They are intelligent as other people are. I do not look at them as separate identity. I want them to be integrated along with other people. In fact our individual societies should change their attitude towards all blind persons. All our students who have passed class 12 from this school have joined different colleges, which are not specifically meant for visually challenged.

Q: Coming to your personal life, as a blind person how do you differentiate your schooling and the present day experience in running a blind school?

A: I have passed out my schooling in 1983. Till then, we didn’t have Braille books ourselves. We used to share one copy of the book in whole class of about 15-20 students. Now the students have abundant of books available, they have copy with each of them and they always get new set of books, once they tear or mal any of the books. When I was studying only audio cassettes were available, now compact discs are given to the students. We faced scarcity of books, which today is no more. Other than that the education in all parts has become tech savvy. There is a special computer software available by which students can also benefit.

Q: How is your personal family life?

A: I am married and have two kids. My spouse is alright with me and is living in a nuclear family. There great support is always there to boost my morale in life.

Q: Sir, last but not the least, any strong message you would like convey to the people in general and sightless in particular?

A: My sincere message to the common masses is that whenever they see any visually challenged person, please guide and help him to be educated, try to create awareness about the parents. My message to the visually challenged would be, not to consider themselves weak in life, be confident that they are as good as every body else and be bold to face the challenges of life as physically- normal people are facing also.