Esha- People for the Blind

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you have been subjected to Esha at least once.


Esha is an initiative that works towards employment for the visually disabled. What sets it apart is that Esha does not make contract workers - we are in the business of creating blind entrepreneurs. All our sevice offerings are such that they can be best delivered by a blind professional. In addition, we groom the person to take on additional responsibility for the other aspects of running a service setup independently.

The current service offerings of Esha are:
1. Braille enabled visiting cards - our flagship product. Your regular visiting card, gets a distinct identity with a few raised dots.. Braille.

2. Theater Workshops - These versatile workshops help in sensitisation, team building and a general good time. They are available for office teams, teachers, others in a work environment. Personally, methinks the ppl who benefit most from these workshops are kids - gives them a total change of perspective that is VERY good for their general life coping skills.

3. Tactile Maps - These, alongwith the braille enabled visiting cards, are the quick fixes that get you brownie points with very little effort. For a visitor to see your braille enabled cards, and then to see tactile maps being available.. is very impressive. They don't have to know it took less than 2 hours of one person's time to get it all in place.

4. Accessibility Audits: These are for the really involved. Any facility - public or private, can get an audit to figure out how well a blind person would fare in your space.. its an eye opener. But the real eye opener is the simple steps that come in the report. Imperceptible changes that make one realise how easy it is to make a space accessible for everyone.

5. Braille Greeting Cards - Any card with braille added to it, or a special card made all in braille with words of your choice.. perhaps even an embossed image.. they're fun things to send to a blind school on the New year.. or on the birthday of a child.. The Blind never get greeting cards.

So, thats about Esha. To know more, go to www.braillecards.org

And if you are interested in partnering with Esha for your corporate social responsibility initiatives, contact Esha at esha_braille@yahoo.com

The Esha blog is here.

Bimal Roy Birth Centenary

July 12th was Bimal Roy's Birth Centenary..



If you dont already know about Bimal Roy, he was among the most brilliant filmmakers we have seen in the industry. His films (with popcorn) still make better watching than most of the current films. He could entertain and sensitise.. of course, his times were times of idealist cinema.. and he was a cut above..

The birth centenary is a good time to bring out that popcorn.. and treat yourself to some of the best cinema Indian celluloid has seen.. here is the pick-list:

• Do Beegha Zameen - Inarguably, one of the finest movies ever made.. unfortunately, as relevant today as when it was made..


• Yahudi - One of his most under rated films..


• Bandini - Watch this one to see Nutan and to see what a good actress can do with a well crafted character..


• Madhumati - One of Vaijyanthi Mala's best performances..


• Devdas (The Dilip Kumar one)


• Sujata - Who can forget that super romantic.. Jalte hain jis ke liye.. teri aankhon ke diye.. and the untouchability message for which this film is celebrated. However, my favorite part of the film is the song "Bachpan ke din.." for the juxtaposition it presents ... without sermonising..

To see a complete list of his films and to know more, go here.

Film Review - New York

In the year 1996, a film called Maachis was released. In the year 2o09, New York was released. The former was classic Gulzar - great poetry et al, the latter is classic Yash Raj Films - great visuals, glamour galore et al. The former was set in Punjab of the 1980s, the latter in New York of the 2000s. The differences end there.. now for the similarities:

Both these films deal with the process by which a terrorist is born. The process is simple - overzealous law enforcement officials who over-do the "interrogation" , and do it on the wrong people, in a way that strips a person of his basic dignity, and makes him want to "get back" at the "people who did this to me" .

Both the films present this truth in a very hard hitting, effective way.. the subject, sensitive as it is, is handled delicately, yet with an underlying strength that adds resilience to the story telling.

The rest of the review is ONLY about New York.

If you think good looking people cannot act, watch this film. These are three superlative performances.. each bettering the others.. but a special mention must be made of John Abraham.. it takes a lot of courage to give the shots that this movie needed.. and he has done them all par excellence.. after this film, he is an actor in my book..

Katrina Kaif can act.. it was a tall order to match up to the screen presence of the other two, and at some places, she beats them to it.

Neil Nitin Mukesh has already proved himself as an actor. With this film, he leaves absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind about his versatility and screen presence. John Abraham is a good looking person who can also act well. Neil Nitin Mukesh is an actor who also happens to look good.

Irrfan Khan needs no more eulogy. His performance remains great as ever. Perhaps he should give vesatility a chance now:-)

Like all YRF films, the visuals are a treat.. there isnt one bland moment in the film.. the editing is perfect.

The story is full of surprises, gripping yet warm.

Some surprises that the film flung at yours truly:

• Neil Nitin Mukesh's voice is a lot like his grandfather - Mukesh.
• There is third degree even in the human rights aware Amareeka, and no one can do anything about it.

And just as i was thinking of all the questions that the film throws at you, this post came along on Indscribe's blog.. and this one on Soul in Exile's blog ..you must watch the film and then read the posts.. will cost you a night's sweet dreams..

Good Night.

Do you know this?

In India, is it possible to get Braille on your visiting cards? Yes/No
Do you know of an organisation called Esha – People for the blind? Yes/No

Please post your answers in the comments section.

Palkon pe chalte chalte.. पलकों पे चलते चलते जब ऊंघने लगती हैं

पलकों पे चलते चलते जब ऊंघने लगती हैं ,
सो जा आँखें सोती हैं तो उड़ने लगती हैं,
सौंधे से आकाश पे नीले बाजरे बहते हैं,
पांखी जैसी आँखें सपने चुगने लगती हैं ॥

पिघली हुई हैं, गीली चांदनी, कच्ची रात का सपना आए,
थोड़ी सी जागी, थोड़ी सी सोयी, नींद में कोई अपना आए
नींद में हल्की खुशबुएँ सी घुलने लगती हैं...

आंखों से कहना , लोरी में रहना, रातों का कोई छोर नही,
तेरे तो और भी होंगे सपने, मेरा तो कोई और नही ...
बोलती आँखें नींद में सपने सुनने लगती हैं ....

My all time favorite lullaby.. and one that works on Ishaan too.. :-)
Film: Daayra, Lyricist: Gulzar, Singer: Yesudas, Music: Anand-Milind.

Rough Translation:
When eyes sleep, they fly..
They are there for the picking, blue and lovely,
Eyes, pick the floating dreams like birds pick grain..

The moonlight.. molten and spilled all around me..
I dream of a moist night..
A little awake, a little asleep,
and a dear face comes to mind..
All my sleep is scented that moment..

Eyes, stay in the lullaby, for the night is endless,
You must have other dreams, but you are all I have..
Eyes that speak so, listen to dreams in the night..

yes, i know thats a really bad translation.. but what can one say? Am sorry.. please help if u can..

Remember this when you next think "Kuchh nahi hoga"

On the 26th of June, the Kingfisher Leh-Delhi flight was cancelled. Kingfisher forgot to inform all the "guests" who checked out of their hotels, with kids as young as 1.5-2 years old, and got to the airport, only to realise that there is no flight. There was no problem with the weather. The problem was a "technical snag" which means their plane broke down and they did not think of a replacement at all.
So there it was, a bunch of over 200 people (it was a full flight) , with their baggage, outside the Leh terminal, in the blistering sun, because they were denied entry into the airport terminal. These people had connecting trains/flights, had checked out of their hotel. Some of them were unwell and were looking forward to being in the pressurised container to help ease the mountain sickness.
There is only one ATM in Leh, and that one was not working. Which meant that these people were there - with no accomodation (in this season, if you check out, fat chance that you will get that room again without a prior reservation) , no cash, not too well, and in the hot sun. No explanations either.
Happens all the time, and the airline expected them to whine for a while and then go try and find hotels or whatever. The airline maintained that they are a budget airline and there will be no help at all - no acco, no alternative flight, not even an attempt to help.
EXCEPT that in this case, the passengers did not let up. They kept at it, kept asking the airline staff for reasons, for alternatives, and kept asking for the Kingfisher Airport manager to step out to tell them what's happening. Finally, the airport manager came out. He had not expected this. Passengers are expected to whine, give galis, and then go away. 2 hours later, they were still around, asking him why no alternative plane was arranged if the airline knew at 4 a.m. that the plane will not take off from Delhi.. and other very relevant questions. The Airport manager went back in, accompanied by some passengers. The airline finally agreed to give refunds, and very few passengers took that refund. The others stayed on, asking for the alternative aircraft.

When a young child showed obvious signs of illness in the hot sun, the father put him on the airport door and insisted that the terminal be opened for women and children at least. It was opened, because all the other passengers stood behind that family.

A little later, the airport manager finally managed to get an alternative aircraft for the stranded passengers. Yes, they did. And the "budget airline" also magically managed to get tea and breakfast for people who literally, hadnt had a sip of water since morning. In Leh, that can be very destructive.

Finally, about 4.5 hours after the scheduled departure of that plane, the alternative flight took off. Full marks to Jet Airways for everything. Kingfisher managed the check in queue that was allowed entry into the airport check in area, and that was a nightmare. However, from there, Jet took over and was one impressed! Queues rationalised, staff holding children so parents could check in fast, staff helping women and children to the seated area so the queues are shorter and check in faster. There are days when Jet behaves like the new IC. That day, however, one saw a glimpse of the old Jet Airways again. Thank you Jet, and no thanks to Kingfisher.

But the moral of the story is, remember that if you stick together, you CAN force even the mighty to do what they should have done right in the first place. This is the first time in all one's life, that i saw people power at work. Remember this post when you feel helpless again. All one needs to do is stick together. :-) To more such days!

The Ladakh Diary - Day 6

This was the last day of our stay. We were soo looking forward to going back to terra firma where we may breathe again without worrying about breathlessness. Lots of tourists, domestic and foreign, come here and get unwell. The hotel manager was very used to taking guests to the Civil Hospital. But i did not find this mentioned in any online travelogue. Please do remember that anyone can get sick there. its not related to ur past performance in the hills at all.

Also, please dont get confident if you get through the first 72 hours. Mountain sickness can strike at any time. And it can get serious very fast.

On this day, one saw, for the first time, PEOPLE POWER at work. More on that in the next post.

The Ladakh Diary - Day 5

The mighty yet tranquil Indus - a river to love

On this day, The Other was not well and decided to stay at the hotel. He did not want a hospital visit.
I really wanted to visit Pathhar Sahib, so went on the Srinagar route.

There are some spots on this route - The Sangam, the Rafting, Hall of Fame, Magnetic Hill, Pathhar Sahib.

Sangam: The Indus meets the Zanksar at this point. The Indus is a lovely river.. blue, and tranquil even close to its source.. it gets muddy in the monsoon, but at this point, it was peace personified. The Sangam is an interesting place, but that river has touched me like no other has.
But notice the stone on the riverside. Even after centuries, these stones are not rounded like the other rivers. They are sharp - so sharp that you cannot walk there barefeet. BIG surprise, and one is still thinking of this.. why?

Magnet Hill: If you leave your car at this point, the car goes uphill without gear. The hill opposite to the spot is supposed to be a huge magnet. it takes about 5 minutes here.

Pathhar Sahib: Attached to a legend about Guru Nanak, its an important place for the Sikhs. For the others, its another tourist place. What impressed about the place was that the whole place was manned by army people who run all time tea, warm water to drink, cold water and food at lunch. It was a very clean Gurudwara and everyone was very affable. This was a special experience too.

The Ladakh Diary - Day 4

On this day, the Other went to see Lake Pangong, and I went to see the Sindhu Darshan Festival. After the lovely experience of Day 3, I did not want to attempt 17,500 feet. However, the doctor on a visit to the hotel (to see another unwell patient) checked my saturation level and at 88%, cleared a local trip.

What happened at the Sindhu Darshan festival was another story altogether. The first part of the day was dedicated to speeches by politicians and other important people. Then started the cultural festival. I just wanted to sit by the river, so went there by default.

At the river, one was apalled to see plastic floating everywhere.. people oblivious to the Seven Ups and the Aquafinas that they were surrendering to the holy river. So one got cleaning up and soon another lady joined in. Within that hour, we pulled out almost 1.5 kilos of plastic waste from 50 metres of the river stretch. But the remarkable part is what happened next.

Yours truly went looking for a dustbin. The first person in saffron whom i asked directed me to a side that had ice cream vendors and the like. I asked the vendor "Where is the dustbin?" "Just throw it here." I asked him "Is there no dustbin in the entire venue?" He stopped pulling out the icecream long enough to say that there isnt. Then, i went right to the podium, and asked for someone from the organising committee. A distinguished looking person said "Bataiye" so i asked "Sir, dustbin kahaan hai?" (Sir, where is the dustbin?) No kidding, the person looked at me as if I'd asked for a piece of the moon. He just stared for a while and then said "Aap ko dustbin kyun chahiye?" So i told him that we have abt 1.5 kilos of waste waiting for a dustbin. He understood this was a "environment vaali" and said "Mangva dete hain" .
To cut a long story short, i waited next to his seat for abt 1 hour, almost in a Gandhi style dharna. I was told that the dustbin is on its way from Leh, and Thank you for letting us know we missed placing the dustbins.

This was the second day of the 3 day Sindhu Darshan festival, with more pilgrims than you can count, and NO ONE THOUGHT OF THE DUSTBINS!

The Other liked the Pangong lake and realised that its a salt water lake, AFTER getting there. but its 9 hours in the car for about an hour of being at the lake. No tourist brochure tells you that.

Also, we found out that its possible to get mountain sickness later in your stay, because the next day, The Other got up not so bright and positively unwell.