Amol Karche gently moved his hand over the Ganesh idol in front of him as he felt the form and shape of the deity. The 22-year-old visually impaired cricketer was at Sparsh Vinayak pandal specially designed for people like him. Launched by TATA Nx, the pandal at Growels Mall in Kandivali has a specially crafted three-and-a-half-feet idol with tactile sensory aid to help the visually challenged touch and feel their Ganpati Bappa.
“Until today, I had only heard from friends and family how Bappa looks like. But today, I myself felt him from the ‘mukut’ to his feet and can visualise him. It is very different to hear about something and feel it yourself,” said Karche, who, along with Swapnil Wagh, Sunil Rathod and a few other members of the World Cup-winning India National Blind Cricket Team, was invited to conduct the morning aarti on Friday. ‘The Unseen Idol’ was specially made by an Raj Baide, an artist based in Chembur, using materials like cotton, nylon and wax to provide tactile aids for the visually challenged. Nylon ropes were also used for the decor. “When we celebrate Ganeshotsav every year, a significant section of our society cannot be a part of it. Generally, people are not encouraged to touch the idol. That is when we decided to create the first ever blind-friendly Ganpati idol. Ganeshotsav is an inclusive festival and everybody should be able to participate,” said Aniket Sharma, Managing Partner, 121 Experiences, who was behind the idea of the unique pandal. Organised in association with the Eye Bank Association of India, the National Association for the Blind and the Cricket Association of the Blind, the organisers reached out to all blind schools in the city to ensure maximum participation by the visually challenged. Through the pandal, they also aimed at increasing awareness regarding eye donation and have already received 1.3 lakh pledges from people to donate their eyes. The organisers do not plan to immerse the idol at the end of the 11-day celebrations, and instead will donate it to an NGO for the blind. “We will donate the idol to an NGO that works for the blind so that more people can come forward to experience it and more people are made aware about it,” said Sharma. Dr Arup Basu, President, New Businesses and Innovation Centre, Tata Chemicals Limited, said the Sparsh Vinayak campaign has been specially designed for them, to help them get a chance to admire and participate in the joyous Ganpati festival, breaking barriers of limitations. http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/sparsh-vinayak-an-idol-for-visually-challenged-to-touch-and-feel-4824675/ -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. To check if the post reached the list or to search for old posting, reach: https://www.mail-archive.com/ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/maillist.html _______________________________________________ Ai mailing list Ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in http://accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/mailman/listinfo/ai
