Oct - Dec 95

Dyslexia by Lakshmi Radhakrishnan,
The World Federation of Neurologists defines dyslexia as “a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio-cultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental disabilities which are frequently constitutional in origin.”
Mostly language disability runs in families... Dyslexic children are NOT mentally retarded. They have above average intelligence. Some of the famous dyslexics are Edison, Winston Churchill, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Agatha Christie… Such gifted minds can truly be lost in our current rigid school system. It is the duty of the educators, teachers and parents to be alert and give suitable help to such gifted children. If a child checks with many of the symptoms mentioned, parents should take notice and take remedial help from special educators. Dyslexia is a condition of the mind that persists throughout life. One learns to cope with it. ...more

Beyond mere sight by Jayshree Raveendran
It was as simple as that. Buse Gowda happened to “see” a group dance and the dormant talent in him surfaced. He was filled with a desire to learn this divine art form. He could have been written off as crazy. Reason: Buse Gowda is blind and the dance he “saw” was one wherein he had only visualised the art form.
Founder Principal T. V. Srinivasan of the Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind, Bangalore, did not shrug off the possibility. Instead, he considered the idea with an open mind, respected his student's wishes and deputed dance master Ashok Kumar to coach him. It was a laborious job for both the teacher and the student. The guru would “show” a step or a posture. The student then had to touch and feel his guru's feet and hands and memorise each pose and mudra . Each step, each movement, each gesture had to be physically felt and repeated. Buse Gowda mastered the art to perfection and excelled to the extent of earning himself the title “Mayura” at the National Association for Equal Opportunities, in Bombay. And when someone leads the way, would others be far behind? The strength of the Academy's dance troupe has now gone up to 40. Their dance ballet, Ramayana, involving all 40 pupils staged over 25 shows. The next ballet “Shakti” saw 75 shows. More followed. As this article goes to the press, the troupe is all set to perform before the Prime Minister of UK. ...more

Waga and Wheels by Anuradha Samant
When people see my scooter for the first time, some drop their jaw and widen their eyes, others exclaim, what on earth is this? All because my scooter is slightly different. In what is essentially a two wheeler, the slight difference exists in the fact that it has four wheels. Two extra wheels are fixed on either side of the rear wheel of a two-wheeler. These wheels are secured by a frame which is decorated with neon strips and on which are added two red beacons.Once, while giving this description over the phone, I came to the part about the beacons, when my friend asked, “you mean it's a buggy, like the sort clowns ride around a circus ring?” so I should explain the beacon's purely functional. They warn others of the extra wheels, and the decorations? Well … they provide a little colour. But I assure you my scooter's no circus buggy.
The bike does, however, have a slightly large rear. As I ride her on the road amongst other bikes, she looks rather like a village belle with a shapely posterior let loose amongst slender fashion models. And if taken on uneven streets, her three wheeled rear wobbles from side to side. This creates a lot of mirth and has earned her the nick name of “Gangubike.” My bike may look a bit out of the ordinary, but when it comes to the riding, she surpasses all beauties. She is stable on four wheels and therefore, I don't have to keep my balance and don't lose it. When we stop, the bike doesn't keel over. Furthermore, I don't fear sharp turns because toppling my bike over is difficult, to put it mildly.
And then, there are those times when one rear wheel goes in and the other remains out of a pothole, but barring these, I always ride with enviable calm and composure. The same cannot, however, be said for my pillion riders for whom problems are aplenty. First is to get to the seat by vaulting over the wheel in between. That done comes the decision as to whether to sit astride or sideways. What would be easier? Sitting astride with legs sticking out uncomfortably over the extra wheels, or sideways with legs bent uncomfortably on top of a mud guard? The choice is a subjective one, really. After being seated, my friends are fazed by the attention we create on the roads. As other commuters pass us, they turn back to look first at the bike and then at those sitting on it. At traffic lights, I am asked various questions and while my embarrassed co-rider looks the other way, I answer the questions like a proud parent. I can understand their embarrassment, however, because some people take it a bit too far, like the man at the parking lot where I had parked my bike. When he came up to collect the parking fees, he pretended to be in a terrible dilemma because the sign said “Two wheelers – Re. 1. Four wheelers – Rs. 2”, and my vehicle fitted both categories. ...more