A visually impaired man's request.

Chandrasekar ,who didn't make it in the recent selection of visually impaired to the post of Tamil teachers , though he has secured first class in BA,B ed and in M.A in Tamil,has to cool his heels for some more time as the inexorable law of reservations within reservations has axed him.He just gave TRB exams and has started pursuing MA in sociology.

The stipend given by the govt to VI to pursue higher studies is tempting enough to lure them to do double or even triple MA's! As he was tired out,listening to lessons in sociology from that indefatigable reader in consecutive morning and noon sessions ,we decided to go through current affairs in CSR magazine.

I read out that Bala has bagged the National film award for best direction of the film, Nan kadavul..I paused to comment ''That man did us Tamilians proud''.At which Chandrasekar shook his head and hissed ''No,Bala has blatantly betrayed the blind by that undignified portrayal of a blind girl eking her living by singing and being unceremoniously pushed into flesh trade''.

I was taken aback . I have written earlier in this blog that I honestly felt that Bala had showcased the deformed and freakish looking people as human and exposed the terrible manner of their exploitation.

Chandra continued and said ''I see[i.e hear] a lot of movies .I liked all of Bala's earlier movies ,but he has let us down in this film and doesn't deserve the award ''. I said ''But Bala has shown the poorer of the poorest and you belong to a decent [carpenters] family ,that supports you ,and you may not be that penniless as that blind beggar woman shown in that film .At which he replied ''The poverty that all films show no longer exist even in villages .By chance if they did exist, even the poorest of the poor ,parents of blind children do not let their wards wander around begging but join them in free schools and hostels run for the blind by the govt.No VI worth his salt will beg money by singing on trains . They have started selling snacks,mobile covers etc. 9 out of 10 persons prefer selling small items in train than sing and beg for money.'' He was seething with anger.

He went on to vent his repressed feelings and ire.'' Films show us as beggars who sing and collect money as in Kasi or make us a butt of insensitive jokes,like for eg a dog shares the food from Goundamani's plate, lapping it without him being aware of it owing to his blindness only to be shooed away by Senthil, evoking laughter .We are well aware of our surroundings and a dog panting and licking nearby will never go unnoticed . We cannot see but we can very well hear and feel .''

He also attacked Vivek for pretending to be blind only to get close to pretty young women who would come near him to help him cross the road etc..He is enraged by such lecherous portrayal of VI people.

I asked him ''Did you see Rajaparvai wherein Kamal lives on his own and fends for himself though visually handicapped .?''He pointed out ''In that film also Kamal the VI hero sings and earns money . He doesn't teach or go to office ''.

His question to film makers ''Why are you all stuck in the stereotypes of bygone days?Even in remotest villages there are no such beggars . Why cant you show us as graduates ,post graduates as lawyers ,lecturers teachers,officers and clerks in banks, post offices and railways?Most of us are doing white collar jobs.

He then hurriedly wound up ,remembering the tryst he had with a woman in a suburban railway station and said'' Since films have long arm reaching a lot of people it is the duty of directors to show the VI in a dignified manner . They must put a full stop to these cliched depictions that serves only to stigmatize us [VI] further amongst the general public.'' He requested,that I write about his angst in my blog.

Is any filmmaker listening ? Or is it merely a cry in the wilderness ?