“Look up, there’s a bird on a tree…To your left, there are children playing in the open space…there’s a speeding two-wheeler (TVS Excel!) around, watch out” — Photographer K. Ananthan followed the instructions of a visually-impaired person as he clicked images at VOC park grounds. Ananthan was blindfolded and was a part of the blind photography walk organised by Nigal, a videographic start up run by students of Kumaraguru College of Technology. The Nigal team tied up with International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and organised the exercise to mark World Sight Day (October 13). It was an event that saw both photographers and the visually-impaired taking part. “We wanted to sensitise public on the issue of blindness and vision impairment. It’s a part of Nigal’s ‘social immersion videos project’ where we spread awareness on a social issue,” explained Aakash Selvan of Nigal.
Ananthan said he was initially lost when he was blindfolded. “But, I soon realised that with my eyes shut my other sensory perceptions took over. I clicked images of a blaring speaker as I heard the sound. I could feel the texture of trees that lined the VOC park, and smelt the horse dung,” he said.
For the second part of the exercise, photographers clicked images based on inputs by the visually-impaired. Ananthan said the experience gave him an insight into their lives. He said he realised they lead an independent life, like any one of us. “The person who accompanied me has no vision since birth but he easily identified vehicles by their sound. He alerted me about a thorny plant as we walked on Avanashi Road. As a photojournalist I have clicked images based on sounds - for example at sporting events, such as shooting.”
For photographer Viren Mohan it was a humbling experience. “I was disoriented for a couple of minutes. Then, I started shooting pictures of the street vendors lining the VOC Park based on the sounds. It was an exercise in sensory photography which I recommend to every photographer.”
Photojournalist Prakash Chellamuthu said the event made him want to take good care of his eyes and spread the word about eye donation. “It was challenging but it gave me an opportunity to understand blindness.” He admired the alertness of the visually challenged and how they kept themselves safe. “They don’t expect self-pity,” said Prakash. Another photojournalist Jackson Johnson who was guided by the visually-impaired Dominic clicked photographs of a man carrying his child, a toy-seller and exhibition stalls. “ I realised the value of vision. It was an eye-opener,” he observed.
Participant Dr. M. Maheswaran’s guide Sakthivel lost his vision since his birth. “He told me that he watched the film Thodari twice. I was surprised. I learnt that they ‘see’ things using other senses. When I came back and saw the photographs, every image, be it the car, autorickshaw or the pani poori walah, every object matched with Sakthivel’s observation. I am motivated to spread more awareness on eye and organ donation among my patients and family members.”
