THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As people strolled through the premises of the Legislative Assembly here as part of the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival (KLIBF), a man was heard reading out portions of Thakazhi’s ‘Chemmeen’ novel.
As people strolled through the assembly premises soaking in the words and wisdom offered by the fest in Thiruvananthapuram, a man was heard reading out portions of Thakazhi’s novel Chemmeen. Tracking the sound led to a place both surprising and heartwarming at the same time — book stall of the Kerala Federation of the Blind.
The person who read the book aloud by passing his fingers through its Braille version was Pachalloor Vijayan, the senior proofreader with the federation’s press. Besides books, the stall had games like snakes and ladders, chess, and ludo that attracted visitors -- all designed in a blind-friendly manner without changing any of its rules.
Explaining their offerings, Hiba Fathima, the vice-president of the federation’s student forum, said only minor changes were made to the game boards or pieces.
“For example, both snakes and ladders have been made in such a way that the shapes project from the board, so that anyone can feel if they are climbing up or going down. In chess, white pieces have an additional dot projecting out on top. Ludo too has unique pieces. A dice, with a stick running through its middle and with projecting number dots, is used to decide the next move,” Hiba said.
Expressing pride over the KLIBF being the first-ever book festival the federation is taking part in, general secretary Abdul Hakkim M K thanked the assembly officials and the speaker for having provided them with the “golden opportunity”.
“Until now, we had only been to other exhibitions for the display of other disability-friendly products, and we expect to take part in more book festivals like this,” Hakkim said.
The books in the stall are not for sale, rather for visually challenged people to immerse in the reading exercise. “Books for the blind finding space in a festival is in itself a positive change,” said Vishnu Prasad, one of the visitors.
Another book lover, Anulekshmi A S, was attracted by the way the games were designed without major changes. “Kudos to the designer; they have added a whole new layer of inclusivity through seemingly invisible changes,” she said.