Topic: Hawking

I feel what the author has expressed is completely true. I had a cousin who had met with an accident and had become a quadriplegic. I have seen him struggle..his each day was a new challenge for him…right from getting to work from getting back from office. Unfortunately, he died young, hardly getting any help or facilities to get by his day to day normal chores. I recently moved to the US and when I see the facilities that are provided for disabled people here…i see a significant difference between the way the disabled are treated here and helped…It might be some decades old but the west have been faster in adapting and being sensitive to disabled..If only we Indians could learn a thing or two!

Mr Shekar, your readers may not know you, like any other TV news anchors. But when I stumbled on this site in search of a new outlet, I simply hoped there is hope out of hope. As you may got to know from earlier responses of this article, where that is directed now as far as I am concerned.. down south.

Reflecting on this a bit, I would have digested this kind of views and the criticism, had the subject in question been more serious and more debatable or highly pre-opinionated. Which it was not and here is the consequence.

This kind of stand being chosen by the all promising Editor in Chief was in itself a let down. When there are severely burning issues floating around basic constitutional provisions for citizens and aggressive political forces trying to hunt down civil liberties in every village and lane, school and college, at every place of worship. When peoples privacy and future of millions of children’s future is put on the altar of courts to just let live. When there is already losing hope in society at large.

I would request you to reconsider how you want to portray the society. In your position and standing with backing of millions of fund of investors, you should have come up with action lists for the concerned departments and appealed citizens to come forward to join hands to make good of the opportunity you have to support the cause you so much believe in as to write about.

Unfortunately, while the subject of sensitivity to the disabled has high place, the content covered is restrictive as just a piece of gossip talk between two kids who have no place yet to make a change to the world, and hence being way too ordinary to the readers (unless you believe your target audience is and reader comes from an under-developed country).

With the kind of money power of your investors, I would suggest to go back to them and persuade them to good use for the causes you wrote. There is no meaning educating your reader who has no funds or motivate by your words. Unless your ulterior motive is to just collect your salary and have a list of published stories to justify it at the year-end performance review. Which is what I call the ‘research drainage’ where all the majority of the abused moneys ends in Govt Organisations on the name of technical journal publications. With Indian Companies backing your campaign, which are from the same club, this result is not a surprise. However, as you proclaim here about insensitivity, that what I can be for this.. I can only pity.

Overgeneralization-riddled nonsensical article. There may be corruption and bias and more in India but to claim that no genius can succeed in India is beyond dumb.

India needs to do more for the disabled. However, some western countries, such as the UK, have only recently (in the past few decades) learnt to give the disabled their space in society. In his early years when he was a budding scientist, Hawking’s first wife Jane Hawking worked hard to sensitise local governments for reform and support infrastructure so that her genius husband could access venues to give his lectures and talks. Once there was realisation amongst lawmakers and bureaucrats, the reforms, legislation and support infrastructure came at fast pace. Disabled friendly toilets, ramps in buses and buildings, special seating section for the wheelchair ridden in famous sports stadiums such as Wimbledon courts, free prescription drugs and above all, empathy for the disabled that exists in these societies today are a result of efforts by Jane and people like her.

The spirit of India is admirable, and something we should all embrace globally ! There is always room for improvement within each of our countries, even here in the U.S., and we must be caretakers of our accomplishments so that we don’t fall backwards.

Part of growth and improvement is recognizing that the challenge exists. Then it can be addressed and improved upon with hard work, brotherhood and commitment. Even we had to start somewhere . Where India is concerned, it an be only enhanced by its marvelous history, spirit, color, festivals, intelligence, global pretense and fast-growing GDP . If you can do that, India, while protecting your culture, you will bypass us all.

Remember Sudha Chandran- Dancer who met an accident when she was just 16. She got infected and there was no alternative left but to amputate her leg. She overcame her disability and became one of the most popular and acclaimed classical dancers of the country India. She was and Indian and practiced Indian dance form. Indians encouraged her not put her in a Ashram of disabilities. Times have changed and in this digital era People have become more aware.