I think Eenadu TV’s Black is a wonderful idea. Nothing like a sympathy wave to milk the cash cows and ride the critic bulls. It would work wonders even in the recession-ridden countries of the world.
Can anyone tell me what is so special about a singing competition for blind people?
Me me me me! I know the answer. Let me first stand erect on the soapbox and fold my hands. Thanks. Now. Blind people are specially-abled. We should encourage all specially-abled people.
Time for a touching anecdote. A young boy asks a wise man, “A man who is deaf and mute goes into a store. How would he ask the clerk for a pair of scissors?” Wise man thinks about it and says, “Probably like this,” holding out two fingers and making a cutting motion with them. The young boy then asks, “OK, so how does a blind man ask for scissors?” The wise man immediately holds out two fingers. The sharp young boy, being a fan of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, recognizes the wise man as another specially-abled person belonging to the mentally challenged category, suppresses his laughter, and tries to encourage him as he knows he must, with his silence.
Correct me if I am wrong, but Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is the first to have recognized physically and mentally handicapped people as specially-abled. He being especially idolized by teachers and students alike, schools have immediately taken fancy of the word and soon it spread across the country. I have not seen the word in English dictionaries that I have access to, nor have come across it being used by anyone other than an Indian.
Specially-abled is simply a euphemism for “physically or mentally handicapped”. It is of Indian origin and seems to have thankfully remained within its boundaries. How are they specially-abled? If they are so special, why don’t the rest of us envy them and covet their special abilities? When I think about it too deeply, search with a tooth-comb, I do envy a few things occasionally: a blind’s ability to not see the crap on the TV, a deaf’s insensitivity to “the rubbish that is being talked nowadays”, a mute’s immunity to political correctness and unnecessary niceties that have become a part of our speech. But I also think that the specially-abled people would consider my ability to do all these things a lot more special in the actual sense of word.
Specially-abled is a typical example of hypocrisy. We want to feel good by showering someone with superficial sympathy, hoping that the waves would make them feel good too while they may even be drowning them. I do not know whether they feel good or not. I would rather help them if they need and treat them like any other.
Coming back to my original question, what is so special about a singing competition for blind people? Read Wikipedia about the interesting tradition of Kobzars of Ukraine. I remember SPB or some judge saying that the blind musicians are gifted with the ability to not be distracted by the world around. Their main challenge could be remembering the music – if unacquainted with Braille Music – but the potential of memory is vast and children are its most marvelous examples.
If anything, one would think that a music competition for the deaf is something really special, because music is all about listening and the deaf cannot listen. I thought the same until watching Evelyn Glennie’s TED Talk in which she teaches the world how to listen. So listen, listen, listen to what she says. And read her hearing essay.
The cynic in me won’t let go of the original question. He thinks Black may have been conceptualized because humans tend to be moved by what they see. By sight, the deaf are indistinguishable from those who can hear. So the blind, the paraplegics, and the quadriplegics can evoke a greater sense of sympathy amongst people which the deaf cannot.
Updated on 5th May, 2010: A reader was kind enough to point out the usage of “differently abled” (along the same vein of “specially abled”) back in the eighties.