Blind woman gets PhD in German Studies, probably a first
in the country, a visually impaired student
In what’s probably a first in the country, a visually impaired student from
Mumbai University has completed PhD in German Studies. Urvi Jangam (31)
recently completed her research in a concept known as ‘Adrishya Rasa’—which is
to make optimum use of other senses in the absence of visuals.
Born without vision, 31-year old Urvi Jangam, is probably the only visually
impaired student in the country to complete her PhD in German Studies. In
addition, she also studied the ‘non-visual’ aesthetic perception, a fairly new
concept for the Indian audience.
The scholar from Mumbai University recently completed her research in a concept
called ‘Adrishya Rasa’ — making optimum use of other senses in the absence of
visuals. “It is how a blind individual describes a landscape. He makes use of
touch, smell, hearing, complemented with his own imagination, and comes up with
an entirely different perception of that landscape, which almost always goes
unnoticed by sighted individuals,” said Jangam.
“The blind will use his sense of touch while walking on
flora and fauna, hear the sounds of footsteps of animals, flowing water,
fragrances of flowers, to develop a picture in his mind. This coupled with his
empathy and imagination will help him create a picture of the landscape,” she
said. In her research, she also differentiated the vision perceived by a person
who is born blind, and another who turned blind later in his life.
She decided to study this concept after several
colleagues in Germany and India asked her how she perceived things
aesthetically. She spent a semester in a German University after her MA at
Mumbai University. Her research guide and head of the German department at the
university, Vibha Surana, supported her during her PhD study.
For her thesis the most challenging part was to get
literature written by blind people. “These are not available in abundance in
our country and I am fortunate to have an opportunity to visit Germany on a
DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) scholarship. The available
literature in India is not digitalised, which also proved to be a hurdle,” said
Jangam. She found travelogues, poetry and short proses written by blind
writers. Under the scholarship, she also studied with a guide at the University
of Gottingen for two years.
Jangam’s father ensured she studied in an integrated
school from childhood. “My mother quit her accounts’ job with MTNL to help me
with my studies. She made audio files for my notes till I completed my BA in
English literature and history. Their support was unparalleled,” she added.
Seeing her perseverance, Surana suggested she pursue her
PhD. “Aesthetics of the non-visual is a new concept and a sighted individual
would not have done justice to the research. She was the best person to give a
first-hand insight into it. Literature of visually impaired writers is almost
neglected. She used the available literature and developed the new concept of
Adrishya Rasa,” said Surana.
Jangam now intends to develop the concept further.
Source | Times of India | 4th October 2019
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