Who is Satish P, the man who took to the skies in his hunt for scribes for the visually impaired?

“With the volunteers describing everything, I could sense how big the airport was. The steps were so different. The announcements were done in so many languages. When we went up and down it felt like we were in some other world,” said Sanamma, a PUC II student who is also learning to use a computer.

“I thought only those who are rich travel by air. I never thought someone like me could go,” she told South First.

Man with a mission

The Bengaluru trip happened thanks to “Satish Sir”, an engineer by profession who has been working to bridge the chasm between the sighted and the visually impaired across South India.

Satish P, an engineer, has made it his mission to ensure every visually impaired child has a scribe to write examinations. (Supplied)

However, for Satish P, who moved from Chennai to Bengaluru in 2015, the latest trip, and several others he has undertaken with visually impaired children in the past six years, is not about some feel-good altruism to bring cheer to their lives.

The trips are a unique way he has devised to achieve his larger goal: To increase the tribe of scribes — or those who help the visually impaired to write examinations.

“I used to be a scribe for the visually impaired in Tamil Nadu and, later, when I moved to Bengaluru, I found that the number of scribes were very less here,” Satish told South First.

But when he put out appeals on social media and his own friends’ groups about wanting more scribes in the city, he received very few responses.

That is when he started an initiative he called ‘Sweetness for Blindness’.

Sweetness for Blindness

Satish began visiting blind schools in Karnataka, offering to take children on trips to various places that they had only heard of — movies, hill stations, temples, short-treks, beaches, waterfalls.

The response was good. Many were willing to send children on a fully-funded trip.

He then reached out to people on his Sweetness for Blindness WhatsApp group and Facebook page — seeking volunteers who would accompany him on the two- to three-day trips to help the visually impaired children.

He would put out details on the nature of the trip, the place, the dates and how many people were required.

The response was excellent. There were many who were willing to spare a day or two to do some good.

For his first trip in 2016, Satish needed 35 volunteers to accompany 35 visually impaired children on a two-day trip. He not only found the 35 volunteers he needed, but there were over 50 others who registered to volunteer.

And as Satish hoped for, even expected, the volunteers developed close bonds with the visually impaired child assigned to them and got involved with many aspects of their lives.

Today, he has over 2,000 volunteers on his group — many of whom are also scribes.

The many trips

Satish’s first trip was to Tirupati, and included a two-hour trek to the Tirumala hills. For the children, it was like “mobility training”.

Satish P along with the visually impaired girls and volunteers at Mysuru airport. (Supplied)

For the volunteers, too, it was a unique experience. They had to be alert, holding the children by their hands all the way. It created a bond that survived long after the trip.

Since then, Satish and his volunteers have taken visually impaired children to various districts of Karnataka, to Chennai, Kerala, Pune, Tirupathi, Bengaluru, Jog Falls, Shivamogga, among other places.

“I went looking for more scribes for the children. But I have the satisfaction of giving them families. Each volunteer gets so attached that they take full responsibility. From arranging PAN cards to writing exams and even getting them married, the volunteer friend becomes a part of their lives,” Satish said.

Agrees Veeresh from Mysuru, who’s been with Sweetness of Blindness since its second trip.

“There is bond that develops. We become like a brother for someone. They contact us directly and we arrange for scribes or any other kind of help they need. We even collect sponsorships through friends for upcoming trips. I love to see the joy on their faces and no words can describe the satisfaction I get,” he said.

The Bengaluru flight

For all his trips, Satish had taken buses and trains. But taking some children on a flight was dream of his, which he finally fulfilled on Friday.

“I chose this route as it is the shortest flight between two cities in India. It cost me ₹1 lakh,” said Satish.

And given the joy it gave to the 35 girls, it was money well spent.

The girls took delight in the most mundane things. From eating from the food trays to climbing the steps to aircraft, to the announcements in the cabin, everything was unique for them.

“I never thought this would come true. If I have taken a flight when in PUC I, then if I study well. I can go on international flights too,” Sandhya told South First.

Most said they wanted to do well in life and fly often. Others said they wanted take their parents on flights.

Satish’s message to sighted

Satish, meanwhile, sticks to his primary message.

“These children put in so much of effort and study well. All of their efforts go in vain if they do not get a scribe,” he said.

“So every sighted person should visit blind schools in their area and volunteer to be a scribe.”