Taken from www.iamin.in
At the New Delhi Railway station, countless numbers of passengers wait for the announcement of the arrival and departure of trains from the 16 platforms in one of the country’s busiest railway stations. Today, when people can check train schedules online, 55-year-old Dev Raj’s voice is like a guide to others who do not have access to such technology. You cannot miss the clear articulation of information even as you walk around the constant din and hustle-bustle. But, what no one is aware of is that this effervescent announcer is blind.
The announcer has been working in the Indian Railways since the 1990s. He joined the Indian Railways by registering at the employment exchange. At that time, he was simply looking to start earning. Today, he is an expert in his field and does not need to be told what to say. A telephone placed next to him is all he needs to communicate information to the passengers waiting on the platform in his lucid voice.
He is also not like most announcers who merely relay information in a plane, dreary voice devoid of modulations. “I don’t like making simple announcements. I try to speak like news anchors. I can’t say I do it well enough, but I try,” he admits earnestly. When asked if he can speak in English, “I can speak both, English as well as in Hindi,” with an air of pride.
He recounts his experience in the initial days of being hired as an announcer. “I was shivering like a school boy who has been asked to give a speech. Every word mattered, I was afraid of making mistakes. My supervisor made me write the names of all the trains in Braille and I would learn them. Now, it seems like a cakewalk,” he says.
Dev Raj does not recall when he lost his eye sight. “I contacted eye-flu at an early age, and my eyes were closed for some time. One day when a lady doctor came to check my eyes, she said I had already lost my sight,” he said. He regrets that his parents didn’t take care of him when he was a child. His father
was a farmer in Rajasthan and mother was a housewife, but between five brothers and two sisters, he says, he was ignored because he was blind.
Since he became visually impaired very early in life, he wasn’t expected to contribute to the family. “They didn’t want me to study. When I was about 12 years, I had this nagging thought in my heart, that I wanted to help them by earning one day,” he recalls. Dev Raj was a student of Blind school in Panchkuian road and he later graduated in Political Science from Ramjas College, Delhi University.
He also taught a few less-privileged children from his vicinity. “Since I had such a hard time convincing my parents to let me study, I used to teach children for free.” Even though, Dev Raj does not have any children of his own, he believes that even if he had, his point of view for them would be different. “Even if my kid was disabled, I wouldn’t treat him like it was his fault.” He married about 8 years ago and lives with his wife.
For the last many years, his routine has remained unchanging. He boards a bus from Inderpuri to reach New Delhi railway station. He works there from 10-6 p.m., for six days a week. On Sundays, he ‘listens’ to programmes on the television set, flipping through few news channels to hear the news readers. When asked if he has ever travelled away from the work place Dev Raj becomes solemn and replies, “I don’t travel. There’s no point in travelling anywhere if I can’t observe and admire the beauty of the places I visit. If someone can commentate on the sights, it may help, otherwise, it is all in vain.”
Source: Iamin.
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