Sweta Mandal(27) Wins Gold Medal for her master’s course from Ranchi University Wednesday January 20,2016

 

A 27-year-old winning a gold medal for her master’s course from Ranchi University could have been just another story. But for Sweta Mandal and her family, it is a story of triumph of spirit over hurdles of fate and health.

Sweta, a research fellow pursuing an integrated course in MPhil and PhD at JNU, lost her eyesight in Class 10. She was awarded the gold medal for her masters course at the 29th convocation of the Ranchi University Wednesday January 20,2016

“My eyesight started failing gradually. Initially, things started to turn hazy and within a few days, I virtually lost my eyesight,” recalled Sweta. Her parents — Dr Arun Kumar Mandal, a sonologist, and Dr Om Kumari — were both doctors then based in Chaibasa district, where Mandal was a student at DAV (Chaibasa).

Beaming with pride, the mother who accompanied Sweta for the convocation, said: “I can simply not describe that feeling. But then we kept telling her that things will get alright.”

With no medical or technical help in sight, Dr Kumari said she tried the ‘only available way’.
“I would take her books to my clinic. I would read up the chapters and record them in cassettes. The next day, Sweta would listen to the recordings,” she recalled, sitting with her daughter among the front rows reserved for gold medalists at the ceremony.

But all through, Sweta did not use Braille. “Neither was I trained in Braille nor there were many books in it. Also, as I reached higher classes, there were way too many books and reference journals to be read,” explained Sweta. What changed things for her was a text-to-speech software — Johnniac Open Shop System.

Focused on a career in teaching and research, Sweta has a few complaints against the system. “Please tell them merely notifying a rule for students with special needs doesn’t help.”