Bangalore may be the IT capital of Karnataka, but Mysore is the most disabled-friendly city in the State, and even in the whole of India.
MYSORE: Bangalore may be the IT capital of Karnataka, but Mysore is the most disabled-friendly city in the State, and even in the whole of India.
Most government offices and educational institutions boast of ramps to access main areas. Some have even gone a step further in making the world a tolerably better place for the blind.
The Mysore Dasara Exhibition Grounds on Friday opened their doors for the visually impaired; who stayed put for a while and enjoyed the experience with their friends and colleagues.
More than 250 children from Blind School and Deaf and Dumb School were taken inside the exhibition premises, spread over 30 acres of land, with more than 300 stalls selling items ranging from 'ready-to-eat' sugarcane, edibles, tractors, herbal medicines, fertilisers to imported toys. Children were taken to each stall and were encouraged to touch and feel the things put on sale. They were later taken 'experience' some games.
They were accompanied by their instructors and the Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Exhibition Authority A B Ibrahim.
While this was an 'occasional' affair, there is something else that 'catches' the imagination of the visually impaired children. The garden at Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) located in Siddharthnagar in the City is quite an eye-opener for even the ones who can see. Spread over half an acre of land, this garden is only the second in the country that is accessible by ramp with names and directions etched in Braille along the railings.
The botanical garden includes a number of exotic plant varieties, herbs, shrubs, floating plants, water plants, models of insects, birds and animals, made of fibreglass and silicon rubber, scented plant saplings and trees with unusual leaf designs, stuffed animals especially rare and endangered species with their natural sounds played on a recorder in the background.
Says B Venugopal, scientist-in-charge, RMNH, "The primary objective of the museum is to impart informal environmental education through educational programmes and exhibitions to people with various disabilities."
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