Finding a scribe to write her class X board exams for her has not been easy for this blind student, Rupam Kudtarkar.
For Rupam Kudtarkar, 16, the hunt for a scribe to help write her class X board exams has not been easy.
Rupam, who lost her vision when she was in class VII, started her search for a scribe in December last year. “It is difficult to find a willing and able scribe. Since Sanskrit is my third language, the search became harder as I had to find someone who was familiar with the language,” said Rupam.
She also had to find a separate scribe from Class VI to write her maths exam. As handicapped students have class VII level of mathematics, Rupam had to get a writer from class VI. For her other subjects, she needed a writer from class IX who is familiar with Sanskrit. “My father searched everywhere and not many volunteered as most of them had to prepare for their own exams,” she said.
Rupam’s father Jayprakash Kudtarkar said, “Although a lot of students are willing to volunteer, it’s another task to convince the family that it won’t affect the writer’s studies.”
Rupam hit the jackpot when she met Lipika Girap, a class IX student who was from the same school, Suvidhyalay High School at Borivili. They also attended the same tuition class. “Lipika also has taken Sanskrit and when we met, we hit it off well,” said Rupam. “It was our principal who introduced us and put up the idea to Lipika. She agreed instantly.”
However, for Rupam, finding a writer was just the beginning. “Once I found Lipika, I had to see whether there was good rapport between us. The writer has to be patient enough to repeat questions I don’t understand. She also has to understand my pronunciation and write without spelling errors,” explained Rupam.
Lipika feels that it would be a good experience for her. “I will know how difficult it is to sit for the board exams. I am also apprehensive as it will be my responsibility to write properly,” said the 14-year-old. “We have been practising since January to get used to each other. I am having some trouble with Sanskrit as I am unable to understand certain pronunciations.”
“I feel that blind students should be shown lenience the same way as an LD (learning disability) student. Since the spelling errors cannot be helped by us, they should be discounted,” said Rupam.
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