Rotary Helen Keller Talking Book Library

A group of people from different walks of life have come forward to become ‘voice volunteers’ for the Rotary Helen Keller Talking Book Library (ROHTALK).

Via The Hindu

Established to professional standards, it has one of the widest collections of Talking Books in English and Tamil catering to all sections of the visually impaired persons.

Ask them why they volunteer to come, read and go during their free time without any expectations, pat comes the reply: “If our education can be of help to others, especially blind students, why not?”

“We listen to news readers and imitate them to improve our expression and pronunciation ,” she says and adds that “readers must have it in them to depict different scenes in the book so that the person listening is able to imagine all of it.”

“In an air-conditioned room with an interesting book, we deport ourselves into the other worlds. If I read the age of Akbar, I live those days,” says G.Kalyani. She has sung the first chapter of Thirukkural.

Vasuki, who discontinued her studies after SSLC, narrates the stories with confidence and modulation to suit various characters in the novel and to make them sound perceptibly different. Vanathi, a housewife, is an expert in reading pre-historic Tamil literature books. She says that she does it with passion as she has a unique gruff voice.

“Earlier when people made fun of my voice, I used to get upset and curse my fate. Now I realise God has entrusted a purpose in my voice,” she smiles.

These volunteers have become so professional that they just go through the book and understand the age group of the audience.

If they are addressing school students, they read a bit slow and pace up their reading for college students. After from reading, on request of students, they even take the students to their homes, provide food and teach them.

Read the entire article here.

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