Key Points
WhenDr Nilkanthrai Chhatrapati wasbarely 40 years old, his sight began to fail.While this was a major setback for theskilled physician and surgeon, he not only overcame it but also emergedas a trailblazer in the field of education and welfare for the visually impaired in western India...
He actively participated in the Gujarat Vernacular Society,a literary association, which published several of his books, includingStree-Mitra(Friend of Women, 1883),Hindustannaan Gamdaanni Arogyata(Hygiene of the Villages of India, 1897),Gharmaan Vaparati Chijonun Rasayan(The Chemistry of Ingredients Used in the Household, 1899), andAkasmaat Vakhate Madad ane Ilaaj(Help and Remedies during Accident, 1900), to name a few...
As BB Kampani, the honorary secretary of the Blind Relief Association of Bombay, noted in a 1952 article, the guiding principle behind Dr Chhatrapatis adaptation was that all Braille signs should, as far as possible, represent the same or similar sounds in all languages...
However,Dr Chhatrapatisoon faced a dilemma.In 1902, the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind was established in Bombay to honour Queen Victoria, who had died the previous year,and Dr Chhatrapati was selected as the first principal...
In 1916, Dr Chhatrapati became a member of theDefective Inquiry Committeeformed by the government of India.On his recommendation, the government opened a school for the blind in each of the four divisions of Bombay Presidency...
