The Somebody, Nobody, Anybody and Everybody Blog!

“Welcome to your life; there’s no turning back” ~ Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears; Songs from the Big Chair; March 15, 1985 I took the plunge; didn’t consider the question if I could swim. Now I am free falling into the oblivion and may be it was meant to be for every one of us. We are born to be surprised by the many unexpected dealings of life; most of which we have no choice or control over. So what do you do? Make the best of what you have, strive to bridge the gap between what you do and don’t. Your struggle is to meet more than your needs; your wants are driven by your desire, greed, envy, jealousy. Most of your pain comes from not being able to get what you want. The subject for this post is really deep; I know that you will have your say in the comments after reading this. Please don’t shy; would like to hear your side of the story to the questions: How much is enough? What do you mean by happiness? Can you ever be content with what you have?

"Somebody out there probably thinks you're the greatest thing in the whole world. Don't ever think you're not good enough." ~ - John David Anderson.  The day came and went; you are blowing candles on the cake to celebrate another year gone by. You look at the people around you, they are celebrating your presence and glorifying your existance. They said that age is just a number; is it really?  I had a birthday recently; not the usual celebration of me getting drunk and making a complete ass of myself. Thanks to the pandemic I was "trapped" celebrating my 46th one with the family; wasn't much of a celebration since it was also the month of Ramadan ; see there is a Ram in Ramadan; now you say that there is a Ali in Deepawali? Seriously, this is the justification you want to use for societal harmony?  Anyway; coming back to the topic. We did the usual without the cake cutting ceremony and everyone at home gave me their hearty wishes; some actually came ...

This question was asked of me many times. I didn't know how to respond or react to it. Usually I would walk off this conversation by saying "So far so good, I'm alive and that's all that matters" The question comes back to me in all honesty when I am left alone with my thoughts. I start to answer this question to myself with the many things that frustrate me as a person who is blind. I can't ride, which was my passion when I had sight, I can't indulge in appreciating nature or any form of visual entertainment by which I mean the full experience of a movie or playing games on a console like my PS2, I have to plan ahead, friends won't call me out when they are out for drinks, I am no longer spontaneous by which I mean pack my bags and leave to any place/ anytime, I have to deal with many different forms of discrimination most of which I don't notice or make a big deal out of but it happens and I know it, I don't enjoy shopping for clothes and acc...

A pleasant chit chat moment on Sunday with a new friend prompted me to post this blog today. This blog will have some really wacky moments and some obscene questions that were asked of me or overheard from conversations around me pertaining to my newly acquired ability: Living with Blindness * These experiences are as real as they can get, sharing them with you just for laughs. Please don't conclude me as an evil person. Q. How do you brush your teeth? My Wacked Response (MWR): I usually use the toilet brush with the right amount of harpic Q. How do you shower? MWR: I usually wait till it rains Q. How do you go to the toilet? MWR: Standing on one foot helps, you should try it! Q. Do you have s*x? If yes, how do you?... MWR: I don't get lucky everyday. I start with saying hello lady, followed by a handshake and some intellegent conversation. If things go well, then we head to her place or mine... Q. Why do you need a TV, you can't see! MWR: I need a place to put the flowers ...

Another year has passed me by on this planet; not sure where I am headed so far but the challenges keep coming and so do the insults.   I would like to talk to you more about the insults but I like others don’t like doing my laundry in public. So only so much is said: thanks to the insults; I have been self- doubting and questioning my existence; like is this the reason I was born for OR is there a bigger purpose? I believe in gratitude. I also have many reasons to have a gratitude attitude. However, it’s some times in life when I am mentally disturbed and my emotions are challenged. For many years I have being trying to hold myself back with my temper; but no matter how hard I try some people can bring the best of me! There is a Bryan Adams song in that last paragraph; see if you can spot it!   Moving on; yesterday I tried Twitter spaces for the first time and I must tell you it was really exciting. One of the topics that was live: Can money buy happiness? I joine...

This is a space for unfiltered thoughts and experiences from my perspective and a space to call my own on the internet. Here, you'll find a humorous (and sometimes brutally honest) take on life, navigating the seeing world as a person with sight impairment, and the wonderful (and often frustrating) world of technology. Expect a mix of everything: hilarious anecdotes, sarcastic jabs, and the occasional rant.   So, if you're looking for a laugh (and maybe a little offense), then pull up a chair. But if you're easily offended, this might not be the blog for you.  Dive in at your own risk. Show your love for The Somebody, Nobody, Anybody and Everybody Blog! If you're enjoying the content, help share it with the world! There are a few ways you can do this: • Subscribe by Email: Fill out your email ID in the Subscribe by Email form and click on submit. (Check your INBOX OR JUNK folder for the subscription confirmation email.) • Support the Blog: Help keep the bl...

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion” -Muhammad Ali Adversity is inevitable, but difficulties or misfortunes don't have to keep you from achieving your intended goals and finding the happiness you seek in life. Every challenge we successfully conquer serves to strengthen not only our will, but our confidence, and therefore our ability to confront future obstacles. It's how you overcome these adversities that makes all the difference! A lot of people think I am super human; an inspiration and an extremely optimistic person. The reality is; that I am only human; a fan of these movies: Die Hard, ROCKY, Superman, Terminator and I get my  inspiration from others; I am a realistic person Just because I have a disability, I don’t think it’s appropriate to label me as inspirational. Just because I wake up every day and am able to do the things I could have done “better and faster” if I was ...

This year GAAD is celebrated on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Third Thursday of Each May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. What is GAAD and why is it important to celebrate this event every year?   purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.   The GAAD Foundation was launched in 2021 to mark GAAD’s 10th anniversary. Its mission is to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement. What is Digital Accessibility? Every user deserves a first-rate digital experience on the web. Someone with a disability must be able to experience web-based services, content and other digital products with the same successful outcome as those without disabilities. This awareness and commitment to inclusion is the goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a global event that shines a light o...

Those of my readers/ followers who have been keeping watch on my space on LinkedIN and elsewhere; are well aware that I am a person with a print disability; in plain English I am blind. If you are shocked with the above statement; and wondering how I managed to post this blog; read on and I will quickly segue into the main subject of this article/ post. I use an assistive technology called a screen reader to help me use my digital devices; by which I mean the computer and my smart phone. These assistive technologies come built in with your OS; in my case Windows 10 and IOS; read about it on the internet (time to quickly segue ) "We are sorry for your experience;our team is looking at improving" is the standard response by most of the digital companies when I reach out to them and their support team via various social channels like Twitter, Facebook and their support option on their app. which itself is a challenge to use. My concern; is not addressed. My challenge not underst...

In 2011; when I discovered from my eye doctor that the rest of my life will be painted black and my favorite and only color would be black; I was left speechless and clueless on what to expect next. I worked up the courage to discover the new me. Thanks to the quick help from a far away aunt and a younger cousin; I was directed to rehabilitation for the blind. I had my reservations but was open to experiments; like trying anything new without calculating the risks. Throughout my rehabilitation; I was encouraged by my trainers on how good I was able to adapt to the new me. How I was making good progress on my mobility and orientation training. How I was confident about myself in accomplishing the tasks that were asked of me. I got out from rehabilitation a confident person who was ready to challenge the world with only a cane. Soon I was directed to computer training with the help of assistive technology at a NGO 2 blocks away from my home. I had to learn on how to use this assistive te...

It really disheartens me and the million others who are in a situation like mine; that despite we having the technology; application/ software developers in INDIA remain ignorant to WCAG compliance and accessibility of their products. PayTM, Ola, TATA Sky, Airtel Thanks, Streaming services like: MXPlayer, Zee5, HotStar etc. and many other such applications developed in INDIA are not accessible to persons with a print disability using screen readers I have started a petition online to help create awareness on the same; request your support to this cause by your signature http://chng.it/Dtzz2q677V