This Article is From May 15, 2016

Mumbai Teenager Pens Books For The Visually Challenged

15-year-old Viraaj Vig is an author of three books, all in Braille, for the visually impaired.

Highlights

  • 15-year-old Viraaj Vig is the author of three books
  • All of them are available in Braille
  • His works have found a space in nearly 140 libraries across the world
Mumbai: At just 15, Viraaj Vig is not the average teenager struggling with homework. He has already authored three books and all of them are available in Braille for the benefit of the visually impaired.

His most recent work - You Can Be a Poet Too - was released earlier this year and has been translated to Braille in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Mumbai.

The book is a collection of Viraaj's poems which he has written since the age of eight, and each poem carries a footnote on how to compose the kind of poem he has written.

Viraaj says that the lack of entertainment and incredible monotony in the literature that is accessible to the visually impaired inspired him to focus on literary works for in Braille.

With help from Vijay Navale, the Head of the Department of the Braille Press at NAB, Viraaj was able to publish his first book, Reader Blasts Off in Braille in 2009.

His second book Sunbird's Adventure was published exclusively in Braille in 2011.

The money Viraaj earns from the sale of his books has helped him carry his work, conducting workshops and reading sessions, to various corners of India and the world.

He says his works have already found a space in nearly 140 libraries of various schools and organisations across the world.
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