Riddhi Singhania, Class X D(After reading Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life)
1. Bernard Morin
Bernard Morin is a mathematician, who became blind at the age of six. He studied in a blind school till the age of fifteen and had interests in Philosophy and Mathematics. The practicality of Maths so attracted him that he became a mathematician.
Helen Keller’s autobiography tells that she hated Mathematics. But I, being a maths-lover would have liked Helen to meet Morin, to know how abstract numbers can be so fascinating, even for those who can’t see.
2. Hadeel Ayoub
The autobiography of Helen Keller describes times when Helen got frustrated as she could not express herself, especially when she hadn’t learnt to speak.
Thus, I would have liked Helen to meet Hadeel Ayoub, who invented gloves with sensors that converted the sign language (lorm) into text and speech. It is very helpful for the deaf and blind, who can’t speak. I think, Helen would have been happy and curious to know how people use technology to make the disabled feel, that the world has never been different and easier for others.
3. Malala Yousafzai
Helen Keller has been known to achieve success despite barriers, and so has Malala. Learning and education was the goal for both.
Malala fought for girls’ education against Taliban and is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Helen, I think, would have felt nice to meet someone, who fought for her and others’ education even in the cannon’s mouth. Like minds make great acquaintance, and thus, the meeting of Helen and Malala would have been the most memorable, where both would inspire each other.
4. Keller Johnson Thompson
The name ‘Keller’, of course, tells she might be related to Helen Keller and, indeed, she is Helen Keller’s great grandniece.
Everyone has this aspiration, to meet the next generation or even one’s great grandchildren someday. But this wish, obviously, can’t be fulfilled. But I would have liked Helen Keller to meet her great grandniece, who, she would have been happy to know, was inspired by Helen herself. She was from her childhood told about Helen by her grandmother and Helen’s life inspired Keller to become the Director of Education at Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation, and even run school programmes about Helen’s life. Undoubtedly, Helen would have felt proud of her niece!
5. Riddhi Singhania
That’s me! I would have liked Helen Keller to meet me, or rather, ‘I’ would have liked to meet Helen Keller. This meeting would have been a gain for me.
Reading merely the autobiography of Helen Keller made her an inspiration for me. Even after the bitterness of not being able to express herself, she went on, and overcame her challenges to see and hear the world not with her eyes or ears, but, with love. Her tireless and successful efforts – to learn sign language, manual alphabets and Braille, writing books and later working for other blind and deaf people – make me wish for one chance to meet her. It would be really interesting to meet someone, about whom you are being taught in your course books!
