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Hi, my name is George Abraham and welcome to Eyeway Conversations. My guest today is Chetan Sharma from Jaipur, Rajasthan. He is a cancer survivor, a retired banker and a social entrepreneur. Welcome Chetan, welcome.
Thank you very much, Mr. Georgie.
So, Chetan, you are a cancer survivor. Tell us about it.
When I was around four or five years old, my parents noticed that I could not see properly the doctor advised us to contact an ophthalmologist in Sitapur. At that time, Sitapur had a very, very large eye hospital, and Padmashree, Dr. Jagdish pahwa was there. When we contacted Dr. Pahwa. He was he was able to figure it out that I am not able to see properly. But he was not sure what exactly what kind of illness I am having. Coincidentally, one ophthalmologist from Switzerland visited the doctor Pahwa the same day. Yes. And they discussed it. And that ophthalmologist from Switzerland, yeah, he advised us, the child is having some cancer. And if you do not remove eyeballs, the cancer will spread to the brain and there will be no point of return. Yeah. So it was, in a way that devastating experience for an entire family. For me, also, because I have few memories of seeing, all of a sudden the things went dark or blue without light, it was a very difficult experience to go through.
So you lost your eyes, but you saved your life in a matter of speaking.
Yeah, perfectly, perfectly. So.
So how did life evolve from there? because you were only about four or five at that point of time.
At that time, there was a school, especially school for the blind students. that the school is still there. And they are doing a very good job in imparting education to persons with students with visual impairment. In that a school out of eight students, six cleared the secondary examination with first class, right, and this news got published in the newspaper. And through this news item, my parents came to know that there is such a school is there. And our child can study there that this news item was the first ray of hope for my parents, because before that they didn't know and here I would like to highlight the social responsibility and social role of the media. That newspaper not carried this news item. I don't know how much at what precise time I would have started or I would have been able to start by education.
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So what all did you actually study there? What was your experience like over there?
Initially, as all students feel, some sort of, they miss their home. And I also missed but quickly I intermingle with students and began my education and when I appeared for the secondary examination it was in 1985 Second year. I Not only passed the examination with First Division, I was placed on 90th position in the entire state of Rajasthan
Right. And when you say secondary education, it stands for 10 standard OR 8th standard?
10th Srandard
And , then after that, you continued to the same school for your 11th and 12th or you joined a College?
At the time , the education system which was followed was 10 plus one plus three. So, I completed I completed my 11th from government school for the blind. And thereafter, I got admission in government college and there too, in a while, while I was studying with my sighted counterparts, I developed interest in debate genral knowledge, current affairs competitions, quizzes and other activities. And in college also, I was fortunate enough to got first position in current affairs competition,
What actually prompted you to get interested in current affairs and all that meaning, how are you introduced on these topics? Because, in many blind schools, you know, the focus is on academics and current affairs and general knowledge and so, on is not that that bit of a priority. So, how are you kind of exposed to all that,
I in fact, I was fortunate enough to have some legendary teachers of Rajasthan in our school and they always encouraged students to participate in all extracurricular activities and not not to limit the focus on studying textbooks only. And they also and encouraged us to compete with the sighted students what they motivated us for it was that you should not only compete with blind students and remained satisfied by winning or by getting few prizes, prizes, what you should do, you should compete with sighted students sighted counterparts and try to shine there and then
How did you actually decide to join the bank ?
Prospect of getting a job in a bank fascinated me and All India Confideration of the blind was imparting training in handy stenography at that time, I think that that training is still going on. So, I joined the training course in Delhi and subsequently, I was appointed in Oriental Bank of Commerce.
What was the process of getting a job in a job in a bank those days?
As an organization, all India configuration of the blind head placement officer, yeah, who used to keep an eye on employment opportunities. Yeah, and that selection process was, for example, I was selected for the external typist. So, there was a skill test in that test, because it was a forum post for which was dedicated or reserved for the blind candidates, the skill test will be taken and the best performance out of that skill test will be selected according to available vacancies.
Is that the case even today or today, we have to write a competitive exam?
No, not today, it is the process is entirely different. First, the IBPS conducts written examination, there are certain phases of these examinations, and thereafter the recruitment is made. But today, this reservation has the legal backing, which was not at that time, there was executive orders and so on, but the legislative backingwas not there.
Right, though you grew from being a steno typist. Hindi steno typist to start with to becoming a senior manager, chief manager. So so what were the different roles you played in the band? And what was your upward movement like how did you actually get your promotions and how did it all work?
Then first time I applied for the promotion test, my application was rejected ,they said in officer cadre there is no work that you can do, what they said and and the field after some struggle, next time I was allowed to take the exam and the after this exam, there was an interview and in 2002, I was promoted to scale one officer in Oriental Bank of Commerce. And as far as my various responsibilities concerned, starting from at that time, it was called SSI department is smaller scale industries department or nowadays we call it MSME department, micro small and medium enterprises department. I worked in that department, I worked in HR and in the later half of my life, my professional life, I worked in our staff training college
I would be interested in knowing when you became chief manager, what was your portfolio then?
When I became chief manager, my main assignments, I was posted in staff training college for what they call Human Resource Institute in our bank. So, I was postedin Human Resource Development Institute, in Noida and there apart from taking classes off trainees, that was weren't all trainees were staff members only. My job was also to ensure the quality of training, the updation of training program on time, and so on.
So you were kind of heading this department or you had somebody who was working, whom you're reporting to in the Training Institute?
No, no, no, I was not heading, our principal of our human resource development Institute sort of Deputy General Manager,two scales above me.
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So, at some point of time you decided to leave the bank and start your own venture. Tell me about that.
What was time and again what I was thinking continuously if we have been created as human beings, there must be a larger purpose of our existence beyond getting job and earning a living for property for your next generation. Beyond that, there must be a purpose for our existence to search and accomplish that purpose what I thought I was already 50 When I decided to voluntarily retire, I had 10 years ahead for for my regular retirement, but what I thought was if I have to make some difference, I have it is necessary for me to start now. Otherwise it will be too late and after60 and working nine to 10 hours a day daily my health will not allow me to work in a energetically so so so I decided to voluntarily retire from the bank and set up with the vision foundation and this foundation is not for profit. And we along my with my team members are trying to make a difference which I'm trying to be involved in some activities, which are already which is generally not undertaken by other not for profits for the persons of visual impairment,
what are the projects that you take up?
One project that we decided to take up there are many, but I will start with one project it was Sunidhi, was a project to develop and promote financial awareness and financial literacy among persons with visual impairment. And we are we are continuously working on this under the Sunidhi project and just on third of December, the International Day of Persons with Disability, we conducted a webinar with RBI and senior officials of RBI addressed visually impaired participants regarding various facilities the various opportunities which are equally available available to persons with visual impairment. The other project o is Aparajita for blind blind girls, when that project is what you call some, they that this project was for the family members of persons with visual impairment whose income was adversely impacted due to this Coronavirus. We had another project and entitled Pacific sharp and that is a project to provide training a computer and mobile training to persons with visual impairment. And like that, we have tried to make a difference among the lives of persons with visual impairment. And we have also another project called to produce Braille books. And you will be happy to note that without getting any assistance from under the CSR initiative or government, because we have not completed three years yet, so we don't get any assistance, financial assistance from government or any company, but we are we are able to install a braille printer and we are able to provide Braille books to blind students also. And if I talk about another project, that is Dhwani one another project is and 20 is to prepare is for preparing audiobooks for persons with visual impairment. So these are a few projects that we are undertaking.
These are all very interesting projects, meaning as you rightly said, You are not really looking at the traditional programs, which most NGOs do with blind people, you've actually identified key areas, strategic areas where, you know, blind people need training and insights and inputs and you've identified those and you taken the initiatives there. That's wonderful. So, going forward Chetan I would also like to know a little bit about your family, meaning your parents you talked about who gave you the perfect start in life by putting you in a school and putting you on the part of learning and evolving? Do you have siblings and how did they kind of engage with you? And are you married and what's your family like today?
I am married and my wife is also from your city that is Delhi and she can see . I have one daughter Shruti she has done her master's in psychology from Montfort College, Bangalore. And on my son, Aditya, he is in seventh semester undergoing an engineering degree from Ms. Ramaiah Institute of Technology. And apart from it is also in Banaglore and apart from them I got full support from my family members and siblings and so on everybody supported me in the in the best possible way. And due to their support only I could somewhat move more ahead in my life.
So apart from your work, meaning you you've you've spent several years professionally in a bank and now you're working with above visually impaired people, but as Chetan Sharma What are your personal passions and interests?
First of all, I get that great sense of satisfaction when I defeat or I what I should say I perform better than my sighted counterparts, this is my one of my precious, see among visually impaired persons, right, it is it is very good that somebody can perform better than that it is very good and when should appreciate that, but when you mix up with society, you interact with society, and you are able to perform better than your sighted counterparts. The impact is amazing, amazing, really. And if you permit I can share one incident when I was in bank, yeah, one of my close friends, he he registered for the reality show, Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by none other than great Amitabh Bachchan. Then and when you are on hot seat they ask you to give three, four name and phone numbers before going on hot seat. In case of exercising your lifeline , you can ask the show people to call one of them out of these three persons you can choose anyone and they will call the person and the person will assist him in answering the question.
This is this is called the phone a freind option. Right?
Right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. So what not so, my friend got on the hot seat and among three persons, my name was also Yeah. And there was a portion of the answer of that question he was not knowing. And then out of these three, the other two were cited versus and what he did he ask a culture at that moment was unforgettable for me because he had certain money to lose, he is certain if I would have answered the question wrong, I was not able to answer the question. He would have lost money. And that time he had faith in me and he decided to call me and fortunately for him, and fortunately for me also, I could answer the question even without listening, the available options,
Right. And you also spoke to Mr. Bachchan.
Yeah. Yeah.
So what are your other interests and passions apart from competing with and establishing yourself as, as as, as a leader among your colleagues and among into society? What are some of your other passions that you spend your time?
The other passion, if I talk about is reading, reading, good books, good. Especially biographies, autobiographies, these kinds of books. I am very much passionate about reading this book. And currently, I am reading reading a very beautiful book, written by Verghese Kurien. I too had a dream. And I would recommend to all of our listeners at least read that book, wonderful book The journey of transformation, transformation, total transformation of Indian milk producers, Indian farmers and the story of how Amul came about and what kind of setbacks Mr. Kurien had in his life. They look at a piece of A beautiful book everyone should read. Very good.
Amazing. So stay tuned very, very good talking with you. It's been a pleasure and I do wish you the very best, continue to serve and support people who are written off by society as losers. Give them the energy give them the vision and give them the encouragement and the learning and the direction and the wisdom to move on and compete and make the contribution to our society. Thank you very much.
Thank you Thank you Mr. George.
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