When it comes to choosing a read, entrepreneur Upasana Makati has always felt spoiled for choice. From newspapers and magazines to novels and textbooks, Makati can consume whatever she pleases. But an unshakeable thought flitted into her mind, leading her to question what people with visual impairments read for leisure in India. “Twenty percent of all blind people in the world live in India,” Makati says. While there are braille textbooks and other educational resources that cater to students and the public, she didn’t find anything that they could read for enjoyment. Makati later quit her public relations job to dedicate her time to introducing India’s first lifestyle magazine in braille – White Print.
Together with the National Association for the Blind, Makati launched her project in 2013, comprising a 64-page monthly English braille publication. “This is a new kind of magazine that you might not have heard of before,” Makati says. White Print is not as clean-cut as most lifestyle magazines. It balances news with topics such as music, film, food, and travel. “I put together this magazine because I think each person should get options to read and should choose which medium they want to read in,” Makati says. There is also a short stories section where literary lovers are invited to share their own work, including poems and articles.
Many have labelled Makati’s initiative as appealing to only a specific segment of the market. “Every time I go somewhere they are like, ‘What you are doing is quite niche’,” she says. “It’s your perception that makes it niche.” For Makati, it was important to break the barriers to information. White Print makes reading both all-encompassing and diverse, providing an array of accessible reading material. “I’m so proud that I get an opportunity to take something so simple and reach out to people in different corners of this country,” Makati says. “It’s time we all read between the lines and start making this world inclusive for all.”
Footage and photos by White Print and Dr Debmitta Dutta were used in the creation of this film.
