Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 28, 2020 HAVEN | FROM PAGE 3 my early 30’s, it had deteriorated Q: You are a world traveler? Would you call yourself that? A: Pretty much. I like to travel. I’ve been to several other countries and there are more that I would like to visit. I’ve been to England, Italy, Israel, Egypt. I know a lot about international travel, but going to India wasn’t about world travel. Q: Was it spiritual? A: Not even spiritual. Before I had retired from the University of Massachusetts, my offi ce hired graduate assistant students that were in school there. And I became very close to one of them. Her name is Radhika Shah, and she was born in India and she came over here to get her Masters. And through the time she and I worked together, we became close. And during the time she worked in my offi ce, she realized that her life mission was to work with Indian people of disabilities and not to run her father’s factory. And when she graduated and went home, she told her father that she was not going to run his business, which is what the plan was, but that she was going to open her own center for young people with disabilities to train them in technology. So, both times that I went to India, some of it was to visit the people over there that I love. But a lot of it was to assist her [Radhika Shah] with the changes she’s making in terms of locating young people with disabilities and training them so they can become employed. Q: So, this is a friend you met while working at UMass-Boston. A: Yes, a friend I met at UMass. Q: Now, does she herself have disabilities? A: No, but young men and young women don’t tell their parents that they’re not going to work in the family business. It just doesn’t happen. In her case, her father supported her. And she is an only child. Q: So, she kind of bucked the tide. A: Pretty much. Young women don’t tell their fathers that they’re not going to go into dad’s business. So, the fact that he agreed to this is very special. And she did open her center, I think, about three months after she went home. Q: What does a blind person get out of a trip to India? A: Well, you get to experience life in a culture that’s very different from the United States. The parents of one of my other friends there made an arrangement for a private tour through the largest temple complex in New Delhi. That’s not normally done. So, I got to touch things and experience things in a way that most people don’t. There’s a lot to smell. There’s a lot to hear. culture. To have a guest is a big deal. To make sure they are as comfortable as you can make them is a big deal. So, some of that was related to my blindness and some of that was related just to the fact that I was a friend of theirs and I was there visiting. Q: And the gold carving that you felt, was that like the highlight of this trip for you? A: That was one of the highlights – defi nitely – and another highlight is that I got to go to Gandhi's fi rst home. They built a museum there. So, he lived in two diff erent places. I saw the fi rst one, and it was great to be there, and they let me touch some of his things. This happens a lot to me. Out of graciousness and respect, they let me touch some very sacred and cultural items that are important to the Indian culture. Q: Now about the gold carvAN AMAZING BUILDING: During her fi rst trip to India two years ago, Valerie Haven, left, and her friend Nandita Gupta got to see the Taj Mahal, one of the most popular attractions for people touring India. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) It’s a very vibrant culture, so it wasn’t diffi cult to dive in. Q: So, there are things that you will appreciate more and notice more than a sighted person. A: I think so. I don’t know if it’s more or just diff erent or my way of knowing things, but I listened to the language and felt like I picked up a few more words. I love to learn about the customs of other countries and try some of their food and learn about it. I enjoy it. Q: Do you send postcards to family or friends when you’re traveling abroad? A: No. I bring gifts back. India, being an Asian country – giving gifts is a big part of their social life. So instead of sending postcards home, I brought gifts back. So, I had one suitcase that was fi lled with gifts that went over to India, and that same suitcase was fi lled up with the gifts that were given to me while I was there. So, exchanging gifts is part of their culture, and a very important part, so you always have something ready to be shared with a family member or friend. Q: Now, you went to the Taj Mahal? A: Yes, I did during my fi rst trip to India. Q: Now, how does a person without sight experience the Taj Mahal? A: The entire Taj Mahal is carved out of marble. And we did hire a guide who actually would wheel me around in a wheelchair – not that I can’t walk – but it’s so crowded that the wheelchair made it a little bit easier to maneuver inside. The Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum. And I don’t remember hearing that when I was in senior high. But it’s very crowded and it’s kind of built in rings, and they go deeper and deeper and deeper, until you get to the center of it where the queen’s tomb is. So, because that is all very crowded and is busy, the man who was pushing me in a wheelchair spent a lot of time taking me over to the pillars – the different carvings and the frescoes – so I could touch them. And that’s what I found traveling to other countries; so many of the other countries are so much older than the United States; they are much more used to people touching and experiencing than here in the United States. And I think it’s partly because everything is so old. It’s easier to let me get close to some of the national landmarks like the Taj Mahal. Q: Sounds like there is plenty for a blind person to do over in India. A: Absolutely, and 25 percent of all the blind people in the world live in India, so there’s a lot of disability there. Twenty-fi ve percent of the blind population of the world live in India. I think that’s why I got drawn there by my friend, because there’s so much going on. Q: So, with that level of population with blindness, there would be a lot of concern or assisted help for blind people there. A: That is coming. Generally, I would say, until the last 10 years, pretty much all people with disabilities were cared for by their families. This is a common pattern in many developing countries. So, it’s only somewhat recently for India that people with disabilities are getting jobs and going out into public and things like that. A lot of time, they’re just cared for by the families they’re living – and it’s a community unto its own that supports the people with disabilities. Sixteen percent of all of the people in the world live in India. So, when you have such a large country with that large a percentage of the world population – and then along with that 25 percent of all the blind people in the world – it’s something that’s important for me to understand and to work with the support systems that they have there. So, the people with disabilities are able to make more life decisions than they have been. Q: What are some of the things that you experience in India that you think that maybe a sighted person might take for granted or not appreciate? A: Well, one thing is, as I said earlier, when I was given a tour of the largest temple that’s in New Delhi – there’s a statue of the leader that’s solid gold. And they don’t let anybody touch that statue, but they agreed to let me touch it. So, that’s not only something good for a blind person, but also an honor. And it was done out of respect for me and the fact that I actually got myself to India. Because when I went there, I traveled alone, and I’m a good traveler and I know how to do it. But it’s a stretch, because it’s a 26-hour fl ight. Q: You traveled by yourself over there? A: Yes. And I hooked up with my friend once I got there. I spent a few days in hotels, depending on what I was doing, but for the most part, when I wasn’t staying in hotels, I was staying in peoples’ homes. I really don’t know how – religiously – people in India think about people with disabilities. I didn’t ask them, because it didn’t seem that important. But I was very well supported and cared for because I was a visitor. And graciousness is a very big Indian trait and part of their ing. What was it.? A: It was the swami – the statue of the swami – and I think it was the fi rst swami. One swami has passed away and another is living now. So, it’s basically the leader of the Hindu religion; it’s a statue of him. Q: How old was it? A: Not very old, but this entire temple was built in just fi ve years, primarily on donations. And I think it’s been open for about seven years. So, the statue itself is new. The entire temple is made of sandstone and marble. And it took just fi ve years for all of the artisans to do the work and build the complex in New Delhi. Q: And you were able to touch things in the Taj Mahal that people weren’t allowed to touch. A: Well, there’s not too much you can hurt in the Taj Mahal. But yes, they were careful with what I could and couldn’t touch. And usually I had a guide with me, so I could get the best experience possible, but still make sure that I didn’t off end anybody or get in trouble, Q: The Taj Mahal is one of the largest marble domes in the world. A: Yes, it is. What surprised me is that it’s one of the wonders of the modern era. I thought it was pretty ancient, but the Taj Mahal is only about 400 years old. It took 22 years to build it, and I think they said that the Mughal emperor spent 80 gold coins to build it. It’s all white marble. We talked to a ministry guide when we were over there, and we found out that after they fi nished the Taj Mahal and moved the queen into her sarcophagus, that he was now going to build the same thing for himself in black marble. So his son, who was the prince, said, “Forget it, dad. You’re not bankrupting this kingdom again.” And he put his father under house HAVEN | SEE PAGE 15
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