00:00Good afternoon to all the viewers, Michael and One India.
00:05Today I have with me Dr. Charudatta Jadhav, Head Accessibility Centre for Excellence at PCS.
00:12And also very importantly at this event, he is the President of All India Chess Federation for the Blind, AICUSB.
00:17Thank you so much for coming.
00:19My pleasure.
00:20So we just concluded the 12th IBCA World Junior Women Chess Championship for the Blind in Women in Pair 2.24.
00:27Here at Chantry Pavilion, Bangalore.
00:29So how was the event? I am sure it was very good even as usual.
00:34Yeah, it was an excellent experience.
00:36Very nicely concluded event.
00:39One more milestone for India.
00:41Because it is the first time a World Junior and a World Women has been conducted outside Europe.
00:47And that honour has gone to India and I think the entire organising team and all the stakeholders who were involved has done an excellent job.
00:56To make this event successful.
00:59So Dr. Jadhav, it is very interesting that you have a confident role both at PCS and here at the AICFP.
01:11So how is it that you are managing both this very important yet hectic schedule that you have?
01:17Actually, if you look at my own career as a sports person and my profession,
01:23chess has played a very critical role.
01:26Chess is the only game where blind person can play at par with sighted.
01:31It has been proven again and again.
01:36It has given us that same belief and same confidence and the sense of equality.
01:41So if on the board if we are equal and we can compete with sighted on equal footing, we can do anything in the life.
01:49So that belief and that positive spirit we carry in the professional life.
01:56So today when I do research, I am heading research, we get those confidence.
02:04I personally get that confidence that nothing is impossible.
02:08Any problem has always a solution.
02:11When you look problem and opportunity is there.
02:15So if you look problem from the opportunity side, ample opportunity to get open to solve those problems.
02:23Therefore, I always enjoy playing both the roles because it is complemented.
02:29It has given me motivation.
02:32If we get stressful in the office, chess gives that encouragement and motivation.
02:37Sometimes very extensive chess, we come back, we get that switch of contents.
02:42And then we can fully concentrate on the research.
02:45So it has helped me complementing my both work and helped me perform better in both.
02:53Like you just mentioned that chess is like, it can be played both by abled and disabled.
02:59People who have individual disability also somebody can perform at equal level.
03:03So I guess chess is a very important, I mean that way is a very important tool for inclusiveness in the society.
03:08Absolutely, absolutely.
03:09It is the only game you can say which can give you that inclusivity without any accommodation.
03:17That's very interesting, very interesting point actually.
03:20Because any blind chess player wants to get international rating or get international title like Grandmaster, International Master.
03:27They have to fulfill the same criteria with any other mainstream chess player.
03:34So, and I feel the infrastructure because they play together in one common way.
03:40The literature created to improve the game is said to make the game more accessible.
03:46So even the technology which has been used is made accessible for blind.
03:52So we started.
03:53So we see that even the infrastructure is also getting improved.
03:58So it's a true sense this game has basically become accessible.
04:02And in fact you have made this game easier for blind and visually impaired through your software called 64XL.
04:12And that I think is kind of a tool that has really made things easier for the blind and visually impaired.
04:20Yeah, that was the first intervention.
04:22Like that we have done several interventions to bridge the gap, infrastructure gap between mainstream and blind.
04:28So the talk 64 was first we installed this speech enabled software.
04:33Later on we also worked with the companies who has a mobile software.
04:39And worked with them to make the same application fully accessible.
04:43Like Chessmove, Followchess, iChess.
04:47So this entire gambit of mobile chess software we have made accessible and made available for blind.
04:54Because today mobile is integral part of everybody's life.
04:57You may have computer, we don't have.
05:00But you will find mobile.
05:02Then we converted books into DAISY which is an electronic form of book which blind person can read independently.
05:09So there are two formats, DAISY and eBook.
05:12So we converted several books into this format and made available to our players.
05:18Now they can read the book alone.
05:20They can basically use this software and prepare themselves.
05:25There is an online gaming platform where they can go and play online.
05:31So now there is a lot of infrastructure which we have created after that talk 64.
05:39And I think of course chess, India has been a super powerhouse in chess.
05:47Thanks to Vishwanathan Anand who has been carrying on the flag for all his life.
05:52But I guess in terms of depth, we are India at a stage where we have got so many grandmasters.
05:59That too they are so young.
06:00In fact only recently at the Olympic Games both the men and women have won.
06:06I think the depth in terms of chess is the strongest at the moment.
06:10And that only helps enhance the other part also to get better.
06:16Very true. Actually Vishwanathan Anand has transformed chess in India.
06:21He is an inspiration to almost all chess players.
06:26And we blind also basically inspired.
06:29In fact Vishwanathan Anand has played a very critical role to boost our morale.
06:35So he is associated with us since 1989.
06:39So whenever he gets time, he basically has guided me personally.
06:44And we basically prepare some plans.
06:47He also comes forward and provides support for the events.
06:52Some of the players he analyses the game and guides those players also.
06:58His role was very very critical because when a person like Vishy gets involved,
07:04there is a different level of motivation and thought of our players is there.
07:10And after Vishy, there are so many thought of players.
07:16Bukesh has also sent a message.
07:20So many grand players, not only grandmasters but even international players are supporting blind chess.
07:26Of course there is much need to scale.
07:28We need a lot of support.
07:30More people should come forward.
07:32We see that we are encouraging over the years.
07:35We are getting newer and newer talents.
07:37And I think very soon we will see that.
07:41Of course we have already reached to the stage where we are in top 7 countries in the world.
07:49But we wanted to be now in top 3.
07:51So I think in next few years, the way we are progressing, we will basically achieve that milestone.
07:58And then finally we will have our final admission.
08:03And till final submission, we will become number 1 in the world in next 2 years.
08:08I think it's a great story.
08:10Thank you so much for your time sir.
08:12And as it is possible, I mean you are definitely responsible to quite an extent for all this.
08:20This thing that we have covered so far.
08:22And we will only get better from here.
08:24Thank you so much for your advice and wish you all the best.
08:27And we promote Blind Chess.
08:29And I would specially like to thank the person like you or organizations like yours.
08:36Thanks sir.
08:37For coming forward and supporting because Blind Chess deserves this.
08:40And lead this because you know that awareness and then motivation is really important.
08:44And I feel that media can play a bigger role in this.
08:48Thank you very much.
08:49Thanks.
08:50Thank you so much.
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