Thakur Vishva Narain Singh (30 July 1928 – 29 September 2009) was the first
braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...
editor of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and an eminent journalist. He served as braille editor in the publication section of the National Institute of Visually Handicapped in
Dehra Dun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...
. After his retirement, he continued to write and worked with local dailies in the city.
Singh was the chief architect behind the creation of a huge library for the
visually impaired
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment†...
. He was responsible for getting the Hindu religious books translated into braille.
Thakur Vishva Narain Singh died in Amsterdam while on a family holiday on 29 September 2009.
Awards
* Singh was a recipient of Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1977 for his immense contribution to braille literature and translation of books into braille. He was awarded the prize by the then Minister for External Affairs,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
who called him the 'Father of Braille Literature in India'.
* For his particular translation of the Hindu texts Singh was awarded the Tulis Manas Prathishtan, Bhopal by the
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
government.
* Singh was awarded by the Indian Council of Child Education in 1987.
References
Obituary in The Tribune of India
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Narain Singh, Thakur Vishva
1928 births
2009 deaths
Writers from Dehradun
Braille