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Varun Krishna hails from Kerala and a true Chakshumathi champion of his passions. He recently completed his BCA from Calicut University with A+ grade and SPGA 8.826 he dreamed to become an embedded System Engineer and write codes for more complicated devices and systems. He wrote to diversity on his educational journey below.
My name is Varun Krishna. I recently graduated from the University of Calicut with a BCA degree. As a fully blind student stepping into the world of embedded systems, this is the story of my journey so far.
I had what many would consider a common life for a blind student. I studied at Kerala School for the Blind in Malappuram and stayed in the hostel there, coming home only on weekends. We used Braille for almost everything. To be honest, I was never very good at it. Writing in Braille for long periods felt slow and uncomfortable, so I did not enjoy using it very much.
Back then, not many people knew about alternatives, so Braille was simply accepted as the standard way of learning.
I do not remember exactly how old I was, but one day my father took me to visit another school. A teacher there showed me a computer, explained how a keyboard worked, and showed me how typing was done. That small moment changed something in me. Looking back now, that was where my journey into technology truly began.
My interest in technology grew much stronger around sixth grade when some of us got the opportunity to attend a special summer camp. At school, we only got access to computers during lab periods, so I would spend the week waiting to go home on weekends so I could try out the things my friends and I had discussed.
At that time, some people in the school tried to introduce more technology into education to help students learn better. Unfortunately, the idea never really moved forward because many staff members were against it. Even today, I am not completely sure why.
After seventh grade, I joined a regular school near my home. For me, this felt exciting because I could finally stay at home and live more like other students. Looking back, I am grateful that I studied there. Despite some difficult experiences, that school taught me many life skills that still help me take care of myself today.
My friends in eighth grade accepted me and made that year very enjoyable. However, there was one major problem. My exams were handled through scribes, and I felt stuck. I was not really getting a chance to show my own abilities or work independently. Then during summer vacation, I got an opportunity to attend the Eyes-Free Science Camp in Trivandrum in 2019. That experience changed my perspective completely.
Varun said: Breaking digital barriers is not only about technology. Sometimes it begins with people who believe in you before you believe in yourself.
The camp was organized by Ram Kamal sir, someone who has dedicated his time and efforts to helping blind students achieve their goals. During those five days, he showed us possibilities that I had never even imagined before.
For the first time, I learned that there were ways for blind students to use computers during exams and write independently without depending on scribes. That idea felt powerful to me. I was excited to attend the camp again the following year, but then COVID arrived.
Instead of cancelling it, Ram sir moved the science camp online. I still remember him saying, "This is the best thing that happened to us because it showed that we can use technology to do our work no matter where we are in the world."
I completely agreed, that ten-day online program introduced us to even more ideas and showed us the amount of work people around the world were doing to make technology more accessible and inclusive.
When I entered tenth grade, COVID meant most of us stayed at home. Unfortunately, my school did not do much during that period, and they rejected my request to write exams independently using a computer.
That was very disappointing for me. After tenth grade, I joined Fathima Matha School in Tirur as a computer science student. This time things changed. The principal was supportive, and with help from my father and Ram sir, I finally got permission to write my exams using a computer.
I consider this one of the biggest victories in my journey.
Getting approvals and changing systems is never easy. My father and Ram sir spent a huge amount of time and effort making sure I received that opportunity. I am deeply thankful for everything they did.
Those years became some of the best years of my life. Later, I joined Ideal College, where I faced a similar situation again. Permission for my first examination arrived at the last moment, and those days were difficult because I strongly disliked the thought of returning to using a scribe.
Thankfully, those three years turned out to be wonderful. I made good friends, gained a lot of experience, and had many opportunities to learn and grow. This was also where I discovered the field I wanted to pursue. Ever since I was young, I enjoyed taking apart electronics and experimenting with things. During college, our department conducted a ten-day robotics workshop, and I immediately became fascinated by it.
That was the moment I realized this was what I wanted to do, even though I did not yet know the proper name for it. After more exploration, learning, and many small projects, I eventually discovered embedded systems. I knew this was the field I wanted to pursue.
I know there will be challenges ahead, and I know there will be barriers along the way. But I am ready to face them.
Looking back at my journey, I realize that I have been very fortunate to have people around me who believed in me and supported me, my father, my mother, my friends, Ram sir, and many others who helped me move forward.