Vedi

by Mehta

Before Vedi was four, meningitis left him blind. But his father, a well-to-do, England-trained doctor, was determined his son receive the best education India could offer a blind child. At Dadas School in Bombay, thirteen hundred miles from home, Vedi at first felt isolated. There was the obstacle of he spoke only Pubjabi, the other children spoke only Marathi, and the principal was determined to teach him English. There were the differences of class and Vedi was from "a cultured home," and therefore wore shoes and proper clothes, and took his meals with the principal's family; many of the other children were street waifs, and much older. In time, Vedi learned to get along without his family, without familiar sounds and scents and tastes, long before any ordinary child learns self reliance. He also learned to read and write English Braille, to add and subtract, to play like all boys and to get along with schoolmates. With the Second World War imminent, Vedi left Dadas School and returned home. Yet, as his father knew, and as he himself came to know, the education he received afforded him a chance for a meaningful life. He grasped it eagerly. "Vedi" is Ved Mehta's out-of-the-ordinary memory of childhood experiences - trying to find out, struggling to fit in, wanting to be loved, playing, dreaming - during the years that ordinarily make up childhood.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, India

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiographical reflections on his youth by the versatile Indian writer

[Aliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing memoir of his life as a young blind boy learning his way in India. I want to read more by Ved Mehta.

[Izhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and amazing. Direct translation of some of the phrases to hindi is hilarious and nostalgic (son of an owl).

[Deepak Singh Rawat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vedi has the innocence of a child. The author has given a vivid description of what his childhood like during the first boarding school he went to. He has shown the inside of his world in very simple language. This book has given me a perspective about blind person's world and their feelings. I am glad that I read this book.