Omkar Pawaskar with a sitar.
Photo Credits: Shubhankar Shah
He is fond of learning new languages, especially Indian languages, and is currently fluent in Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, and English. Omkar Santosh Pawaskar dreams of enriching the Konkani language by translating more literature from other languages into Konkani. Also, a classical singer, Omkar performs solo programmes in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa with a team of musicians. He has completed Madhyama Purna (diploma) in Indian classical music and has achieved Visharad in tabla. An Abacus expert, his name is included in the India Book of Records for doing the fastest math calculation within a minute.
Homeschooled in Karwar, Omkar first went to school in std VII, and now at 25, having already graduated, he is preparing for UPSC and GPSC, with a goal to become an Indian Administrative Officer (IAS). His desk is full of awards and trophies that he received for academic excellence and music performances. Omkar was declared the ‘Voice of Karnataka’ in 2015, winning the first prize in singing, and with a score of 94.33%, he stood first at the district level in Uttar Canara in std XII. At the degree level in Rosary College at Navelim, he was the student of the year.
The significance of all these medals and achievements lies in the fact that Omkar was born with visual impairment and cannot see with both eyes.
“He was a premature baby and was put in the incubator as soon as he was born. Unfortunately, our newborn got a retina infection and lost his vision within a few hours of his birth. Later, we tried vision correction operations, but as the retinas were non-functional and the nerve was also dead, he had to live on as a visually impaired boy,” recalls Omkar’s father, Santosh Pawaskar, who is in the jewelry-making vocation.
Omkar’s mother, Sujata, taught him at home until he was 10-12 years old. As the family lived in Karwar, and there was no school for the blind there, the boy did not get admission to any school. The reason being, the teachers found it challenging to teach a little boy who could not see. Omkar’s parents were not aware that schools cannot deny admission to a student because of his disability. They tried to shift to Goa and get him admitted to a special school here when he was six-seven years old, but that did not materialize either. So, he remained at home but continued learning from home.
“It was later when an officer from North Canara came home and saw this talented boy, studying at home, he got him admitted to a school in Karwar in Kannada medium. Let him learn Kannada. It will be of help if he knows an extra language, advised the officer. So, we sent him to school in class VII. That too in the second half of the academic year, but thankfully he was eager and quick to learn,” added Omkar’s mother Sujata.
Omkar was intelligent enough to catch up. He scored well, and accepting the challenge, he learned all subjects in Kannada, yet scored 91% in SSC. Then for higher secondary, he took admission for Arts in the English medium. It was here that he scored 94.33% and topped the district, making his parents proud. Then the parents decided to settle in their home State of Goa. Omkar got admission to Rosary College, Navelim, where he was the student of the year at the end of his degree course, scoring 91% with Konkani specialization.
“I could achieve this because of my supportive parents, caring friends, dear sister Shivani, and loving teachers. I was the apple of their eyes. I could nurture my own dreams, all because of these strong people in my life. And I want to tell those who have a disability, that no matter what, do not stop learning. Learn new things. Education brings light; it enlightens you. It is the tool that would take you to newer heights. It will instill confidence in you. You can do anything that a person with no disability can do. We are no lesser beings,” says Omkar who has done a digital literacy course and an advanced Microsoft Excel course.
He utilised the COVID lockdown period to do online computer courses through the National Association for Blind (NAB).
“I have done a Future Skill Development Course from Dell company and from the National Skill Development Corporation of India. I like to read books to improve my general knowledge. I also love books on Indian history and keep myself updated with current affairs. I like patriotic music, play different musical instruments, sing in various languages. I love to explore new things in technology, like Artificial Intelligence. I listen to tech news on YouTube,” shares Omkar who has proved his versatility.
Omkar has a few close friends who are there with him in thick and thin. Aniruddh Yadav is one of them. He also has some online friends who are visually impaired.
“I met them while learning online computer courses. We all keep each other motivated. As a person with a disability, I have not found any difference in my upbringing or my schooling. I was lucky enough to get support from all sides. Friends shared their notes; they even came home to teach me. My mom used to read out the notes and record. I learned by listening to the voice recorder from Std VII onwards up to SSC and HSSC. It was in college that I came to know about mobile screen reader, touch screen mobile usage, etc. Now I am well-versed in reading PDFs on the computer. Taha Haaziq, secretary at the Office of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, introduced me to an online book library. My reading thus started through mobile. Technology is of great help. So are people around me,” concludes Omkar who is dreaming big to be an IAS to serve the nation.
