Highlighting plight of raising blind kids
HOPING to provide a snapshot of the lives of marginalised communities in South Africa, a Pretoria author launched his debut book, Saccharin is Sweet, at the Shree Emperumal Hindu Temple Hall in Mount Edgecombe on Sunday.
Sivalingum
Moodley, 69, who was born in Mount Edgecombe and lived there for three decades, shares the story of the once-little village and one mother’s plight, raising three blind children.
“The book is set mainly in the little, semi-rural village where poverty was the order of the day, where creature comforts were non-existent and where children played freely in limited spaces.
“The book, through a series of curated descriptions, incidents and events, provides an interesting snapshot of the lives of marginalised communities at a particular time in its rich history who were forced to live in claustrophobic proximity to one another; in attached dwellings that resembled a military barracks, coupled with the domineering nature of some of the residents of the village,” he said.
Moodley added that the book honed in on the story of a mother’s firm resolve, despite criticisms, to ensure her three blind children were educated.
“This was at a time when society’s attitudes towards blind children were, at best, conservative. However, like saccharin (a sweet artificial substance), and with maternal tenderness and compassion, she added sweetness and fullness to the lives of her eight children, an action that gave her the will to go on.
“The novel also shows how a large family, guided by the caring and self-sacrificing mother, was able to forge ahead, even in the face of abject poverty.”
The father of three said the 279-page book took him eight months to complete and was self-published in June.
His aim through writing the book included dispelling the “widely held misconception in some quarters of society that Indians were the beneficiaries of the apartheid system”.
The audio version of the book will be available from Tape Aids for the Blind. For enquiries, email siva49moodley@gmail.com