Jwala K. Sukumaran, an aspiring designer participating in the #Design Kerala Summit, may be vertically challenged, but has tall and thought-provoking ideas on not only design, but also rebuilding Kerala.
“Since the differently-abled people face various challenges here because of the serious lack of infrastructural facilities supporting them, their representatives should actively participate in designing solutions for the future,” says the 19-year-old student, who measures less than three feet in height.
Jwala, who is trying to obtain a seat in any of the premier design institutes in the country, points out that majority of our public places are not disabled-friendly. “Ramps are absent in most public places hindering their free access by the physically-challenged people. Steps in most places are very high; even if one manages to climb up, it is very difficult to climb down. Even schools are not designed to cater to the requirements of the disabled.”
Ask her about the spark behind choosing design as a career option, she said, “I have seen young children in slums making small items of craft for a living, and always thought that they too should get the opportunities that I have got in life.” Jwala wishes to make clothes from recycled plastic employing workers from Dharavi in Mumbai who, despite do labourious work, have failed to make a mark.
“It is also difficult to get items of clothing for a person like me. Eventually, I would want to get into something like that,” says Jwala, who completed 10th standard from SSRVM and higher secondary schooling from Sacred Heart, Thevara, both in Kochi.
The only child of media persons K. K. Sukumaran and Lovely Mol Mohan, Jwala’s end goal in life is to do something that will be of help to others. “Everything I do, I want to do sincerely and in a way that benefits others.”
She talks about an experiment where soaps with loops can help the elderly who have difficulty moving their hands. “It might seem a simple solution when we look at it, but it means a great deal to the people who suffer from such problems.”
Jwala, who is described by her teachers as a hard-working creative youngster, is all praise for the Design Summit as it has opened her eyes to wider possibilities.
