Company:Sporsho Braille Prokashona
Sporsho Braille Prokashona (Bengali: স্পর্শ ব্রেইল প্রকাশনা, lit. 'Touch Braille Publishing') is a Bangladeshi specialty publisher of braille books. It distributes its books free of charge to the visually impaired. The company was founded in 2008[1] by children's author Nazia Jabeen, who was inspired by a close relative's vision loss in a road traffic accident.[2][3] The first book published by Sporsho, in 2009, was Jabeen's own Chharar Tale Monta Dole.[4] Initially unable to secure the services of any of the few braille presses in Bangladesh, the first print run was 26 copies hand-typed on a braille typewriter. They were distributed to schools in twos and threes.[3]
The publisher had a booth at the Ekushey Book Fair, the pre-eminent book event in Bangladesh, for the first time in 2011,[2] and has become a regular fixture there.[5] Visually impaired visitors are allowed to read at the stall all day, and in exchange for registration are later given free books.[4] Books are also donated to schools and libraries.[5]
As of 2018, Sporsho had published 61 titles in braille.[2] Their output has included popular fiction by Humayun Ahmed, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, and Imdadul Haq Milan; children's literature by Lutfor Rahman Riton; poetry by Syed Shamsul Haque; and one title per year on the history of the Bangladesh Liberation War by such authors as Mafidul Haque and Nilima Ibrahim.[2][3][6] Sporsho published Margaret Davidson's 1971 biography Louis Braille in 2019, the first English-language braille book, other than textbooks, published in Bangladesh.[3]
Jabeen received the "Inspiring Women Spirit" award in 2019 from Women in Leadership for her contributions benefiting the visually challenged.[7]
References
- ↑ "Sporsho launches 14 Braille books". The Daily Star. 7 January 2018. https://www.thedailystar.net/city/14-braille-books-launched-1516036.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Sporsho's Journey of Conquering Vision". The Daily Star. 12 January 2018. https://www.thedailystar.net/star-youth/sporshos-journey-conquering-vision-1518457.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 (in bn)Kaler Kantho. 8 March 2019. https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/womens-day-special-issue/2019/03/08/744783.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Blind boy travels from Narayanganj daily to read braille books". Dhaka Tribune. 6 February 2019. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2019/02/06/blind-boy-travels-from-narayanganj-daily-to-read-braille-books.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "First ever Braille books at SUST Central Library". The Librarian Times (Dhaka) 3 (7). 18 March 2018. http://www.thelibrariantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/The_Librarian_Times_V_03_-Issue_07_20180318.pdf.
- ↑ (in bn)Risingbd.com. 5 February 2013. https://risingbd.com/feature-news/288300.
- ↑ "Women's contribution to social progress recognised". The Daily Star. 10 March 2019. https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/womens-contribution-social-progress-recognised-1712971.
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