Hyderabad woman refuses to let darkness dent aspirations

When you talk to Chandana Pochiraju, her voice is calm, clear and strong. She speaks of her passion for poetry, her love for writing scripts, and how she is giving ancient traditions a breath of life in the city routine. What she does not say is that she is blind.
“What matters is what I have done, and what I am going to do,” says Chandana, certain that she will not be defined by what has happened to her.
When she was in her final year in college, Chandana knew something was wrong with her eyes. Doctors gave her three years before she lost her sight to retinal deterioration. Darkness, though, spread fast. It came within 10 months. However, the only thing it touched was her eyes. Her will only grew brighter, says everyone around her.
Into poetry since Class VII, Chandana began delving deeper into the art when she lost her sight. Since then, she has gone on to nurture many talents. She is a playwright, director, a poet, singer, counsellor and friend to many.
“I work with participants from five to 73 years while directing plays. Through my plays, adults and children question the world around them, and learn to connect with it,” she says.
Using the residential complex where she lives in Nallagandla, which houses over 5,000 people, as her base, she reaches out to a large audience. “To entertain 900 people for an hour-and-ahalf, and make them forget their troubles is fulfilling,” she says. She has portrayed the Narkasura vadh and connected it with the theme of Swachh Bharat, and made the Sudarshan Chakra a character by itself.
Another achievement has been the re-creation of Prabhala teertam, a 400-year-old tradition in East Godavari district. “A procession is held for Lord Shiva. This is followed by a village fair. The idea is to combine the urban and the rural, while getting a multi-lingual community bond over a tradition, only seen in East Godavari.”
Chandana says she has always loved observing and listening to people, and this has enabled her to add colour to her characters. This has also driven her to give back in any way she can. About five years ago, she launched Sai Umang Counselling Care, a non-professional centre. She says she must have counselled 400 people over the years.
“I was clear from the beginning that I am not a professional. I just listen to people. A person who is suicidal may not go to a professional counsellor. I have seen cases where people on the verge of taking their lives, have wanted to be heard, and have gone on to have happy lives.” Like her plays, which she says never reveal their ending before time, Chandana’s story too has many layers to reveal.