Mobitel envisions bringing Vesak to visually impaired

Saturday, 6 May 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The national mobile service provider, Mobitel plans to bring the light of joy to the visually impaired in the country during the Vesak season with the introduction of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform to enable users to listen to the stories on display on five prominent Vesak Pandals in Colombo this year. Users can call the short code 565 from any Mobitel number to listen to the stories free of charge from 10 to 20 May.

Traditionally, the Vesak season has always been a feast for the eyes and Mobitel strives to remain true to its slogan ‘We Care, Always’ by sharing the joy of the celebrations with the visually challenged men, women and children of the nation. The Vesak season celebrates enlightenment and Mobitel has provided an innovative solution to share that spark of light with the visually impaired community in the country combining one of the oldest methods of communication in the form of storytelling with modern technology. This IVR platform provides pre-recorded voice responses with keypad signal logic and access to relevant data to users.

Traditional Pandals depict legendary stories of the previous lives of the Gautama Buddha (Jathaka stories) on large vertical platforms with scenes of the story graphically displayed in an ascending or a descending order. A multitude of lights illuminate the Pandals at night during the celebratory season.

Apart from giving access to visually challenged persons to enjoy narratives of ‘Jathaka stories’ Mobitel aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by the visually challenged population living in Sri Lanka. The society is yet to reach the point where equal opportunities are provided to all sub segments and with this small gesture of goodwill, Mobitel uses its brand to communicate the message of equality for all human beings living in the country including the visually impaired.

The Vesak campaign is part of a series of initiatives to serve and uplift the Sri Lankan communities that require care.