Ulgulan Talks! : Interview with Meenakshi Venkataraman
In this sixth interview of The Sangyan’s ‘Ulgulan Talks!’, an endeavor to voice the issues of the larger interest of ‘We, the People’, Abhishek (the interviewer) talks to Meenakshi Venkataraman, a middle-aged woman from The Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu, India), primarily regarding the impact of climate change on her life with respect to her disability.
This interview was conducted in November 2022 through online mode in written format. The due informed consent of the interviewee has been taken before the publication of the blog. Further, the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ of the interviewee shall be respected.
Please tell me about yourself in some detail. Your life journey in essence.*
Meenakshi Venkataraman is an Ecologist by profession who has completed her PhD. She is working on nature based solutions and creating community economic development projects around the world.
25 years back accident. CRPS, Autonomic Dysfunction, Parkinsonism MSA
Please tell us about your condition/disability and comorbidities, if any, in detail.*
Balance issues; pain; nausea; swallowing
Please talk about your experience with climate change (read extreme weather and climatic conditions like heatwaves, cyclones, floods, etc.) that affected or worsened your experience or condition. Please provide a personal account if plausible.
Cannot deal with heat; had the wherewithal to move from Bangalore to Ooty; here again some hot days fainting issues; cannot travel on heat
What do you think about climate change (read extreme weather and climatic conditions like heatwaves, cyclones, floods, etc.) acting as a threat multiplier and resulting in capability deprivation in your own personal experience? Please provide a personal account if plausible.
I had to go to Chennai in May as my dad was in a bad shape. By the time I disembarked from the flight getting on the bus itself was very disorienting and I tried going to the restroom to put water on my face I fell on the room floor.
Very distressing. I had to take time to orient get a taxi and go. I was staying in AC room all the time in Chennai and during power cuts couldn’t breathe, hyperventilating, etc. no use to help dad through his hospitalization.
I’m not able to think or do anything in heat and humidity.
Please tell me about any measure/action you take to mitigate the negative impact of climate change (read extreme weather and climatic conditions like heatwaves, cyclones, floods, etc.) in your life to avoid worse-off experiences. Please provide a personal account if plausible.
I usually use ice packs if I m traveling locally. Plan travel in stages and in ac. Do not stay out during the day. If I’m in a car I keep a lot of ORS.
What else do you think needs to be done to counter the worse-off experiences of climate change (read extreme weather and climatic conditions like heatwaves, cyclones, floods, etc.) with respect to your specific condition? Please suggest from your personal experiences.
Conditioning but I’m not ready to go through the initial stages of severe discomfort
Any further comments you want to make with respect to climate change and disability?
It is very hard to be economically independent to avoid extreme weather events. Conditioning is also very difficult. Small respites have to be adjusted to individual conditions. I don’t know what else to say.
This was Meenakshi Venkataraman talking about her experience with disability and climate change. We, at The Sangyan and Ulgulan Talks, thank her for giving her precious time and an opportunity to know about her lived experiences concerning disability and climate change.
Abhishek Kumar is an NCPEDP-Javed Abidi fellow on Disability who is currently working on the “Impact of Climate Change on Persons with Disabilities.” The author can be reached at <abhishek.ncpedp@gmail.com>.
The interview has been published on the blog of The Sangyan as part of its public engagement and discourse initiative called ‘Ulgulan Talks!’.
