“If I Could Choose, I Would Not Have a Disability”

Meet Visalakshi Mantha - a 26-year-old navigating the world of art, fantasy fiction, and mental health, all while living with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition slowly narrowing her vision.

Say hello to Visalakshi Mantha!

Residing in Kolkata, Visalakshi Mantha is a 26-year-old art developer. Even though her family

has been living in Kolkata for three generations, “I’m actually Andhrite, Maharashtrian, and

Punjabi all mixed together,” says Mantha, with a radiant smile on her face. As a result, she is

fluent in five languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Telugu.

She has a visual disability called retinitis pigmentosa - an inherited eye disorder that leads to progressive vision loss, primarily affecting night vision and peripheral (side) vision.

When asked about the impact of RP on her day-to-day life, she shares that she has tunnel vision during the day (when your field of vision narrows over time, leaving a small portion of central vision).

Tunnel vision has led to mobility issues, making traveling quite hectic for her. While walking on streets, she uses a mobility cane, which helps her navigate easily and safely.

“If I’m at work and I need to look at a particular piece of art, if it's too large-scale, I have to move significantly further back to be able to see it in totality. I also have difficulty adjusting to different lights. So if suddenly the light switches off or on, I take a little bit of time to adjust to that. For instance, if I’m using my phone, I can see only half of the screen,” said Visalakshi.

At night, she is fully night-blind. She’s hyper-alert about where she’s stepping due to her

disability. “I am now hypervigilant about where I'm stepping—possibly, hopefully it's not my dog, and hopefully he won't bite me back because I step on him.”

Visalakshi's dog and her massive collection of books

She discovered her condition three and a half years ago, which meant her childhood was

completely normal until then. As someone who was able-bodied by birth, it became very difficult for her to adapt to this new change in the beginning.

She is an avid reader with a love for murder mysteries, crime, and fantasy. “I love getting lost in worlds that don’t exist,” said Mantha. Her favorite author is Neil Gaiman, who inspires her in her work, and her absolute favorite book is The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.

Professional life

Visalakshi completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Arts Practices followed by a Master’s in Fine Arts from the Srishti Manipal Institute of Design, Technology, and Art, Bangalore.

A painting by Visalakshi

Visalakshi)

Since then, she has worked and interned at various places including the Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore, and The International Festival of Moving Image Art, Bangalore. She has created audio guides, image descriptions, online exhibitions, and more - all in a visual field like art, despite having a visual disability.

Her interest in this field stems from a lot of trial and error. She was inspired by Boundary Work, a theory proposed by Thomas F. Gieryn, which explains how a boundary is created between scientific and non-scientific knowledge - making it inaccessible to almost all parts of society apart from scientists. She realized that a similar condition prevails in the field of arts, especially regarding access to museums and gallery spaces for people with disabilities and neurocognitive conditions. With both personal experience and a background in psychology, she believed she could advocate for people like herself.

When asked why she chose this profession, Visalakshi says,

“I have a very selfish reason, which is that there's going to be a time in my life when I will be completely blind. And I would still like to access museums and galleries like I do today. I would still like to feel artwork. So, I would like there to be more tactile artworks, more audio guides, more sensory maps, and more tools like the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. I’m trying to build a space where people like me—and more specifically, I—would be able to access this world even after I lose my vision.”

During her professional life, Visalakshi found it hard to make time for herself, especially while

living alone in Bangalore, painting and cooking for herself.

Vision Or Perception? What matters more in art?

As an art developer and artist, Visalakshi believes that perception matters more in art. However, she also says it is a mix of both.

“So I think... it's multitudes of things. It is a mix of both vision and perception. Skill development most definitely matters. I do believe—not formal training or whatever—but just a precision in the skill that you have picked up, or the medium that you use, needs to exist for you to be able to, I think, articulate what you are trying to say with your work,” said Mantha.

As someone with a visual disability, Visalakshi challenges conventional perceptions of art. She is a reminder that nothing can surpass true passion.

Arts and the Indian society

In a nation where more than half the population lives below the poverty line, the arts naturally take a backseat. Understandably so - people are focused on making ends meet, feeding their families, and simply surviving.

Some more paintings by Visalakshi

As Visalakshi points out, the world of art is an extremely privileged space. Not everyone has the opportunity to immerse themselves in the arts or humanities. In today’s capitalist world,

access to these creative fields—and the freedom to pursue them—often comes with privilege.

People commonly dismiss the arts as being “too elite” or difficult to understand, or they just don’t have the time or mental space to engage with them. And can we really blame them? When someone is overwhelmed by worries like how to pay bills or put food on the table, appreciating a painting or a poem becomes a luxury they simply can’t afford.

Challenges faced and their impact on life

Since the day she was diagnosed, Visalakshi has been dealing with mental health issues..

Navigating a field like the arts has been extremely challenging for her.

Visalakshi using a Braille map

“The challenges are crippling. Crippling to the extent that I have to keep taking breaks from my work. I had to leave my job in Bangalore - where I was living alone and managing my life independently - because I lost more of my vision.”

She has taken a break from work to focus on her mental health and well-being, currently living with her family in Kolkata.

“The way I’ve learned to cope with it is through a lot of therapy - and importantly, actually listening to my therapist. And then, spending time with some incredible people in my life who I’m privileged to call friends. And then there's my dog,” says Mantha.

During her break, she spends her time reading about disability, fantasy, romance, and stories of people who have had similar experiences; setting up an art studio for herself; hanging out with friends; and staying in touch with the city’s cultural scene by attending events, film screenings, and similar spaces.

“Mental health is a big focus for me right now, and I’m lucky to have both the time and privilege to prioritize it. When I was working, I didn’t have that liberty,” said Visalakshi.

Every life holds a story

When I asked Visalakshi if she had any message for the readers, she declined, stating that she doesn't see herself as inspiring and doesn't want to be anyone's inspiration. She believes that each of us faces our own battles within our minds—struggles that are often fought in solitude.

Written by Aayushi Maurya

Aayushi wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's May'25 cohort.

This article was adjudged the 'Best Profile Article' created in Week 1 of the program.