In the world of sign language.
Sound of thunderous applause from his friends who had assembled in the school auditorium has no particular meaning for him. But he was still seen acknowledging everyone he passes with his effervescent smile while coming over to the stage for receiving the cash reward from me. It was in unison that the teachers agreed in declaring his name when I have desired them to name a boy or a girl to whom I can give a reward for their excellent performance in studies.
Not many words were exchanged. A gentle handshake followed by a few words of appreciations from me and he quietly went back to his place. Yes ‘quietly’ to the world where he lives; the world of silence. A place where sound has no particular meaning.
He was a thirteen year old deaf and dumb boy of BRESH residential school for handicapped, mentally retarded and deaf and dumb children at Shanti Nagar, Bhadrachalam where I’am stationed right now for counter insurgency duties.
When the founder principal of the school Mr. Harinath Rao, who himself is a physically disabled person and have a mentally retarded sister to take care of, requested the Commanding Officer of my unit to help him and his teachers to clean the school campus which was in a deplorable state, the Commandant told me to look into the matter.
Forty C.R.P.F Jawans of 141 BN with all essential tools required for a sanitation drive reached the school the very next day morning. Later on when I drove down to school to see how things are going over there, to be honest, I was more concerned about few important files in my table and was eager to return back as quickly as possible by excusing myself. But then I’ve never thought, my impulsive decision to visit this school will turn out to be one of the most memorable days of my life and a humbling experience too.
Everything tumbled upon at the gate itself when I found the principal along with two physically disabled teachers were waiting for me there. I felt really sorry for them. When I found one of them, a polio affected teacher was trying hard to keep up with my pace, I humbly requested her to go to her class and that I will see the sanitation drive going on smoothly. All my deliberations about the files and other impending reports and returns for the higher offices got crashed down under the overwhelming emotions thronged my mind. I walked around the school and found it to be in a very dismal condition. Tall grasses and bushes were life threatening to the handicapped kids for that they could be ideal places for deadly snakes to hide. Drainage system has gone awry as clogged drains at many places led to severe water logging. Toilets were tainted and in a dilapidated state. Compound wall was found collapsed at several places. All together I have seen the school was not in anyone’s attention for long. Apparently there is no way these hapless handicapped occupants could do this work all by themselves. It was like that they have accepted their fate and contained themselves in their own world of silence.
Our Jawans were doing their level best to bring some relief to the agonizing state of affairs, the school was reeling under.
While taking me around, Mr. Rao told me that he had established this ‘residential school for handicapped, mentally retarded and deaf and dumb children in the year 1995 when he found that there is no such schools for the physically handicapped and mentally retarded children from the nearby villages. When he told me that the 140 odd students are living in a hostel which has its own disabilities, I was really thinking as to why the government officials and other non-government organizations working in this sector are not speaking loud for those who could not speak. They should also understand that saying is one thing and doing is another.
A thunderous burst of applause and laughter I heard from an adjacent class room prompted me to take a look at what was happening there. Few mentally retarded children were playing some games. Once they got over their initial surprise at seeing a police man in uniform inside their class room, the teacher and her joyful students started talking to me in an altogether different language. She then suggested that I should speak with the children. I was bit nervous as I was not sure what I was getting into by knowing that they would only understand the sign language. But then, to ease the atmosphere, I asked for a slate and a pencil and made a quick caricature of a small boy, Vinod Kumar, who was standing in front of me. When I gave it back to him, he smiled coyly and gave me a soft handshake. Suddenly the class room changed into an altogether different atmosphere. They clapped and swarmed around me and started talking to me in their own language. One among them, a cute looking mentally handicapped boy, performed a mono-acting in front of us by imitating the mannerisms of some of the south Indian film starts like Rajani Kanth and Nagarjuna. I could not resist giving him a warm hug in exchange of his exemplary talent and told him how happy I’am watching him. He laughed lightly. It was nice to see the children chuckling and laughing at whatever happening there.
In an adjoining room, I found few children were making some entertaining crafts. The teacher, while explaining to me the details about the various crafts being made by the children, she gave me a few hints on what is being taught in the class room which helped me to fairly understand the subject matter. I found the teachers are more supportive and giving plenty of attention in a positive way which of course demands a lot of patience.
When I watched them silently, wishing in my mind that these kids have a very joyous ambience of their own in this place, something suddenly snapped in my heart. I pulled out some money from my pocket and gave it to my driver and asked him to get some biscuits, chocolates, and other eatables for these kids. It was then that I requested the principal to allow me to have an assemblage of these children so that I can reward one among then who deserves.
A few minutes later I saw several children were moving in a group and I knew they were going to the assembly hall. There, I saw very happy kids from 5 to 15 years of age were waiting eagerly. I felt the atmosphere was different from other schools. It was quiet, calm and tranquil. I felt it was largely due to the fact that these children are not used to the world of sound and hence it has no particular meaning for them.
After few introductory speeches from the principal and a couple of teachers, I was asked to come on stage and say a few words of encouragement. In front of me were children living in the world of sign language. Neither could they hear me, nor could they talk to me. It was a bit different experience for me when I started to talk and one teacher translated it in sign language. I too tried a bit of sign language to tell them that we are there to see them and also let them see us. I spoke to them in that manner for few minutes. All listened but the expressions were mixed. Some I thought genuinely understood but some gave me a blank look. It was during this session that I presented the cash reward to the deaf and dumb boy whom I mentioned in my opening paragraph.
Thereafter we, the men of the largest Paramilitary force in the world distributed some eatables to these kids as a sign of our support and solidarity towards them. I felt really proud to be among those tiny brave hearts that are also fighting a ‘war’ but of a different kind. The function ended with smiling students swarming from all directions to shake hands with me. That was one such occasion I felt an intense sense of joy and gratitude overwhelming my mind which is obviously a rarity these days in armed services. That day I earned few peers and admirers from the world of sign language and it was truly humbling.
Mr. Rao said that he would like me to come to them again and share a few moments with them. When he told me that this place is being used by the parents to leave their abnormal kids whom they treat as a burden, I thought how difficult it would be for a normal person to understand how these kids living a life here. That makes them isolated from others. The parents then would search for an alternate place where likeminded children accumulate. I could get the point of view of Mr. Rao that if they close down such centers, they would not have any mode of communication at all as they have no such schools for them in the village. It was a very heart wrenching and eye opening experience for me. I really wish we could do more and help bring some light in the life of these hapless souls. I wish awareness of disability was there among the parents for that, every child who tested deafness or dumbness at birth could be groomed scientifically and be made available all those most modern gadgets which will enable them to live a life of their own in this planet.
The warmth and awe that I received was so over whelming that I felt truly humbled by these silent people and at the same time, it was really sad as the parents of these children have, I think, given up and accepted that their disabled children are a burden to them. But the principal and teachers of this school are trying hard to fills up each of the children and their parents with their spirit of never say die and pushes them to achieve greater heights against all odds. In a country where life for the handicap is very harsh, teachers like Mr. Rao inspire and makes these children’s life worth the fight and struggle. I hope these youngsters will make their life worth living in future.
I don’t know if I could or would do something towards the children of this school. Burt I really hope that I would be able to do something towards the betterment of the disabled children in our society once I retire from service. Even if someone who are affluent in the society gets motivated to work in this field after reading this post, then that would be something I would be grateful for. So much we can do. It is that somebody in the authority just needs to go out and spend some time with such teachers and extend their support.
Thank you Mr. Rao for giving me such insight into life. It was such a wonderful experience with few who live among us, but in a different world. God bless you…. JAI HIND.
