ever since I was a child I was a very
jolly kid always talkative and I enjoyed
my life however when I was 11 years old
my life changed and remember people
trying to talk to me and I didn’t
but I never mentioned anything to my
parents though I know that there was
something going wrong within me
I had seen a lot of deaf ones and I know
that being deaf was a social stigma so I
kept quiet about it this continued for
three months and that’s when my mom had
some doubts about my behavior so she
took me to any anti specialist the
doctor confirmed that I had lost 70
percent of my hearing I was shocked I
just couldn’t accept the fact that I was
losing my hearing it was a very strange
time I was so desperate to get my
hearing back I can’t tell you it was a
very tough time I tried everything
yoga medicines machines hearing aids you
name it and I tried it all but
everything failed it was a very
stressful time for me it was especially
more troublesome when I was in school
because I was sitting there all alone
when my friends were chatting and having
fun who I couldn’t take it when I looked
but you know I knew that that was not
the place to wind it out so I would go
back home and I would fight with my
parents I fight with my siblings went
out all the anger in my family sometimes
I would be fighting and other times I
somehow I finished my schooling and
during my college days it was tough
because I was still of a Tron kid one
day when I was in my college me and my
mom visited my doctor he informed me
that I would lose all my residual
hearing I was not ready for this trust
me my grief
no no pounds I wept I wept I wept
inconsolably for two days I cried I
cried I couldn’t eat I couldn’t sleep
I didn’t want to do anything I cried my
heart out
I even got suicidal thoughts I just
wanted this to finish once and for all
and with this thought in mind I came out
of my room one evening and I saw my
family sitting there I looked at my mom
there she was crying silent tears my
father it’s a very strong man was trying
hard not to show his grief he looked at
me and he smiled he said don’t worry
he was trying
to think of ways how he could help me
but no idea how he could and my youngest
sister was way too young back then to
understand what was happening I looked
at my family and then I thought to
myself if I commit suicide how will that
help my family in any way it’s only
going to add to the trouble and pain
that they’re going through I decided
that day that I would have to live at
least for my family’s sake but does that
mean my life changed for better no not
at all my life was still the same just
dragged on and on
I finished my school I finished my
college and like any other fresher I
started looking for a job that’s when I
came across Rajesh vishesh is an
organization that provides job
opportunities for people with disability
so I applied in Rajesh hoping that they
would help me find a good decent job in
an MNC but back then there were no jobs
available so I decided that I would
volunteer in Rajesh as a teacher for
deaf children whatever broken signs I
knew and with some gestures I applied
the first thing I did when I joined
Ashish was low in sign language I knew I
had no future with sign language because
I thought I could speak clearly so you
know I thought I was doing a service for
the deaf community and I was really
proud about it but now when I look back
I understand how Cecilia had been
I realized that sign language was making
communication so easier for me earlier
when people used to talk to me I didn’t
understand anything but now I understood
everything and clearly now I had the
fire of socialization coming back to me
and I was enjoying that I was very happy
with my life I was eager to meet
asked them about their life stories
about the Deaf culture having never met
a deaf before I thought maybe they deal
with the same feelings that I deal with
depression stress lack of confidence but
I was in for a surprise deaf were happy
that they can’t hear you know I had to
struggle a lot with their tantrums when
I tried to help them by being their
voice they were denying I struggled when
my deaf students criticized me for my
broken science the the criticism the
negativity was so much earlier I used to
cry for then I stopped crying it was the
stress and the frustration that was
bubbling up in me I thought I’ll quit
the Deaf word and I did so and here
back into no-man’s iron determining
where I belong
was it the hearing world or the Deaf
world when I was in a lot of confusion
that’s when I met my mentor he was a
deaf man I bombarded him with the
thousand questions and he answered each
of them I wanted to know about the Deaf
psychology deaf life and he explained
everything I learned a lot from him many
answers yes I agreed with some of them
were not the ones I expected in fact I
had difficulty digesting most of the
answers and I read a lot of books which
were written by deaf for deaf people
trying to learn more and more about the
when I went deep into the deep Deaf
world that’s when I realized that it’s a
very beautiful world it’s a world with a
vast rich cultural heritage it’s a story
which has not been untold but it was
unheard when I went
the deaf community is when I realized my
need for it I understood that this is
where I belong and that changed my life
forever
earlier when people try to talk to me I
was ashamed to tell them that I was deaf
but now I’m really open about it I’m
happy to say that I’m deaf earlier I was
a little hesitant to use sign language
when I was around people but now I’m
proud that I know sign language and I
love it I love to communicate in sign
language earlier as a deaf person it was
very difficult for me to travel around
in Bombay
but now anywhere in India I travel alone
and I feel good about it my life has
changed in a very wonderful way you know
it’s the resonant prowess of sign
language that gave the strength to my
inner voice whoo Wow I think sometimes I
have a very supportive family my friends
my hearing friends my siblings they have
always been so good to me trying to help
me in every way possible but but I never
felt at home with them you know I was
always different when I was among them
but despite all the criticism and
humiliation I’d faced in the Deaf world
because I understood that this is where
I belong and that gave me a siren that
gave me the
confidence to face any challenge when
you have a sense of belongingness that
gives you a lot of confidence if you
know where you belong
you’re confident and you can face any
challenge that comes your way and get
through successfully but how do you
determine where you belong
this belonging let’s come with your
social status your age no you belong
where your hardest that’s when you know
you belong there so go find where you
belong
seek for it and when you find it you see
yourself bloom beautifully thank you [Applause]