Of SILENCE AND SOUND

                                                     Of SILENCE AND SOUND

Places visited:  Hellen Keller School for blind, Mahesh drishti kalyan sangh,

1rst thing that I noticed was marble slabs with name of donators  ,engraved  along with amount they donated..

Objective: collect data from teachers by requesting them to fill up a questionnaire which will decide their satisfaction level in the current job.

Had to ask the teachers verbally as we had no questionnaire in brail, and the teachers were also blind.

The first teacher looked really suspicious of our questions as he kept on asking about the purpose of it.

Others took it as a good break from teaching and helped us fill the questionnaire along with their expert comments on every question..

All buildings spread in around 3 acres and besides two or three persons a very basic sensory unit missing on those premises ‘The eyes’……but not ‘The Vision’……

Every blind school had a music room…children and teachers had extra sharp auditory senses..mobile phones had invaded their lives for good as it’s the only tool in their reach to keep them floating..….all blind people had a very unique way of walking they moved their foot to take a step and with a jerk stop it from taking large step, which makes way for a very conscious and jerky walk…children had sense of complacentness on their faces…which was quite disturbing..

Places visited:   Anand service society,Bharat Vikas Parishad Seva Nyas,Sanjeevani Seva Sangam,Rotary Paul Harris School,Mook Badhir Sanghatan…..

1rst thing that I noticed was a fancy poster inviting students to an international conference of deaf and dumb in Geneva .

Objective:  To get the teachers fill our questionnaire for deciding their job satisfaction scale.

Had to use an interpreter who translated our verbal instructions in sign language. Teachers asked us to leave the questionnaire with them so that they can fill it up in free time..

All buildings had a playground..children were playing in them ,some cricket ,some volleyball, some having lunch in a corner. A normal school playground scenario, but with no sounds..there were no words, no verbals, only signs.

Children were smart, with no inhibitions and were playing in their own chosen groups.

I shifted my attention to two kids sitting on a bench they seemed to be like best friends And they were enjoying a discussion about the cricket match going on in front of them….lightening fast , changing gesture of their hands, the excessive use of body language and me the person bound by the shackles of eyes and ears was associating words with each of their actions..I looked to be the most primitive man on earth who doesn’t know the meaning of sight, smell,hearing and listening.

A journey through silence and sound  ,but how it could be complete without me, accomplishing any blunder…so the blunder of the journey is..me asking a class full of blind children with brails open in front of them for a ‘pen’ and then me asking a deaf teacher about RINGING of the next period bell.

Well got my share of dirty looks and expressions….

So cherish all your senses….and try usin them sometimes..