A breath of fresh air - Farhanaz Mondal, Kalna, West Bengal

Farhanaz with her doting grandmother

Farhanaz always has something to say about everything around her. She loves her grandmother and has been staying with her since she was 8 months old. It was her grandmother who identified that Farhanaz was deaf when she was around a year old and did not respond to any sound.

Farhanaz studies in class III of Shishu Shiksha Kendra and loves to talk. She is very inquisitive and a good student. A very opinionated child, Farhanaz has her own point of view about everything she observes and she makes sure she is heard.

Farhanaz is a very intelligent student and can write well. She has been responding well to the trainings she has received under VAANI’s intervention and actively participates in the worskhops conducted.

Her grandmother is her best friend and she loves spending time with her. So strong is the bond that Farhanaz goes to visit her parents but cannot stay away from her for long periods of time. Her grandmother has been putting in relentless efforts in making sure that Farhanaz receives proper medical care and the right training. She says she is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that the child lives a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.

The mother-child bond : Deepa and Indranil Ghosh

Indranil with his Mother

Indranil is a bright 9 year old who loves to talk to his friends and help his mother learn Sign language along with him. He participates in every activity during training and he loves using his hearing aids. Such is his love for hearing, that as soon as he senses that the batteries are running low, he gets anxious and drives his mother up the wall to get them replaced.

His mother accompanies him to every training workshop and puts in a lot of effort to be able to communicate with him better. Since Indranil and his mother have started attending the trainings given by VAANI from 2010, communication between them has improved by leaps and bounds. “Now I understand everything he says”, says the proud mother.

Indranil used to cry like other babies when he was born and so his parents never thought about him being deaf. His maternal uncle was the first one to identify that he might have trouble with hearing when he was one and half years old. Indranil’s uncle kept blowing the horns of his motorbike and little Indranil, sitting right there, did not react at all to the sounds. It was then that he advised his sister to take the boy to an ENT specialist. The diagnosis showed that Indranil is deaf in his right ear but that doesn’t stop him from enjoying cartoon shows on TV or playing cricket with his friends.

Indranil is a friendly and expressive child. He makes it a point to share every little detail of his weekly classes with his friends and cousins at home.

VAANI and Me: Subh Agarwal, Assam

My name is : Subh Agarwal

I am : Five years old

I live in: Kahilipara, Assam.

I love : watching action shows and action movies.

My mother suspected my deafness when I did not respond to any sound. I was six months old at that time. When I turned three years old, an audiometry test revealed that I was suffering from profound deafness.

My father works in Purbanchal Steel Industry at a junior level. My mother is a house wife and she spends a lot of time with me for my overall development.

My mother always says that the training programme has given her new ideas to teach me about various things. She was very happy to receive VAANI’s support at the right time. She wants VAANI to organise training programmes every month.

I now know words like “black board”, “pen”, “chalk”, “pencil” and can match object to object.

Subh is a bright child and he communicates through gestures. Whenever he is hungry, he puts his fingers in his mouth and then directs them towards his tummy.

5 year old Subh Agarwal is profoundly deaf but a very lively and bright child who communicates through gestures. Whenever he is hungry, he puts his fingers in his mouth and then directs them towards his tummy. His mother always says that the training programme has given her new ideas to teach me about various things. She was very happy to receive VAANI’s support at the right time. She wants VAANI to organise training programmes every month. Subh now knows words like “black board”, “pen”, “chalk”, “pencil” and can match object to object.