DR RAJAT CHABBA

The Other Side, a monthly column will provide insights to the issues of rural India in the words of researcher Dr Rajat Chabba. An extremist by nature yet an optimist at heart, Dr. Chabba brings in a common man’s perspective through his actions and associations. Working in the not for profit sector, he adds spice from the other side of reality: the harsh one. A rural management graduate from IRMA, DRC can be contacted at rajat@thesipoflife.com

A PERFECT PLACE IN THIS IMPERFECT WORLD

This is an unusual story. A story of children who, to naked eye shall appear imperfect and disabled, but on a closer look they depict a world we all strive for. The children at SKID are happy and content. They are enthusiastic and passionate and their zeal to learn is much more that you and I will ever have.

They are different in one regard though. They use two senses less than we do. They are dumb and deaf. For me they are “differently abled” as it doesn’t deter them from facing the challenges and competing with the so called normal students.

These children are deaf and dumb and use their other senses to feel the world and express themselves. I was lucky to witness them practice for their annual day function and the way they dances to the tunes of All izz well. Their enthusiasm, synchronization was at par with the professional troupes across the globe.

At SKID, these children are taught to walk hand in hand with others in the world. They study the same subjects with no special privileges and are also inculcated with self esteem and humbleness. Interacting with them provided me an insight into an unexplored world of sign languages and taught me importance of utilization of various senses we possess.

The journey of SKID started way back in 1966. On 5th March 1966, The Deaf Aid Society was formed by Mrs Leech, a teacher from Pennsylvania. In 1971, the school was renamed after Mrs. Shiela Kothalvala who donated land for the construction of school building to meet the ever growing demand. Since then, Shiela Kothavala Institute of Deaf or SKID has been instrumental in shaping the lives of such children.

Sometime back, Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore conducted a camp at SKID in collaboration with GE Capital and screened their 160 children free of cost. It was a challenge for team Sankara as they had to make the children understand using sign language. The teachers and volunteers at SKID helped our team in interacting with the children.

The preliminary examination was carried out successfully and 25 children were prescribed glasses. The children were provided glasses on a later date free of cost by Sankara Eye Hospital. The smiles on their face on receiving the glasses gave me a satisfaction with the riches of the world fail to provide.

After my interaction with these amazingly perfect children, I have one advice for all of you my friends: “In case you visit Bangalore, remember to visit a place called SKID and witness a perfect place in this imperfect world of ours. You might miss one or two tourist spots in this city in case you decide to visit SKID but you will gain an insight to life.”

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INSIGNIFICANT…

I have killed men, I have seen them die. There is nothing glorious about it, nothing poetic.

-Hector in Troy

We heard this in the mega epic Troy and it encapsulates the motivation which drove me and my friends to visit Khambat, a hub of gem stone industry in Gujarat. This region is famous for its agate stone polishing. Polishing agate is predominantly a home based industry here, with more than 30,000 people engaged in this trade. In Shakarpur itself there are more than 800 workers involved in this profession. However, only 36 of them are registered as working in this industry. Being a completely unorganized sector the workers are susceptible to a disease called Silicosis.

Silicosis is a respiratory disease, which severely affects the lungs. It is caused by inhalation of the silica dust at workplace. Silicosis is a permanent condition, irreversible by any treatment. Medications only bring temporary relief to the affected person.

With time the pathological condition has entered into various spheres of the lives of people here, be it social, political or economic. Lack of alternate livelihood sources, exploitation of young widows, lack of growth opportunities, high expenditure, difficulty in finding a match, lack of political assistance and turning a blind eye to the happenings also, find their roots somewhere in the bed of silicosis and the silica trade. Even the children suffer from the disease due to continuous inhalation of dust.

Working for a minimal amount of Rs. 25 per 1000 pieces, the people form a small part of the big industry. Considering that Khambat and gem stones form a major part of our exports, these people have failed to get their due for decades.

The depth of the problem is expressed in the voice of one woman:

“My husband and his brother died due to respiratory troubles [silicosis], so I work as I have to feed my kids. I cannot get work anywhere else and here I can earn up to 1000 Rs a month. I know I will die in some years of the same disease but at least I won’t die of hunger.”

The presence of transportation facilities and health care setups fails to change the status quo. An ailing woman says it all:

“I am not able to walk even few metres now. I have difficulty in breathing and performing daily activities. Also, the doctor at the health centre (an intern) refused to visit me here even on repeated requests. Also, I have been told that I need to visit the nearby hospital. However, the cost of transportation is Rs. 60 and to afford this cost I have to work again. ”

The problem has penetrated into the social spheres with grooms finding it difficult the find brides, exploitation of widows, alcoholism due to frustration and the age old debt trap forcing people to continue in the same profession.

There have been ongoing interventions over the years from government, ngos, and department of occupational health but like a failed resuscitation, they have failed to revive the situation till now.

Experiencing the situation above, we should understand how lucky we are and respect what we have. However, the situation calls for all of us to be responsible and mature and help out such people. This is just one instance, there are numerous such stories from various spheres of India which remain hidden and untold. How often we fail to look at the other side. How often we fail to understand the plight of those insignificant few?

The answer lies within all of us. My experience has made me humble and responsible at my own level. I have realized, in the words of Norman Cousins:

Death is not the greatest loss in life.  The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live!!