This is Pratima and her mother, a resident of Tarsewaniya village, a place 20 km away from Bhopal. Two years ago, Pratham’s Second Chance Team went to their house to ask them if Pratima could drop by the classroom for a few days.
However, the 17-year old girl was deaf and could not speak, which meant her mother was quite sceptical. Upon prodding further, her family said ‘yes’ little uncertainly. However, her world is the one sans sounds or speech and is governed by actions, and she didn’t know how to learn in a class that runs solely on speaking and listening as she stopped coming just after two to three days. After a week of no-show at the class, Second Chance Team revisited her home, this time, not to teach but to learn. We asked her elder sister if she could be our translator and her tutor. And thus began Pratima’s education. Every day she would show up at the class, with her elder sister, who taught her the concepts of maths and science and taught us the language of signs.
When I was told about Pratima’s story, I was curious to meet her. Upon arriving at her home, I saw an excited face greeting us. I was accompanied by Special Educator in Madhya Pradesh Team, Mr Deshraj, who translated my questions for her. She told that she learnt to communicate through sign language from a special school she went to as a child. But in the absence of a school to cater to her needs, she stopped studying after a while, until she visited Pratham’s Second Chance Classroom. When asked what she wanted to become, she proudly said ‘Special Education Instructor’, being inspired by Pratham faculty who helped her in taking and passing Grade 10 exams.
I asked if she could teach me the sign language, and she looked at me incredulously. She began with numbers first and then moved on to alphabets, getting prompted by her‘Sir’ (Special Education Instructor) at times.
Her mother sits at a corner watching Pratima teach me the complete alphabets with a mix of pride and amusement.
I asked her mother, “What Pratima likes to do in her free time?” and she told me about her TV watching routine. “She loves to see people dancing on the TV,” her mother commented. Here, she asks Pratima to show us her dance on a popular song.
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Pratima immediately takes the pose of Krishna for the dance, smiling and making dance moves like a practised performer. I wonder, how she interprets the music and beats when she can’t listen but watching her dance I realise, she doesn’t need to. |
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Pratima's face lights up after presenting her own version of Radha Krishna dance.
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When I was first told that I’ll be meeting a Second Chance Alumni, I was wondering whom I would meet, when Harsh, the State Head accompanying me commented, “jis alumni se hum milne ja rahe hai, uske baare mei vo khud aapko btaye to acha hoga. Vo bachpan special (specially-abled) child hai. Or last year humare centre par aate theh. Unhone 10th class poora kiya hai with 53%, bina school mein padhai kiye.”
(“About the person you’re going to meet today, it would be better if you listen to her story from herself. She is a special child by birth and came to our class every day last year. She completed her Class 10th with 53%, even though she never took formal school education.”)
True – some things are best experienced than narrated.
Written by: Somya Rastogi
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