Deaf in Delhi

by Vasishta, Madan

• ISBN13: 9781563682841
• ISBN10: 1563682842
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-12
• Publisher: Gallaudet Univ Pr

Summary

In 1952, after two weeks of typhoid fever and the mumps, 11-year-old Madan Vasishta awoke one night to discover that he could no longer hear. He was horrified because in India, the word for "deaf" in all three main languages, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi, denoted someone who was not really human. But he was young, brash, and irrepressible, and his autobiographyDeaf in Delhi: A Memoirreveals how his boundless optimism enabled him to persist and prevail. Vasishta's story reflects the India of his youth, an emerging nation where most people struggled with numbing poverty and depended upon close family ties, tradition, and faith to see them through. His family's search for a cure took him to a host of medical specialists and just as manysadhusandmahatmas, holy men and priests. The school in his small village was ill-prepared to educate deaf students then, so he herded the family cattle, usually the work of hired servants. Vasishta refused to accept this as his final lot in life and fantasized constantly about better jobs. Eventually, he moved to Delhi where his dream of becoming a photographer came true. He also discovered the Delhi Deaf community that, with his family, helped him to achieve an even higher goal, traveling to America to earn a degree at Gallaudet College. Vasishta, a natural raconteur, imbuesDeaf in Delhiwith the ever-present ebullience that served him so well in his journey. Readers will savor his good humor and honest observations and look forward to his next book with great relish.

Author Biography

Madan Vasishta is Associate Professor in the Department of Administration and Supervision at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
1. Silent Morning	1	(3)
2. Panic	4	(3)
3. Looking for a Cure	7	(8)
4. Other Cures	15	(8)
5. Home Remedies	23	(6)
6. Schooling	29	(3)
7. My Childhood Before Becoming Deaf	32	(15)
8. Working on the Farm	47	(8)
9. Back to Study	55	(3)
10. The High School Examination	58	(3)
11. Travels and Other Adventures	61	(10)
12. Careers or the Lack of Them	71	(4)
13. My First Camera	75	(6)
14. Becoming a Sadhu	81	(6)
15. Moving to Delhi	87	(9)
16. Why Are They Flailing Their Hands?	96	(6)
17. New Discoveries	102	(7)
18. Visit to a Deaf Club	109	(3)
19. Making Deaf Friends	112	(4)
20. Me, a Teacher!	116	(4)
21. Working in the Photo Studio	120	(4)
22. Learning about Leadership	124	(9)
23. Life Becomes Busier	133	(4)
24. Goyle's Death	137	(4)
25. Changes in School and Work	141	(5)
26. Have Tongue, Will Speak!	146	(4)
27. New Teachers	150	(6)
28. Adventures in Signing	156	(4)
29. The Interview of a Lifetime	160	(6)
30. Getting Engaged	166	(4)
31. The Air-Conditioned Darkroom	170	(5)
32. Working with Hearing People	175	(4)
33. What Is Gallaudet?	179	(3)
34. Working at the NPL	182	(3)
35. Looking for a New Career	185	(4)
36. Marriage	189	(6)
37. Wedding Ceremonies in Lohara	195	(6)
38. Back in Delhi	201	(4)
39. The Elusive Visa	205	(6)
Epilogue: Life in America	211