Deaf in Delhi: A Memoir (Deaf Lives Series, Vol. 4)

235 Pages·2006·1.58 MB·English

by  Madan Vasishta

Deaf in Delhi
DEAF
IN
DELHI
A M e m o i r
MADAN VASISHTA
G A L L A U D E T U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S
Washington, D.C.
Deaf Lives
A Series Edited by Brenda Jo Brueggemann
Gallaudet University Press
Washington, D.C. 20002
http://gupress.gallaudet.edu
 2006 by Gallaudet University.
All rights reserved
Published in 2006
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 1-56368-284-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vasishta, Madan, 1941–
Deaf in Delhi : a memoir / Madan Vasishta.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56368-284-2 (alk. paper)
1. Vasishta, Madan, 1941– 2. Deaf—India—Delhi—Biography. I. Title.
HV2865.D45V38 2006
362.4′2092—dc22
[B]
2005055214
�∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
1. Silent Morning 1
2. Panic 4
3. Looking for a Cure 7
4. Other Cures 15
5. Home Remedies 23
6. Schooling 29
7. My Childhood Before Becoming Deaf 32
8. Working on the Farm 47
9. Back to Study 55
10. The High School Examination 58
11. Travels and Other Adventures 61
12. Careers or the Lack of Them 71
13. My First Camera 75
14. Becoming a Sadhu 81
15. Moving to Delhi 87
16. Why Are They Flailing Their Hands? 96
17. New Discoveries 102
18. Visit to a Deaf Club 109
19. Making Deaf Friends 112
20. Me, a Teacher! 116
21. Working in the Photo Studio 120
22. Learning about Leadership 124
23. Life Becomes Busier 133
24. Goyle’s Death 137
25. Changes in School and Work 141
26. Have Tongue, Will Speak! 146
vi c o n t e n t s
27. New Teachers 150
28. Adventures in Signing 156
29. The Interview of a Lifetime 160
30. Getting Engaged 166
31. The Air-Conditioned Darkroom 170
32. Working with Hearing People 175
33. What Is Gallaudet? 179
34. Working at the NPL 182
35. Looking for a New Career 185
36. Marriage 189
37. Wedding Ceremonies in Lohara 195
38. Back in Delhi 201
39. The Elusive Visa 205
Epilogue: Life in America 211
To my parents,
Hakim Rai and Sandhya Devi,
for their love and faith in me
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Yes, I wrote this book, but I probably wouldn’t have without the
encouragement of many people in my life. Much love and thanks to my
wife Nirmala, for her patience and support;
to my two children, Dheeraj and Neerja, for being enthusiastic about
this project, reading drafts, and giving me honest input, some of
which I even incorporated;
to Cathryn Carroll, for making me believe that I could write;
to Brenda Brueggemann, my editor, for combining cheerleading
with editing;
to Christine Torres, Brenda’s assistant, for carrying on Brenda’s work;
to Annette Posell for reading the whole manuscript;
to Eugene Bergman, friend and philosopher, for pushing me when
needed;
to my brother-in-law, R. L. Joshi, for telling me, “you’ve got to
write it!”
There are many others who suffered through reading parts of various
drafts and who encouraged me to write this memoir. The list is long and
I cannot include them here, but I am thankful to all.