One of many common themes we have seen throughout our travels in eight different countries this past year is the importance of a deaf club environment. When your day to day life is surrounded by communication barriers and people who do not understand you, a socializing outlet is a natural remedy to keep you going.
After traveling throughout Northern India for the last 6 weeks, our discovery of deaf clubs has been scarce, zero actually. Once we arrived to Jaipur, Rajasthan however, we were thrilled to be invited to a Jaipur Deaf Friendship Club gathering. Finally we found that crucial atmosphere for a supportive deaf community in India! Through mostly gesturing and broken ISL/ASL, we shared our mutual curiousities about each other’s cultures…everything from pre-arranged marriages to the upcoming Obama/McCain election.
Twice a week this group of 40+ members gets together. It is an opportunity to talk freely and fluently with friends about school, work, relationships and future opportunities for the local deaf community. Perhaps most importantly, it is a place to instill a sense of pride and belonging in a culture that often poses a harsh perception on deafness.
Thank you Jaipur Deaf Friendship Club…for teaching us ISL, showing us how to dance, and allowing us to document your thoughts for Discovering Deaf Worlds. We hope there are many more clubs like this throughout India, and around the world.
