E-Paper
J&K’s village of mutes silently braces itself against Covid-19
Officers and trained teachers are spreading awareness through sign language
Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas is Dhadkai, a village comprising of mostly deaf and mute people. As the world buckles under the onslaught of the novel coronavirus these residents have braced themselves to combat the deadly infection.
The residents of this silent village, 260km north of Jammu, are as aware of the virus as their counterparts in other parts of the world and are taking all precautions to contain the spread of the virus besides adhering to the lockdown norms.
Gandoh sub-divisional magistrate Dr Pritam Lal Thappa said, “A local teacher is raising awareness about the disease among residents through sign language. Some trained officials from the social welfare department have already spoken to the villagers once, another round will be conducted on Sunday.”
Local teachers and officials have been briefing villagers about the importance of social distancing, maintaining personal hygiene and what one should do in case they experience flu-like symptoms.
Bhalessa block development committee chairperson Mohammad Hanief, 60, has five deaf and mute children. He says, “Some residents may be deaf and mute but they are sharper than us. They are following lockdown norms and are not allowing outsiders to enter the village. They also maintain social distancing and can be seen discussing precautions in sign language.”
“The administration has provided sanitisers and masks to villagers and has been raising awareness among the villagers about dos and don’ts,” he says.
FIRST CASE OF DEAFNESS, MUTISM DETECTED IN 1901
The first case of deafness and mutism was detected in 1901 and by 1990, the village had 46 such cases that rose to 120 over the years. Today, the village has 88 deaf and mute people.
The village has a population around 5,000 people and two panchayats.
NO SPECIAL SCHOOLS
The chairperson says, “It is unfortunate that the government has not opened any special school for such children.
Dhadkai B village sarpanch Haji Mohammad Hanief said, “My panchayat has 55 families with deaf and mute members. However, they all know the infection spreads through coughing and sneezing.”
35-year-old Ghulam Mohammad says, “Two of my brothers, Munir Ahmad and Mohammad Iqbal, are deaf and dumb but they also know about this fatal infection and keep asking me about latest updates.”
“They know that this is a fatal infection that has already taken a heavy toll on human lives across the world. In fact, they keep tabs on infected areas in J&K,” said Mohammad.
