DIFFERENTLY ABLED MUMBAI STUDENT SET TO RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARD

Her sheer grit and singleminded determination to pursue her dreams is what sets her apart. Born with a hearing impairment to simple, middle-class parents (mother is a homemaker and father is a chief engineer with the Railways), 23-year-old Nishtha Dudeja has overcome multiple troubles in her life and is now all set to receive the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the category of ‘Role Model’ on December 3, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Instituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, this award is given by the President of India to differently abled persons, who have accomplished a lot, despite their disabilities.

Nishtha, who is pursuing her Masters in Economics from Mithibai College, is also a sportsperson with medals in judo, tennis in regional, national and international levels, and has represented India in Deaflympics 2013 (Bulgaria), World Deaf Tennis Championship 2015 (UK) and Deaflympics 2017 (Turkey).

Prior to her departure for the capital to receive the award, Nishtha and her father spoke to us about she being the first Indian to bag the crown at the Miss Deaf Asia 2018 pageant, her trails and tribulations, the problems faced by those with hearing impairments and why she loves Mumbai so much. Excerpts...

You are the first Indian to win the title of Miss Deaf Asia 2018 — what was the first thought that came to your mind when you won?

When the judges announced ‘India...’ and I saw my parents’ smiling faces, it meant the world! Last year, I’d found out about this pageant online and attended the 2017 edition of the contest with my dad, to figure out what it was about and all that it entailed. That day, I promised myself that I’d be on stage in 2018. I worked towards it for a year and won!

While growing up, how did you deal with bullies and others who’d treat you badly because you were differently abled?

During my initial years of schooling, many children made fun of me as I had a speech defect due to my hearing impairment. I was mentally strong, so I used to either ignore or counsel them not to treat differently abled children like that. It was difficult to make friends. Later, I learnt to give it back to them. Jab log mujhe bahut tang kartein the, chidhathe the, toh main unhe marti bhi thi. I used my judo knowledge on them. Once, when we were kids, someone hit my brother and that angered me, so I beat him up and bit his arm, too. He never troubled my brother again!

Did your family shower you with special attention?

I am lucky to have been born in a family that has treated me like a normal child and allowed me to pursue my dreams. My mother’s initiative to put me into sports was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me, as it channelised my energy towards constructive goals. This taught me sportsmanship and imbibed a competitive spirit in me. The most important thing that I have learnt from my parents is to ‘never give up’. I have imbibed the ‘never say die spirit’ from them.

You are a Delhi girl, why did you choose Mumbai for your post graduation? What is it about this city that you like?

I always wanted to do my PG here because of Mumbai’s vibrant culture and also because I wanted to live independently. This is a lovely and safe city to stay in, with nice and understanding people. And the most spectacular thing here is Mumbai ka samundar! I particularly love Marine Drive. I can just spend the whole day there doing nothing.

What do you think are the challenges that children with disabilities face in our country?

There are two major problems. The first is the lack of awareness about the availability of technology. For example, when I was diagnosed with a hearing impairment, only analogue hearing aids were available and still we made use of the available technology to develop speech. Nowadays, sophisticated digital and programmable hearing aids are available, but there is a lack of awareness. Sometimes, hearing aids are not used for the fear of ‘log kya kahenge?’ The other problem which we are facing is the lack of resources and their affordability. For example, there are only about 2,500 certified speech therapists in India for an estimated hearing impaired population of 70 lakhs.

What do you have to say about the education for differently abled people in India?

The government has kept five per cent seats in higher education and four per cent seats in jobs reserved for differently abled persons. But more than 80 per cent of the seats reserved in higher education remain vacant. So, the real challenge is to strengthen the primary and secondary education to reduce the rate of drop-outs. There is a lack of awareness about the facilities and technical solutions available to mitigate disabilities. Our society must come forward to create awareness and pool resources so that these facilities reach the poorest. Also, teachers and parents need to be more sensitive towards the needs of differently abled children.

How do you feel about winning the National Award?

I feel grateful, empowered and humbled. It has brought upon me added responsibilities as many people may get inspired from my achievements. I’d never thought of winning a National Award. I just followed my heart and tried to give my best to whatever I did.