G-G-Gaon Chalo Abhiyan!

Today we deceided to go out to nearby village, Fatehpur for a public contact program. Another agenda was to parctice speech skills in real life situation, what is termed “transference” in speech pathology literature.
As per the unwritten protocol, we visited the Pradhan of the village. Since he was not at home we spoke to his son and couple of visitors waiting there for Pradhan. After initial scepticism and some ‘smiles’, they got down to business: they called a young man who had a stammer; Then, another young child; then, they gave us an escort to contact an adult stammerer. We discussed with them, what we, as a self help group for PWS, had to offer. The first thing we had to “sell” them, that there was lots, that can be done about a condition, which appears to be “hopeless” to the sufferer. Then, we told them about the venue and the time of our SHG.
Next we were taken to a teacher, who was trying to complete a “project assignment”. As it turned out, this project was about disability among children- especially speech and hearing. Before we could ask anything, he asked us many questions about speech issues, especially stammering!
Our next stop was at the residence of a senior school teacher. He kept on interrupting the members with well meant but irritating advice: yes, take your time; yes, good, keep talking slowly- and yet, all the time he was in great hurry. No, the house was not on fire. Actually, when we came, we were told that he was sleeping (at 5 pm!). May be, he just wanted to get back to his bed asap. Our group had a good exposure to talking with people who would be in great hurry and who would keep interjecting!
Vineet, Amaan, Surendra, Sushil, Nishu were there. A new member had joined us today- Raju from Dehradun. He is doing a degree course in Physio-therapy. He is young, restless, has lot of issues, keeps interjecting and is constantly pre-occupied with something or the other- not the present moment at any rate. He cant remember things. A typical presentation of a young stutterer passing through the intense roller coaster ride of life in twenties. He kept saying- stammering is not a big issue at all!!
It reminded me of the theory of Maya. Maya is the point where all paradoxes meet. Equally opposite things can be said about it. It is ‘nothing’- just an illusion- and yet, even Gods cry when they fall in its trap. It causes all the cofusion- and yet, when you go looking for it, you find ‘nothing’. That is stammering for you..
(First pic is the interaction with the first teacher; second is that of Chhath Puja festival in the area.)