[ News
| Homes
| Life
| Entertainment
| History
| Science
| Community
| Shop ]
| Sport
| Culture
| Cars
| Money
| Broadband
| Learning
| Health
| Dating
| Games ]
[ Text Only: Homepage ]
[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
CANNES
VEE-REVIEW
NEWSDESK
VEE-TALENT
This week's VEE-TV India Special follows 26-year-old deaf actress Deepa Shastri as she travels to Mumbai in India to visit her extended family and to celebrate her cousin's wedding. She also visits two schools for deaf children with very different attitudes to deafness and sign language. We chatted to Deepa about the experience.
Where were you born, in India or
the UK?
I was born in the UK and went to India to live but when my parents found out
I was deaf they were told to move back to the UK because in India I would have
been treated like an Untouchable, which is a caste system they have in India
– it means the lowest of the low. I would have had an inadequate education
and the future would have been bleak for me without the same opportunities as
in the UK. My aunts and grandfather are all doctors so they had an idea of what
it would be like in India for anyone with long-term medical problems.
Are any of your family deaf?
The only deafness in the family was when my grandfather's hearing got
bad with old age, but I felt a special bond with him because of that.
What was it like to go to India and meet
other members of your family? Did you establish bonds?
I had developed a preconception of my family In India, but it was proven wrong
when I went over there. It was difficult to be in touch with them as they relied
heavily on phones. But prior to my trip to India I communicated with them via
e-mails and my mother relayed a lot for me.
What did you think of India? Did it feel
like home in any way?
Yeah it felt like I had finally come home. In the UK, it requires much more
of an effort to maintain my culture, whereas in India everything is instant
– it is everywhere and I felt parts of me were finally fulfilled. Like
I have always dreamt of being in my grandfather's and father's childhood places.
They used to tell me millions of stories and it was very difficult for me to
imagine. It finally came alive when I went there for myself. I have always known
the Indian hospitality is very unique but never experienced it first-hand before,
and in India it was wonderful and overwhelming.
What needs to be done for deaf people
in India?
Well, first of all they need a much better education, bilingual teaching, better
teacher training and more interpreters, as well as a change of attitudes so
that deaf people are normal. Right now they are regarded as 'not normal' and
if you are hearing they are regarded as 'normal' which actually really annoyed
me! I had to reason with them and ask them to try and use the word 'deaf' and
'hearing' to distinguish between the two different groups. I even had to spell
it out for them what ‘deaf' meant – it was hard for me to
grasp that India is so backwards. I realised how lucky I am to be living in
this country.
Would you like to return to India
again?
I am already planning my next trip to India! I have an aim and it is mainly
to revolutionise the Deaf community there. But the most beautiful thing is that
they still march on despite their situation – they take the good with
the bad, which is very humbling. I want to go back and change things there for
the deaf people, but it requires a 20-year plan as there are politicians, parents
and rural people that require time to educate.
What are the special issues facing young
deaf Asian people, particularly young women, in the UK? What needs to be done?
Oh that is a very hard question. As for me I have been very fortunate that my
parents have been very encouraging with my opportunities – they are very
liberal. And I find it difficult to empathise with deaf Asian girls or what
they are going through, but I know that they are expected to do domestic household
duties when they get married. Part of it is all about them fighting for their
independence and sometimes Asian families are too overprotective towards their
daughters – it really doesn't do them any favours. They need to get out
there and make a future for themselves. It is all in the attitude. Positive
attitude gets you places.
Take a look at some photos of Deepa's journey
to India.
You can find out more about Deepa and Maya,
the character she plays in the VEE-TV drama Rush.
Asian Deaf Women's Association (ADWA)
c/o RAD West Ham Deaf Community Centre
East Road
Stratford
London
E15 3QR
Voice: 020 8552 1397
Textphone: 020 8552 8734
Fax: 020 8586 7555
E-mail: asiancaseworker@yahoo.co.uk
Charity providing support for Asian deaf and hearing women and mothers with
deaf/hard-of-hearing children, living in London. Aims to encourage Asian Deaf
women to be independent.
London Ethnic Minority Deaf Association (LEMDA)
Stratford Advice Arcade
107-109 The Grove
Stratford
London
E15 1HP
Textphone: 020 8522 1958
Fax: 020 8522 1842
E-mail: pennybes@aol.com
An independent and culturally specific service for the black and ethnic Deaf
community across London.
VEE-EVENTS
Hitch at premiere
Big Brother
Sign Idol
BSL anniversary
Surf's up
Rave
at UMF
Make
poverty history
Brickfest
Deaf Football
The festival season
VEE-NEWSDESK
27.03.05
03.04.05
10.04.05
17.04.05
23.04.05
01.05.05
08.05.05
15.05.05
22.05.05
VEE-REVIEW
Hitch
The Producers
It's All Gone Pete Tong
VEE-TRAVEL
E-mail#1 Bangkok
E-mail #2 Chang Mai
E-mail#3 Chang Mai
E-mail#4 Laos
E-mail#5 Queensland
E-mail#6 Christchurch
E-mail#7 Vancouver
Travel tips
Travel guide
Travel gallery
VEE-TALENT
Fashion twins
Semhar and Denny
Rebecca-Anne Withey
Nana Twum-Danso
Ramesh Meyyappen
Riccardo and Charly
Kevin Jewell
VEE-STARS
Stuart Wilson
Hollyoaks
Ben Price
Dom Joly
VEE-SIGN
C'mon
Arrgghh!
Nothing to do with me
'Party'
'Safe'
'Walkover'
'Chav'
'Bam'
MEET THE TEAM
The presenters