AAC

Sometimes I go to the temple with my friend from Charanpur. On some Saturdays, when I feel like getting some peace, some hassle free good time or quiet time you can say. But it is hardly quiet with Gita telling stories of her village and candidly complaining that the city temple is missing the grace of the famous Rammandir of Charanpur.

All the way, she will say that she misses her home very much, the clean and empty streets makes her sad. She says, there should be a very big tree in the middle of our hostel, around which people can sit and talk, and at one particular time of the day there should come one Mohsina chachi who knows all the things about all the things and chasing her will come a happy gang of ragged children.

Whenever there is a party or a sleepover and we keep the lights on after, she is the one switching them off diligently. One day I asked her why she always does that, then she told me about the night when due to a power cut her niece died inside her mother even before having a chance to come into this world.

Lately she is very upset about her brother going abroad to study economics. When she got the news of his approval of full scholarship, she congratulated him with all her heart and hid the layer of disappointment latent underneath. She didn’t want him to go. She knew Satish would never come back once he is exposed to the luxuries of foreign lands. He is a little materialistic all his life and she knew that.

After completing three years in college she planned to work in making the school in her village more functional. She wants to work at the grass root level. Manoj, Ravi and me, are with her. The pamphlets are ready, the funds are coming, the dreams are all packed with the right plug-ins.

The only thing left is, for the doctor to give the AAC and then our tongue-tied Gita will be free forever.

PS: AAC is an augmentative and alternative communication device which helps the mute voice themselves.