"Last month, when I was visiting my hometown, Darbhanga, my mom proposed that I should do an art workshop for special kids there. So we worked out a plan and spoke to a school of deaf and mute kids for a 2-hour time slot for the workshop. I was obviously very apprehensive and had no idea about how I would go about explaining the process and details to them. But my mom insisted and said it was totally worth a shot.

I did my homework, tried to learn some hand gestures online that would help communicate, made some sample sketches for every step and finally landed there carrying all the supplies and a lot of uncertainty in my bag.

I was shown the two classrooms where the session was supposed to be conducted. The workshop began. I think it would have taken around 15 mins for the kids and me to tune ourselves to each others’ frequencies after which I almost forgot that they are specially-abled. No kidding! The workshop flowed exceptionally smooth and their eagerness to learn overpowered the fact that they couldn’t hear or speak like most of us. Each one of them finished their paintings within the stipulated time.

I can’t seem to forget the joys on their faces. I am so overwhelmed with this experience and so proud to have made this decision to spend those two hours to learn from them that we must never take our privileges for granted." 

- in the words of Deepti Agrawal Mittal