Silence Engulfs Indian Village

The picturesque Dadhkai in the Himalayan mountains of India’s Jammu and Kashmir is known as the village of the deaf and mute.

Each of the 47 families residing there has at least one member afflicted and local residents say numbers are on the rise.

Dadhkai, a village of shepherds about 270 kilometers from the state’s winter capital, Jammu, has a long history of deaf and mute children, with the first reported case dating back to 1931.

The number has swelled to 82 and villagers blame the environment and say their village could be cursed, as neighboring villages have not reported similar disorders.

But an age-old custom of marrying within the community, coupled with lack of access to medical facilities and immunization, has likely led to the large number of cases, says Jan Mohammed, an instructor for the deaf.

[Jan Mohammed, Deaf-and-Mute Instructor]:
„I think it is because of genetic problems. Close marriages take place here. In the past there was no immunization given, and also a lack of iodine and salt. As far as I know, these are the reasons behind this problem.“

No roads or transport connect the village to the outside world, while a river stream completely cuts it off from the neighboring region.

Without any formal training, most villagers communicate with each other through their own sign language, developed over the years through trial and error.

Lal Hussain has two children who are deaf and mute.

[Lal Hussain, Children Deaf & Mute]:
„My two daughters are deaf and mute, while my three other children are normal. The girls are growing up now and I am really worried about their future. These days it is so difficult to find matches for
well-educated, normal girls. How will I get my deaf and mute daughters married? It is so tough.“

Bano Begum, who married a deaf and mute husband about 10 years ago, said the match was initially a huge struggle as she could not communicate with him.

Luckily, the couple gave birth to three normal children and learned to communicate through sign language.

Some experts say a possible solution to problems would be to force residents to marry outside the community, but many believe that would break up their village and are not willing to take that chance.

(NTDTV)