| Source – Deaf Counseling and Referal Agency |
| Deaf Pioneer Anuradha Gandhi’s Mission: Supplies for Deaf Women and Children Living in India
Anuradha Gandhi, born in 1940 in Bombay, was the only deaf child of her parents’ four children. She grew up in Hyderabad, the fifth largest city in India. She moved to Bombay, learned sewing for 5 years, and then did some fashion design, tailoring and modeling work. During this time, she had the honor of meeting Helen Keller who was visiting India. After that she returned to Hyderabad, attended Art College for a couple of years, got married and had a son. Her husband passed away in an automobile accident when her son was a toddler. She then moved to Delhi, where she ran her own business, making and selling Batik paintings for 10 years with the help of the Delhi Deaf Association. As she was one of the first in the country to start that type of business, her artwork was sold in Delhi and other major cities of the country as well as exported to three foreign nations. While in Delhi, she became very active with the local Deaf In the early eighties, with her eyesight deteriorating due to cataracts, she moved back to Hyderabad and underwent surgery in both eyes. She and her son then approached the Chief Minister (roughly equivalent to a state’s Governor in the U.S.) for assistance in her getting a job in the public sector. As a result, she started working at the Government Printing Press in1986. She has been working there since then and plans to retire in 2006.Since 1990, she has been actively involved in the Hyderabad Deaf Women’s Association as their General Secretary. In this role she manages the participation of local deaf women athletes in various nationwide sporting events; organizes the travel arrangements; and accompanies the team to different cities when needed. She and the other executive members of the Association solicit donations and other funding from local private and public organizations. These resources then help the organization provide assistance to local deaf women and children, some of who are homeless and/or abused. She is currently visiting this area seeking assistance for this project. Donations for the Hyderabad Deaf Women’s Association may be sent to the address below: Anuradha Gandhi |