Our silent love-story
Hello, I’m Sapana Sharma from Baglung, Nepal. I’m a hearing person; however I’m always a well-wisher for those with hearing loss because I’m a former teacher at a deaf school in Baglung. Moreover, my dear hubby, Suryakrishna Chaulagai is also a deaf person.
Our love-story didn’t actually begin in a flaunty modern way through dating or extreme craze but it started in a genuine traditional way. They say ‘Every couple is decided from above’ and so, I think it can’t be an exaggeration if I declared our own couple also decided from above otherwise how could a person I had never known before be my life-partner? I do think I’m for him and he is for me otherwise why couldn’t my heart flutter when many normal men came to ask my hand for marriage?
I got to hear about Surya for the first time through my well-wisher brother Madhusudan when I was still teaching at the deaf school. Brother (Madhusudan) suggested me to see Surya once as it wouldn’t do any harm by doing so and so, I agreed upon his suggestion. After that, Surya came to meet me from Kathmandu where he had been working as a librarian. Then, we met for the first time not in a restaurant but on the wide playground of my school. No wonder, I fell for him at first sight and got really impressed by his energetic personality while talking silently in sign language. They say, ‘The heart pulls the heart’ and so, my heart was being pulled by his heart.
Soon, we got married holding a traditional marriage ceremony. After our marriage, he reapplied for the Civil Service Exam (CSE), got awesome success and nowadays, he works as an assistant bank manager at the Sindhuli Branch of the Reserve Bank of Nepal. In fact, after I married him, many of my normal friends asked & bothered me with many questions like, ‘Why did you marry such a person? How will you spend the rest of your life with him? Can he keep you happy?’ I got amazed and wondered why those the so-called normal ones could think as if a person with hearing loss is incapable even to sustain his family life. I counter-questioned them with this very question and even threw a long speech with my utmost zeal in favor of the people with hearing loss. I thought later, their ears must have gone itchy after they heard my long speech that they uttered, ‘Okay, it’s alright. Be happy!’ and quietly left. Later, after Surya passed the CSE and got a good permanent job, their doubt of incapability towards him, was proved wrong and were also given a good lesson.
Oh yes, let me also tell you about his struggles while trying to succeed the CSE because his struggle is not a mere one deserving to be ignored. He studied diligently for the CSE because even a person with any disability could get a permanent governmental job through it. He passed the written exam and got his name appeared for the final interview not only once but seven timesbut every time after the final interview, he got rejected just because he was deaf.
If he was like others, he would surely have given-up long ago but he never did so despite failing seven times. Finally, because of such a strong determination of his, he succeeded through the eighth interview. I and he as well, want to forward the message to all the people suffering from hearing loss to never give-up your dream and never to hesitate to prove your capability.
At present, we have a small & happy family along with a two years old daughter and as our love-story was simple & silent in the beginning, so it is continuing in the same way. In conclusion, being a former teacher for the deaf students, I would like to add few more awareness message for the society which still has a negative attitude towards deaf people as follows;
Deaf people are also capable as a normal person. They don’t need to be pitied but provided opportunities & encouragement. They shouldn’t be deprived from any opportunity because they can also work as diligently as a normal person. Everyone should try to help them as far as they can, there should also be the facility of interpreters in every area and moreover, no one should hesitate to talk or mingle with the deaf people & also to learn their signs. Thank you!
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