Sept_13

SPEAK
“I am happy my teaching skills are helping me make
a small difference to their lives”
Usha Ashok, 59, Hyderabad, trains visually impaired youngsters to speak English
Anand K Soma
Dressed in a simple sari, Usha Ashok seamlessly
blends into a crowd of regular office-goers. Put
her in a classroom, and she comes alive. This petite
and unassuming 59 year-old has been training visually
impaired children in Hyderabad to speak English fluently.
With the language gaining currency around the world,
Ashok believes her classes will equip these poor children
with the necessary skill-sets to face the world with
confidence. In her three-decade-long career as a teacher
with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Ramakrishna Vidyalaya in
Sainikpuri, Secunderabad, Ashok came into contact with
visually challenged children for the first time while taking
her school students for interactions at the Government
Blind School in the Old City. The interactions continued
as she kept taking her students for community activities
and volunteer work to schools for the visually impaired.
Thus, the decision to take classes for them was a natural
progression when Ashok retired from active teaching in
2012. With the ‘service above self’ philosophy of Swami
Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna guiding her life, today
Ashok is happily ensconced in the company of over 30 children
from Devnar Junior College and School for the Blind
at Begumpet in Hyderabad, teaching them new words
and spellings and sharing with them inspirational stories
about Indian freedom fighters. “I introduce new words
to them while narrating stories,” she explains. “I ask them
simple questions based on the story and encourage them
to reply in English. Though the kids were shy initially, they
are opening up now and are excited to share their experiences
in English.” Her continued engagement with children
has also helped Ashok come to terms with the loss of her
husband in 2007. With almost 90 per cent of her students
coming from Telugu medium schools, working on their accent
and pronunciation is proving to be quite an uphill task
for Ashok. However, she has no complaints. “I have made
a commitment and I am happy that I am here. Seva has
always been a part of my mental makeup.”
—Shyamola Khanna
80 harmony celebrate age september 2013