All

❮

❯

“Disability can happen to anyone at any time. Accept it and move forward”

The class is going on. The students are engrossed in the lesson. But the room is silent. And so is the teacher. Subitha MC (34) stands in front of a blackboard in the Ability Arts and Science College, Pulikkal in Kerala’s Malappuram district, Signing to students who, like her, are hearing impaired.
 
In a country with abysmal levels of education among the Deaf community, Subitha, a post-graduate in computer science, is a beacon of hope. Alongside her teaching at the college run by the Ability Foundation for the Disabled, she is preparing for the NET examination and has already qualified for the Kerala Public Service Commission rank list, successfully completing the interview process. Her own disability gives her a deep understanding of her students’ daily challenges and she says her ultimate goal is to prepare them to excel in such competitive examinations.
 
Subitha was born in Kothachira village in Palakkad district as the youngest of three children born to Mathuparambil Chathukutty and Karthayani. Chathukutty had a physical disability and Karthayani supported the family on her earnings as a daily wage labourer. Financial difficulties dogged their lives; while Subitha’s sister pursued General Nursing, her brother had to start working as a daily wage labourer after completing his Pre-degree.
 
Subitha started losing her hearing at age nine after a severe bout of mumps and a high fever caused the nerves in her ears to become paralyzed. Slowly, the world of sound began to fade away, and although it initially took an emotional toll she gradually learned to embrace her new reality. She studied from Grades 1 to 7 at the Government Upper Primary School in Kothachira and although her hearing began to fail in Grade 4 she was supported by her kind classmates and teachers. She completed Grade 10 at Peringode High School.
 
For her Pre-degree course Subitha joined the Kunnamkulam School for the Deaf where she learned sign language, which eventually became an integral part of her life. (Earlier she would lip-read, and she still retains her childhood ability of speech.) Her family could not afford to educate her further and so she joined the Little Flower Convent in Guruvayur to learn tailoring; she mastered hand embroidery and garment designing. The following year, she enrolled in a college for the Deaf in Valakom, Kollam district. However, she had to discontinue her studies midway because of the challenges of hostel life, and financial difficulties.
 
It was then that she learned about the National Deaf Family Care (NDFC) institution in Pattambi, Palakkad district, affiliated with Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. She enrolled there for her B.Sc. After graduating she secured a job as a tutor at the Deaf Resource Development Society (DRDS) in Shornur, where she taught students pursuing their degrees through distance education. While working there, she did her M.Sc via distance education. “My mother and brother worked extremely hard to ensure I could continue my studies,” she says.
 
When she was 22, Subitha fell in love with a soldier from Kannur. After a four-year relationship, they got married with the full consent of their families. “It is only when living together that one notices the flaws and shortcomings in a relationship,” Subitha says. Her husband abandoned her when their daughter Anjalina was two. ​“That incident made me even stronger,” she says. After getting her current job she rented an apartment where she and Anjalina live happily. Chathukutty died three years ago at 66 from a kidney-related illness; Karthayani (59) lives with her son and his family while her older daughter is also married with children.
 
Subitha has a deep passion for reading stories and novels, especially those by legendary writers such as M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Madhavikutty (better known as Kamala Das and later Kamala Surayya), and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. ​Occasionally, she writes stories of her own, based on what she has seen, heard, and experienced since childhood. ​She also loves travelling and has explored various parts of Kerala with her daughter. Designing clothes for seven-year-old Anjalina is another favourite pastime. She is skilled at jewellery making and crafting, having learned these techniques through YouTube tutorials. She aspires to build a house of her own, travel extensively, read many more books, and eventually write her own stories.
 
​“Hearing impairment is not a barrier to life,” she says. “If you have the determination to work hard, success will surely be yours.” Her greatest assets are the family, friends, and colleagues who support her and help her understand things without criticism or judgment and stand by her side whenever she faces difficulties.
 
Subitha confidently says, “There is no one quite like me. I am my own inspiration and role model.” She says she doesn’t aim to emulate others but to be an inspiration through her own life. Rhonda Byrne’s book ‘The Magic’ (from ‘The Secret’ series) has had a profound impact on her life. “Do not become overly dependent on others just because you have a disability,” is her message to the disability community. “Do everything that you possibly can on your own. Shift your focus to where and how you find your happiness. Stop overthinking your disability.”