The Devotees Chant The Hare Krsna Mantra In Sign Language

The Devotees Chant The Hare Krsna Mantra In Sign Language

THE WORLD IS ALL EARS TO THEIR STORY 

 
A special group of devotees from UK visited India in October on a spiritual voyage. They are the members of the 'Radha Krishna Deaf People Association', a group that provides an opportunity for the hearing impaired to relish the nectar of Krsna consciousness. Their it inerary included Vrndavana, Delhi, Indore, and Mumbai. 
 
The inspiration for starting the group came when a deaf devotee from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK Bhakta Dinesh decided to lend a helping hand to the hearing impaired. Being a deaf person himself, he could identify with the problems of the deaf. He started off by translating the classes given at the local temple into British Sign Language (BSL). More and more people showed interest and as a result, the association was born . The group currently has a round 20 regular members with more efforts being directed to reach out to the vast number of hearing impaired spread throughout the world. 
 
These devotees have invented signs (or many Krsna conscious words and terms including 'Krsna', 'Radha', 'Rama', 'Haribol' etc., thus helping in communicating Krsna conscious philosophy to the deaf. Many of these devotees render regular service at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. Bhakta Dinesh still continues to translate, and the group runs a help-booth for the deaf at major festivals like Janmastami. 
 
The group invites anyone who would like to help the hearing impaired. The group can be contacted at rkda@hotmail.com.