HSC topper wrestled with science, silence

MUMBAI: The intensity with which Divin Visariya looks at you as you talk can be a little unsettling. Brows knit together, eyes squeezed into slits, he stares intently at your moving lips.
Even though the curly-haired 18-year-old cannot hear what you say, he’llanswer all your queries with confident (if slightly slurred) words. Making sense of the shapes of people’s lips, Divin overcame his hearing impairment to score a fantastic 91 per cent in the Higher Secondary Certificate examination this year.
Topping the handicapped students’ category, Divin has become quite a celebrity in his middle-class Byculla locality.His parents, Varsha and Jagdish Visariya, are busy juggling time to attend the various felicitation functions for the young achiever.
Their son’s achievement, said the Visariyas, wasn’t a surprise. “Divin topped the handicapped category at the SSC exam too, scoring 88.53 per cent,’’ said his mother proudly. However, despite the high marks, he was refused admission by several colleges.
Finally, during an interview at K.C. College, Churchgate, principal Manju Nichani asked Divin if he would promise to get a rank for the college. The nervous Divin couldn’t lipread what Ms Nichani said, so she wrote the question on a chit of paper. “Without thinking, I simply wrote, ‘Yes’,’’ recounted Divin. It was a promise he kept.
Sitting in the front rows despite his 5’ 11’’ frame, Divin soon got used to the way each teacher spoke. While most of his classmates waited for teachers to turn their backs to the class, this was the one thing Divin dreaded. “Not being able to look at the teacher’s face was the most frustrating thing,’’ he said.
Whether it was ensuring that he got a seat under the fan (Divin cannot wear his hearing aid if he perspires) or taking time out to explain things to him, his teachers were very supportive, said his businessman father.
Divin’s achievement has come as a pat on the back for his parents, both of whom have taken great pains to help him lead a normal life. Divin was nine months old when his parents started to suspect that all was not well. “His cousin, who was born on the same day as he, was already babbling and responding to words,’’ recalled Ms Visariya.
Initially, their family doctor suggested that Divin could be a slow learner. It was only when they consulted an ENT specialist that their fears were confirmed. Divin was diagnosed to be suffering from profound hearing loss.
“Nobody in our family suffered from such a disability, so naturally we were quite shocked,’’ said Ms Visariya, recalling that their initial reaction was to hide the news, visit faith healers and seek a cure. “Then somebody suggested that we take Divin to the Education Audiology Research Centre at Napean Sea Road,’’ she said.
The Visariyas decided not to make Divin learn sign language, because this would limit his ability to converse and because there was no standard sign-language format. Opting for speech therapy, which was taught only in English, meant that both Varsha and Jagdish had to become fluent in the alien tongue.
They shifted out of their house in Nagpada because the clanging from a nearby trunk factory confused Divin as he tried to recognise sound, and moved into a one-roomkitchen flat in Byculla. Then one day he spoke his first word—Abe (slang for ‘hey you’). “This is when he realised that if he spoke the word somebody would react,’’ said Ms Visariya.
Seeing him through school at St Mary’s High School,Mazagaon, taught some crucial lessons. Divin would often miss instructions about homework or holidays. Once he walked in at 9 a.m. for an 8 a.m. exam. Being a bright student, he wanted to participate in quizzes and debates but, despite having the knowledge, he was never selected. “Handling the hardships, teasing and disappointments has only made Divin a stronger person,’’ maintained his mother.
Today, Divin helps her out while she gives private tuitions at home. “I like teaching,’’ said Divin, who is planning to become an engineer. “Explaining a subject to somebody helps me understand it better.’’ And proving his ability to others has definitely helped him understand himself.
(This column chronicles the brave initiatives and sunshine stories which light up the city.)