32 years as the language of love through sign for the speech and hearing impaired; Sister Abhaya retires

Sister Abhaya, who provided the care of sign language to over a thousand speech and hearing-impaired children, is stepping down. Becoming the voice of the voiceless through the language of love, Sister Abhaya has spent decades walking in and out of police stations and courts in Ernakulam, assisting those who cannot speak when they become entangled in legal cases, ensuring justice for them. Sister Abhaya, the angel of compassion, is known by many titles of love and respect.

Sister Abhaya, a native of Manjapra, Kalady, has been a teacher at Manickamangalam St. Clare Oral Higher Secondary School for the Deaf for 32 years. Along with teaching speech and hearing-impaired children through sign language, she also dedicates time to assisting both law enforcers and legal professionals. She appears in court to interpret statements and verdicts in sign language. Even today, when deaf and mute children from other states arrive in Kerala, the police first turn to Sister Abhaya to communicate with them and understand their needs.

Sister Abhaya is also the foster mother of four children—Ameera, Salma, Ameer, and Anas. She became the savior of the deaf and mute couple, Khaj and Sara, who lost everything in the floods and were living on the streets of Menaka, Ernakulam, along with their four speech-impaired children. In 2021, Sara sought treatment at Kalamassery Medical College. Seeing the plight of the speech- and hearing-impaired couple and their children, the hospital authorities brought Sister Abhaya to assist them. After communicating in sign language, Sister Abhaya took Ameera, Salma, Ameer, and Anas to the Manickamangalam School. The only thing that troubles her is that the children are still in the L.P. classes due to issues with their documents, including their Aadhaar.

Sister Abhaya's help is sought not only by law professionals and law enforcement but also by filmmakers. Some filmmakers approach her to help portray mute characters accurately. She has taught sign language behind the scenes to actors in films such as Ravanan, Spirit, and Oomappenninu Uriyadappayan. Sister Abhaya will continue to shine as a voice in the world of the voiceless, spreading the light of love.