Laughter is the best medicine indeed. So we laugh at jokes and sometimes at a colleague who falls off a chair or a neighbour who slips on a banana peel, irrespective of the fact the affected person may be hurt more emotionally than physically. This kind of a reaction is not just restricted to real life but extends to the reel. Innumerable films have made fun of people with various problems — stammering, for one.
From classics such as Chupke Chupke, which had Dharmendra’s character with a stammer to recentfilms where actors such as Ranbir Kapoor ( Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Jagga Jasoos) or Tusshar Kapoor ( Golmal ) have the speech defect. Most of us have laughed out loud, oblivious of the fact that there might be a person with a stammering issue sitting beside us, heart broken.
These are some of the issues the recently-held seminar, “Stammering - Myths and realities”, tackled. Organised by speech pathologist, Radhika Poovayya (founder of Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing,), the event had Kannada film actor Anu Prabhakar Mukherjee as the spokesperson.
The seminar also featured members of TISA (The Indian Stammering Association), who have overcome stammering and are on a mission to create an awareness about the “guilt, shame and pain” people with stammering go through.
The venue was the Press Club of Bangalore, which was buzzing with more noise than people. The members of TISA spoke candidly about their trials and tribulations, hopes and aspirations. Some spoke smoothly without a stammer, while some stammered and conveyed their point of view what they had to say drawing a loud applause from the audience.
Tarak Goradia, a member of TISA, who is currently working with the youth, started off saying, “As a person who has been stammering all his life, I feel proud and blessed to be standing and talking fearlessly in front of you. I have been able to achieve this because of the help and encouragement from TISA.
“Started by Dr Satyendra Srivastav from Uttarakhand, who has a stammering problem, TISA is an online platform that anyone with a stammering problem can reach out to and find help. It also offers us a support group, where we help each other toughen up and care for the other’s emotional well being. The aim is to always look out for any opportunity to help a stammerer.”
Shoma Roy, a pretty young girl in her mid 20s, took to the stage. The youngster, who works as a researcher in IISC, says she joined TISA five years ago and “thought I was the only one in the world who stammered. But with TISA I knew it was not something to be ashamed of. In fact, TISA’s tagline is hakklau, magar pyar se... (Stammer, but with love). We meet every Sunday and also learn public speaking and make it a point to know that stammering is not a disease.”
Radhika affirms that with, “I treat different speech disorders, but stammering has the most myths associated with it, which cause unnecessary emotional issues for parents and the person. I am pained by the way stammer or any speech disorder is used to elicit laughter in films. In fact, two new movies were recently released, where the protagonist has a stammer. I decided it was time to have a discussion on a public forum. How did our society end up using it as a joke? And how did these myths start?”
Then she went on to explain the medical aspects of stammering. “It is noticed only after the child is two years old or later. Hence, whatever happens in the household at that point is associated and blamed. It may be the arrival of a sibling or the mother going back to work or change of residents. Treating children is easy as there is no emotional aspect to the disorder at that age. But treating adults is tough. Speech therapy techniques work but a relapse is common.”
She added, “The cause of stammering is unknown, the hereditary factor is the only confirmed cause.” According to Radhika media plays a big role in “debunking myths and telling the facts of the nature of stammering. Portraying strong characters with a stammer is not good”.
Tarunidhar Reddy, a young yoga teacher, stammered a lot and won a loud applause for the grit with which he completed saying what he had to.
He was followed by Anu, who commented, “I am happy to be the spokesperson for stammering. I was aware of this problem as my childhood friend Shruti Rao (an author and a blogger) had this problem. So when Radhika asked me to be the face, I was more than happy. If my association with stammering helps bring at least five extra people to support this cause, then it is worth it.”
She, too, spoke about the role of the media in creating a negative impression and making fun of stammering. “I had no idea until I spoke to Radhika, who educated me about this condition. I don’t want to use the word ‘suffering’ because it is not a disease, but an involuntary muscle spasm. It is beyond one’s control. Yes, it is easy when one is given a therapy when young. But these are things we don’t pay attention to and think the child will overcome it with age. That is not true. One must understand what it is and get the required help for their child so he/she need not grow up feeling depressed or with low confidence. I request people to take time to know more about it.”
And as far as movies are concerned Anu assured the participants, “As far as I am concerned, I will never be a part of something that will make fun of stammering. If I do come across anyone within the film industry writing something like this, then I will try and make them understand that it is not something you make fun of. I will continue to do it even if it is going to be a lone fight.”
Tarak added, “I can sum up stammering in a very simple manner with there are two circuits in every mind, one good and one bad. As a stammerer, we involuntarily get connected to the bad circuit. Our placebo malfunctions. If we are relaxed, it does not happen. Society too should be open to accommodate us. I believe if children overcome their fears, not just related to communication, but everything else, then they are totally different people when they grow up. They will be able to focus better on the future.”
He also added that his parents were over protective to avoid him being hurt, “but that causes more damage as they can not always be there to protect us.”
Abhinav Singh says he is upset with the way stammering is depicted on the screen. “Shakti Kapoor and Tushar Kapoor made fun of us. Even Shreyas Talpade. It was embarrassing for me as I took my girlfriend to watch Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani , and the boy starts stammering. My partner held my hand tight. But then the heroine of the film also stammers, we both had a good laugh.”
Tarunidhar said, “Actors should be more responsible as they make a great impact on children and people. Were films made in a responsible way, we would not have gone through what we went though as children, because most of us learn from movies. And when we saw a stammerer being made fun of in a film, as children we believed it was okay to be made fun of. We never spoke about about it to our parents nor shared our pain.”
