Sign language on table mats, sign gestures as wall art and friendly staff communicating to you in sign language makes Talking Hands a special place to be.
Hyderabad’s first speech and hearing impaired run restaurant Talking Hands is a place where you get to learn a new language and the art of communicating differently. If that sounds intimidating, it isn’t. The friendly staff hand-hold you to communicate with them in sign language and guide you with its alphabet. A meal here is a unique experience that goes beyond just satiating your hunger. Perhaps that’s why the eatery is doing quite well with no publicity stunts whatsoever.
Talking Hands is a social enterprise started by TKM Sandeep and Miryala Ramya of Deaf Enabled Foundation (DEF). While Ramya shares that her parents and a few members of her family are deaf, Sandeep himself is deaf, as are his parents, wife and children.
DEF is an NGO with a mission to achieve equal access for deaf people in every area of their lives. “The sole motive of DEF is to empower the deaf community. DEF is of the deaf, for the deaf and by the deaf.”
Incidentally, Talking Hands that started in August is not only staffed but is also run and managed by DEF members. “What excites the staff is the interaction they have with diners. Once DEF sought the help of Telangana Tourism, the staff was trained at the institute and the response has been very positive,” explains Anju Khemani, who is assisting Sandeep and Ramya in training the staff.
Experience inside
As we walked in the reception staff greeted us with forearm sweeping in to their chest, gesturing a welcome. Since we knew Talking Hands was managed by speech and hearing impaired team, I held four fingers up to indicate a table for four.
We sat down and almost immediately got busy with learning the sign alphabet and a few simple gestures depicted on the paper table mats. We practised our names first to introduce ourselves. The wait staff took turns to introduce themselves as we followed the letters in sign. Also since ‘signing’ their names would be a tedious process, they explained that each of them has a gesture for their name. One was identified with an adaab , the other with a few fingers rested on the chin and so on.
Introductions over, we were handed the menu which was appropriately equipped with easy signs to identify the course of meal, the dish and also veg and non-veg preference. The menu is supported with a handout glossary of coaster-sized signs to explain water, juice, temperature, spice, salt and quantity of food prepared.
Once the order was placed, we were taken on a tour of the wall art in the restaurant. The paintings said it all; it explained their satisfaction of being at a place where they can work on par with others, the importance of having speech and hearing impaired people in this loud world. Another painting depicted how their DNA made them what they are. As they take you through the paintings and de-construct the meanings, , one cannot help but see the pride they take in doing what they do.
As we wait, the team gestures that food is being prepared fresh and hot, so they need some time. Meanwhile we chat and come to know that one of the wait staff is from Nanded and has a two-month old girl child who can hear, the other is from Mahbubnagar and taught us to indicate our veg and non-veg preference: the V with index and middle finger rested on your chin is for veg and the gesture of biting into a leg piece is to indicate non-veg preference.
While the food is served with love, it is the soul that makes you immensely happy. Finally they ask if we were happy to learn a new language. Yes, we were and the lessons will continue.
