Growing up with two siblings with speech and hearing impairment, sign language was a part of Smriti Nagpaul’s childhood. At 16, she was already working as a sign language interpreter for NGOs and governments, and an encounter with a hearing-impaired artist made her realise that there was no formal occupation for such people.
“The artist, who was working for an NGO, had attended a prestigious art college and had trained in design and sketching. As I explored further, I realised that many artists with hearing problems were in a similar situation. They had nowhere to go, and either gave up art or did some token work for not-for-profit organisations,” Ms Nagpaul said.
Their sensory impairment, she soon figured, had nothing to do with creativity, and Ms Nagpaul got down to starting an initiative to challenge notions that held otherwise – a design studio to set the stage for bringing such artists’ creative labour to the fore.
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Two-and-a-half years down the line, Atulyakala is carving out its own niche and has expanded its reach to Denmark. The studio focuses on design and production on a mass scale, undertaking design work for clients including book illustrations, branding logos and curation of events.
Sign language Ms Nagpaul now plans to open a café managed by hearing impaired staff, where communication will be in sign language.
Driven by the idea of challenging stereotypes that limit the disabled, Ms Nagpaul’s initiative also aims at creating awareness about sign language. As she aptly puts it, if two people are able to communicate, how does it matter if the designer is deaf? Recognition by the BBC, though, has come as a surprise. “I had not idea about it. It is a good gift for me,” she said.
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Smriti Nagpaul, 25
Education: MBA
Her game changer: Atulyakala, a social enterprise for hearing impaired artists