Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Vadodara Newspaper Report


In Vadodara, Gujarat, Shri Paras Jha, a reporter from a local Gujarati newspaper `Divya Bhaskar' interviewed Shri Anantadev Das on 1st March 2006. The following day, this interview was printed in the newspaper.

Translation in English by Shri Tushar Kansara of Mumbai as follows:

PREACHING GITA THROUGH FINGERS OF ANANTADEV

By Paras Jha

Vadodara:
Our city guest on Wednesday, Anantadev Das is the world’s the only deaf person to teach Gita through sign language.

It is common to see sadhus, saints and mahatmas – swamis preaching and devotees becoming religious. It is uncommon to see a deaf person, who lost his power of hearing during childhood, to teach about religion through sign language. Other deaf persons become lucky receivers of this message through sign language. Fifty one year old deaf Krishna devotee not only teaches the deaf but also common people through sign language.

Currently staying in Bangalore, Anantadev Das is the world’s only deaf person to teach Gita through sign language. On Wednesday, he became a city guest to give a lecture to deaf group on Bhagavad-Gita and Dharma. Before renouncing, Anantadev Das was known as Ashok Rao, a resident of Mumbai. At the age of one, he became deaf due to prolonged illness. He overcame even this limitation. He studied in a deaf school and fortunately finished BA in History in 1980. In Mumbai he became the first deaf to pass BA (History) and made a small history.

Born to a big family of father (doctor), mother, three brothers and two sisters he unsuccessfully attempted 10th Std due to long illness. Due to this his interest veered towards spirituality. He was in search of Truth through temples, Jain temples, churches, mosques and gurudwaras till he came upon Gita. He joined ISKCON activities from 1982 to 1986 for four years. Afterwards he founded Sanatana Dharma in Bangalore where he imparts spiritual knowledge to the deaf. “I want to teach spiritual knowledge to the deaf through sign language. They don’t know how to sing bhajans like Krishna devotees but I teach them the meaning of life through their language - sign language. Thereby I left ISKCON activity and started imparting knowledge of Gita through sign language daily”.
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GREAT VALUE OF SILENCE

Anantadev Das started Sanatana Dharma to impart spiritual knowledge through printing.

He regaled his common and uncommon audience in Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore through his speech.

He preached in UK and Gallaudet College in USA.

Due to his preaching, more than hundreds of meat eaters have converted into vegetarians.
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(Taken from DIVYA BHASKAR, Vadodara, 2nd March 2006)

1 comment:

uma said...

Hi! Nice to know about this work you are doing and that you even have a website!
Uma