A different language is a different vision of life, and sign language is a beautiful way of communication in its own right.

The central government is currently working on curating a first-of-its-kind Indian Sign Language dictionary, which is expected to be released in March.

The project is commissioned by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. So far, around 6,000 English and Hindi words have been compiled in sign languages specific to the Indian context.

In 1980, author Madan Vasishta established that Indian sign language was a language in its own right and documented how only five per cent of the total deaf children go to school and only 0.5 per cent receive education in sign language – which is the only way they can comprehend!

To bridge this gap, he compiled sign languages used in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru in his book ‘An Introduction to Indian Sign Languages’.

Now, the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) will compile its glossary of over 6,000 words by borrowing from the existing pool of information as well from its own research.

In a diverse country like India, not only does sign language vary as per region, certain villages have their own variants/dialects of rural sign languages.

Given this diverse culture, the team from the ISLRTC is working on graphic representations of not only the commonly used country-specific signs but also the numerous regional variations.

Another big issue that India faces is the shortage of interpreters proficient in the art of sign language.

ISLRTC’s Dr Abhishek Shrivastav, who is working on the signs for the dictionary has said,“Like every language, sign language too has its own phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. The dictionary, once made widely available, will bridge the communication gap between the deaf and the hearing.”

Kudos to this awesome project that ensures the deaf and dumb will not feel alienated from main society. A much needed step that deserves a round of applause!