Yashasvi's Story
Yashasvi Yadav was born on July 30, 2021. She has suffered from hearing impairment since birth. Her parents and grandparents are gas affected. And her grandparents suffer from hypertension and diabetes. Speaking about her journey in Chingari Trust, her mother, Hemlata Yadav, shared: "Yashasvi was about two or two-and-a-half years old, yet she was unable to speak. At that time, we took her to AIIMS Hospital in Bhopal for a check-up. After examining her, the doctors informed us that she has problem in hearing, which was the reason she was unable to speak. Subsequently, I took her to see Dr. Gauri Pandit (a neuro-pediatrician); she advised us to seek treatment at the Chingari Trust, and so we began coming here. By May, it will have been two years since we started visiting, and in July, Yashasvi will turn five. Here she receives Speech Therapy and Special Education.
Coming here has brought about significant changes in her. Previously, she couldn't say a single word, but now she has started speaking quite a few words and is even attempting to form complete sentences. It was right here that she called me 'Mumma' for the very first time; I was overjoyed that day. She absolutely loves Chole Bhature and Matar Paneer. In fact, she has now started calling her father on the phone to ask him to bring home some Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese). She has also begun making other requests, such as, 'Mumma, give me some food,' or 'Let's go out for a walk with Papa.'
She loves playing and enjoys pretending to cook. Whenever I am cooking, she will sit right beside me with a rolling pin and board, trying to mimic my actions. She absolutely loves drawing and coloring. She will draw whatever she pleases and then fills it with colors. Most of the time, she draws four figures and explains that one is Mumma, one is Papa, one is her brother, and one is 'Yashu' (herself). Now, she has even started saying 'Yashu,' she also say 'Yashasvi,' and she has even started saying her father's name." She has really started speaking now. If she doesn't want to do something, she simply says, "Yashu doesn't want to do it."
Initially, when she couldn't speak, it used to hurt somewhere deep down. We live in a joint family, and even our relatives would remark, 'She has grown so big, yet she doesn't say a word.' Even now, she isn't able to converse perfectly. There were times when people would make comments that were so hurtful they would bring me to tears. This happened quite often. All those remarks used to sting, in one way or another. But now, seeing how much she has started speaking, I feel confident that she will eventually be able to communicate even more fluently.
Previously, she used to communicate everything through gestures—at times, even I couldn't quite figure out what she was trying to convey. But now, she no longer relies on gestures; instead, she has started expressing herself verbally. Even now, there are occasions where she needs to be corrected—reminded that a particular word is pronounced *this* way, not *that* way.
At home, she is most attached to her elder brother; she won't let him out of her sight, not even for a moment. If he steps away for even a short while, she immediately starts calling out, "Bhaiya! Bhaiya!" She gets upset if her requests aren't met—for instance, if she asks for ice cream or wants to be taken out for a walk, and we don't do as she asks.
Everything at the Chingari Trust is excellent; the staff here is wonderful as well. In fact, everything about this place is great. I was overjoyed to come here. I am hopeful that, in the future—just as the rest of us converse normally—Yashasvi will also begin to speak in the same way; coming here has brought about a remarkable improvement in her speech.