My name is Gopal and I am from Ajmer District in Rajasthan state, India .

I am also from Jaipur District, capital of Rajasthan state, India . I work in Ajmer and live with my wife and son in Jaipur. They are both hearing.

I am educated as a mechanical draughtsman. I retired on my superannuation at the age of 58, two years earlier than most government public sector workers in Ajmer .  Most recently, they requested and involved me on a contract basis, but I receive much less pay.

There are schools for deaf and mute and we have residential schools for the blind in Ajmer . These are government schools. The standards of these schools are very low. If a student wants to attend a regular school, he/she can get in. The school administration will still get their fees whether the child learns or not.

There are no 2nd or 3rd class citizens in India . There are people with “who have” and people who “don’t have” money. India is a very complicated country. There is “caste” system, which still exists.

I am given a certificate by the government that states I am deaf.  This is for income tax exemption.  I do not use it as I do not have much income and so there is no tax.

In my opinion, the government officials go to the United States on official business to learn more about technology.  But as I see it, they spend much time sightseeing, and come back and make a report and try to do what they do not really understand.

Some 15 years back I had tried a pair of hearing aids in Delhi . They may be from 1,000 rupees to 25,000 rupees. If a person is a government worker, he/she has a medical certificate for deafness from a government hospital.  Part of the money is paid by the government. I don't know of any deaf persons employed in the private sector.

Cochlear implants are done in several major cities but they are not very popular and they are very expensive. Most people will go to another country to have an implant done.

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