Its gonna be six months

Its gonna be six months since Sachin Sir told me, "If you can post once every week, I assure you, you will notice a sea change in yourself in six months!"
     Today i stand , with openness about my stammer and facing my stammer. It has indeed literally been a sea change for me. Today,I don't think of a tomorrow where i am not a PWS. I only think of a tomorrow where i can manage my stammer and i am confident i can do it pretty well.I never had the slightest idea in past that i can cope with my stammer and in such a way.
    I am dreaming of a future in which self-help groups sprout out in Kerela and wanting to see many enthusiastic kerelite PWS in it.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

സ്വയംസഹായ സംഘങ്ങള്‍[Self-Help Groups]

ഒരു ശതമാനം ആളുകള്‍ക്ക് വിക്കുള്ളതായിട്ട് ലോകത്തില്‍ അംഗികരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കെ, മൂന്നു കോടിയില്‍  കൂടുതല്‍ ജനസംഖ്യയുള്ള കേരളത്തില്‍ മൂന്നു ലക്ഷത്തിനടുത്ത് വിക്കുള്ളവരുടെന്നു കണക്കാക്കാം . വിക്കുള്ളവരില്‍  നാലില്‍ മുന്നുപേര്‍  പുരിഷന്മാരും ബാക്കി നാലില്‍ ഒന്ന് സ്ത്രികളുമാണ്. വിക്കലിനുള്ള 'സ്വയം ചികിത്സ' യുടെ ഗുണങ്ങള്‍ നിലനിര്‍ത്തികൊണ്ടു പോകാനുള്ള നല്ല ഒരു  ഉപാധിയാണ്‌   സ്വയംസഹായ സംഘങ്ങള്‍.

സ്വയംസഹായ സംഘങ്ങള്‍ പ്രാവര്‍ത്തികമാക്കാനുള്ള ചില നിര്‍ദ്ദേശങ്ങള്‍ .

1) സ്വയം സഹായ സംഘം തുടങ്ങാന്‍ 2 പേര്‍ മതിയാകും. അംഗസംഖ്യ പത്തുപേരില്‍ അധികമായാല്‍ രണ്ടാമത്തെ ഒരു സംഘം തുടങ്ങുന്നത്‌ ഉചിതമായിരിക്കും. കാരണമെന്തന്നാല്‍ , ഒരു സംഘം ഒരു മണിക്കൂര്‍ കൂടിയാല്‍ തന്നെ, പത്തുപേരില്‍ കൂടുതല്‍ ആളുകള്‍ക്ക് 3-5  മിനിറ്റില്‍ കൂടുതല്‍  സംസാരിക്കാന്‍ സമയം ലഭിക്കുകയില്ല . എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും സംസാരിക്കാനും ചിന്തകള്‍ പങ്കുവയ്ക്കാന്‍ അവസരം ലഭിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുകയെന്നത് പ്രാധാന്യമാണ്‌.


2) വിക്കലില്‍ നിന്നു  പുറത്തുവന്നുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന ഒരു വ്യക്തി  ആയിരിക്കണം  കൂട്ടയ്മയ്ക്ക്‌ നേതൃത്വം നല്‍കുന്ന കോ-ഓര്‍ഡിനേറ്റര്‍. വിക്കലിനു  അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരു 'സൌഖ്യം'  ഇല്ലെകിലും വിക്കലനുഭവപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരു വ്യക്തി തന്റെ സംസാരത്തില്‍ വരാവുന്ന പ്രശ്നം അംഗീകരിക്കുകയും, അതിനെ പറ്റി ഏതെങ്കിലും  ഊര്‍ജ്ജസ്വലമായി ചെയ്യാന്‍ തുടങ്ങുകയും ചെയുമ്പോള്‍ ആ വ്യക്തി വിക്കലില്‍ നിന്നു പുറത്തുവന്നുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നതായിട്ട് കരുതാം.


3)കോ-ഓര്‍ഡിനേറ്റര്‍ കൂട്ടയ്മയെ അതിന്റെ ലക്‌ഷ്യത്തിലേക്ക്  എത്തിക്കാന്‍  ശേഷിയുള്ള വ്യക്തിയായിരിക്കണം.എല്ലാ അംഗങ്ങള്‍ക്കും തുല്യവസരം ലഭികുന്നുവെന്നു ഉറപ്പു വരുത്തുകയും,ചില  അംഗങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്  ചില കാരണങ്ങള്‍ കൊണ്ട്  ആവശ്യമായ പരിഗണനകള്‍ നല്‍കുകയും, കുട്ടായ്മയില്‍  വിരസത വരാതിരിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യണം .

[ As it is accepted in the world that 1 percent of the population stammers, it can be estimated that 3 Lakhs out of the 3 Crore people in Kerala, has a stammer. Three by fourth out of the PWS are men and the rest one fourth is women. Self-help groups are one of the good ways to maintain the effects of "self therapy" for stammer.

Some guides to implement self-help groups

1) Two persons are enough to start a self-help group. If the number of members become more than 10, it is better to form a second group. The reason is that, even if the group meets for one hour, not more than 10 people would get the time to speak for 3-5 minutes. It is important that everyone should get the time to speak and share thoughts.

2) The co-ordinator who leads the group should be a person who is coming out of stammering. Even if there is no known 'cure' for stammer, when a person accept his/her speech problem and starts to do something actively for it, he/she can be considered to be coming out of stammering.

3)Co-ordinator should be a person who has the ability to guide the group towards its destination. Should make sure that all members are getting equal opportunities, give considerations to people who require it for some reasons and take particular care to prevent boredom and repetitiveness. ]

I thought to translate some literature on stammering into malayalam. Hope someone, sometime, somehow will find it helpful.

Being a PWS is Good

Yes, i believe being a PWS is good. But only if one break the shell and comes out. I am in no way saying that those PWS' who have not come out of their psychological shell are in a bad state. I was in that state myself, till some time back. I am just saying that "being a PWS is good" beacuse "I am a PWS" and "Now I feel good".

So, why its good once you adjust with your stammer in an healthy way?

Because you get a tough skin. Because you get enlightened that in this sole life, there can be glaring inequalities and you get to fight on even after knowing that.

And in trying to dig out the root of one's attitude related to stuttering , one actually plows into ones own consious and sub-consious mind and in that process finds treasures related to the human mind which would may never have be found, if one was not a PWS.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Disclosing the stammer in interviews

I am of the decision that i should tell all my job interviewers in the beginning that

"i am working on my stammer, so i will speak slowly". But whether i actually say it or not , actually depends upon that moment and guts which i make up, specifically at the start of each interview.

I think its advatageous beacuse of many reasons.

First, if i disclose it myself at the beginning , it might be an indication to the interviewer that my stammering is NOT over me , but i am over my stammer. By letting the cat out of the box, my stress in released to a great extent and i just need to concentrate on what i say , rather than be concerned about a block popping up. By disclosing , i believe there is a less probability to stammer.

Second, if the job comes to you , i could easily concentrate on the work at hand than be concerned with my communication. I can effectively communicate using the controlled speech techniques whenever i feel the impediment is coming up, than be forced to shut up. To be more frank, i think i should have the freedom to prolong or voluntary bounce when a block comes  in work conditions.

Third, if the job dont come to you, then also i can be feel confident and happy about the fact that i admitted my stammer before them. Its an experience it itself.  If i don't admit my stammer in an interview, depression may come, on failure . But i am always happy about an interview in which i myself admit my stammer.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

When i am alcoholic

Presently when i am alcoholic, i forgot every rules of engagement in conversation, i forget the way of controlled speech and i can just stutter like that simply...knowing its just my fault that i just go for it even though i know how not to stutter.

But my alcoholism makes me to bow down before life, making me know that life is more than what i am or my fight against stuttering.

I am not repeating my endline here, because i know its bullshit and when i am alcoholic i admit that too.

Thats a good point

Happened to read "The King’s Speech & an Approach to Stuttering" by Miriam Mondlin

http://stammer.in/articles/38-cat-stuttering-related/422-kings-speech-a-aesthetic-realism.

Something caught me in it, in the beginning section. It says that a sort of stuttering pshycology exists in all human beings. The pshycology to attain what we not are. A P w S wanting to be a non-PWS. Similarly, every human being wants to be something which s/he is not actually is. A P w S, in general feels that it is just their own fight or struggle. But, every human being has got similar leaps to jump, similar attitude problems. It just happens that for a P w S, the problem is in the form of a speech impediment.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Phone based group

http://t-tisa.blogspot.com/2011/01/kerala-phone-group.html

Myself (Alleppey) - 8089619366 - shaunjacob1986@gmail.com

Pravek (Aluva) - met him in Stuttering Foundation, Kochi.

9960804071 - pravekp@gmail.com

Biju (Kollam) - saw the letter in Magazine and contacted.

9497166594 - vijayakrishnancr@gmail.com

Venkatesh(Cochin) - saw the letter in Magazine and contacted

9446563401 - venk.shenoy@rediffmail.com

Pradeep (Kollam) - saw the letter in Magazine and contacted.

8005332622

EDIT: I am not presently in India and my number won't work

ഒരു കത്ത്‌ [ A letter ]

From Manorama Aarogyam Magazine, February 2011 , Letters Section, Page 113
(A Rough Translation)

[ Organisation for those who have a stammer

One percent of the population face the problem of stammering.

TISA(The Indian stammering Organisation) is the organisation of Persons who expereince stammering. The aim of the organisation is to form self help groups and to push forward the communication abilities of stammerers and to give social enlightenment about the issue of stammering. ]