Indore’s Helen Keller: Gurdeep Kaur, who can’t see, hear, or speak, makes history with govt job; joines Income Tax dept

NEW DELHI: Gurdeep Kaur Vasu, widely known as ‘Indore’s Helen Keller’, cannot speak, hear, or see, but these multiple disabilities have never stopped her from dreaming big. Driven by immense determination and courage, the 34-year-old has now achieved her goal of joining government service. After years of navigating social, academic, and bureaucratic challenges, Gurdeep has been appointed to Madhya Pradesh’s Commercial Tax Department, making her possibly the first woman in India with speech, hearing, and visual impairments to secure a government job, according to social activists. Her family beams with pride, and her department praises her dedication. Gurdeep communicates using Tactile Sign Language, a method involving pressing hands and fingers to convey messages. Having studied up to class 12, Gurdeep has been posted as a Class IV employee at a Commercial Tax Department office in Indore. She was selected under a special recruitment drive for persons with disabilities, particularly under the "multiple disabilities" category, officials said on Wednesday. “Gurdeep is learning her work with full dedication. She arrives at the office on time,” said Sapna Pankaj Solanki, additional commissioner in the department, told news agency PTI.

Getting emotional while recalling her daughter’s achievement, Gurdeep’s mother, Manjit Kaur Vasu, said, “Gurdeep is the first member of our family to get a government job. I never imagined she would reach this position. Today, people know me more as Gurdeep’s mother than by my own name.” Manjit recalled that Gurdeep was born prematurely and had to be hospitalized for nearly two months. The family realized something was wrong when, even at five months old, she showed no response to sound, touch, or movement.

It was then they discovered she could neither speak, hear, nor see. Gurdeep’s success has brought immense joy to disability rights activists. “This is the first time in the country that a woman with speech, hearing, and visual disabilities has joined government service. It’s a historic and inspiring moment for the entire Divyang community,” said Gyanendra Purohit, a social justice activist. Purohit pointed out that while the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 provides for reservation in government jobs for people with various disabilities, including speech, hearing, and visual impairments, actual implementation remains a significant challenge. “People like Gurdeep prove that disability is not inability. They can do everything, they just need an opportunity,” he added. Monica Purohit, a sign language expert and one of Gurdeep’s teachers, explained that Gurdeep uses Tactile Sign Language to interact, gently pressing the hands and fingers of the person she is communicating with. Overflowing with joy after getting the job, Gurdeep expressed herself in sign language by spreading her hands wide: “I am very, very happy,” she said.