THIS is the story of a woman who stepped out of the confines of a traditional and conservative home to venture into the "forbidden" world in order to give her best to her deaf and mute daughter.

Sulochna Ahuja was born and brought up in Rohtak. "We were four sisters but my father, an advocate, desperately wanted a son. He had a flourishing practice, which he wanted to pass on to a male child. In retrospect, I wonder why he did not send any of his daughters to study law? Today, I also know the answer - this thought would not have even struck him because he was a product of a conservative era.

"We four sisters were brought up in an extremely strict environment. We were not even allowed to peep out of the windows. After each one of us completed graduation, we were married off into equally traditional and conservative families. Strict purdha was observed in my in-laws' house at Abohar. We were told to not get in the way of the men in the family. There was no question of going for shopping to the market. If we needed clothes, the cloth merchant would be brought home and so was the case if we required shoes or any other item."

Sulochna was just 19 when she gave birth to her first daughter, Anju. For one and a half years, she did not realise that her child was deaf and dumb. Since she was married in an affluent family, no expenses were spared to chase doctors in various parts of the country. But all labour was lost when they were finally told that nothing could be done for the child.

Anju with her husband and children; (inset)

Although Sulochna's next two children were absolutely normal, yet she remained worried about Anju. Seeking better educational facilities for Anju, the family shifted from Abohar to Chandigarh.

"Mrs Sharda Dutt accepted my daughter in Vivek School with an open mind. But there were no results. I also sought help of Mr R P Yadav, who tried to teach Anju at home but in vain. Our desperation forced us to admit her to a school for deaf and dumb at Dehra Dun, which catered to poor sections of society. The pathetic living conditions there forced me to bring her back to Chandigarh to study at Vivek all over again. After she passed eighth class, I sent her to Chandigarh College of Arts to learn painting. I must say that the then Principal, Mr Chopra, was extremely considerate. On compassionate grounds, the college authorities allowed her to sit with regular students and learn. She took to painting like a fish to water. But as a mother, I knew that was not enough for my child.

"In 1978, I took Anju to Shehnaz Hussain in Delhi and requested her to train my daughter. Those were the times when beauty parlours were looked down upon by society. Frankly, I myself did not know anything about beauty parlours. I acted on advice given to me by some friends. I was so obsessed with ensuring the long-term welfare of my daughter that I was ready to try any and everything. Once again, driven by a sense of consideration, Shehnaz took her in but gave up in four days as she and her helpers found it difficult to communicate with my daughter. Shehnaz, however, offered to train me so that I could, in turn, train my daughter. Even though my family was totally against the idea, I not only took the training but also opened the first beauty parlour in Chandigarh at my residence."

It was the determination and passion of a mother who did not wish to see her child dependent on others that enabled Sulochna to achieve what others would have just dreamt about. In order to save others from the agony that she went through while educating her child and seeking a suitable vocation for her, Sulochna decided to impart training in the art of beauty to other deaf and dumb girls. Since 1980, she has been devotedly training such girls at her parlour, thus enabling them to earn their livelihood. For this, she was awarded National Award for Outstanding Teacher and Employer of Handicap Children. This award was given to Sulochna by the then President, Giani Zail Singh, in New Delhi.

Sulochna's face glows with pride and satisfaction when she says, "More than 90 per cent of the deaf and dumb girls in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali and surrounding villages have been trained by me. It is a pleasure to note that all of them are self-employed today. When their mothers approach me, I often think how lucky they are. Not only is there more awareness about such a handicap but there is also an identified profession that they can immediately take up. In India, even today, such children are rather neglected by parents and families. I hope our government takes more intensive steps for improving the lives of such children."

This lady, full of courage and perseverance, has also been conducting workshops for the Women and Child Welfare Department of Punjab to spread awareness and impart training to handicapped children. So far, she has held 11 such workshops.

In the meanwhile Anju received a marriage proposal from a mechanical engineer who had seen her on a TV programme. Today she is happily married and is a mother of two normal children. She has opened her own beauty parlour at Baroda. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Anju too has decided to impart training to other deaf and dumb girls.