In India, there is a proverb that goes like ‘कोस-कोस पर पानी बदले, चार कोस पर वाणी’. This means that at small intervals of a distance, the taste of water changes, while at four intervals of distances, the way of speaking changes. Language richness and diversity in India are second to none. Are we certainly second to none?
Over 700 languages are spoken in India and out of them 22 are officially recognized. Yet, there is still a language that is known to people but not recognized – the Indian sign language.
Did you know there are approximately 18 Million people in India who use the Indian sign language? And the lack of recognition has led to several challenges for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in India, including limited access to education, healthcare, and other basic services.
In recent years, there have been efforts to have ISL recognized as an official language in India. In 2019, the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to recognize ISL as the 23rd language of India. The proposal was supported by the Indian Sign Language Teachers Association, the National Association of the Deaf, and other organizations working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
What is an Indian Sign Language?
Indian Sign Language (ISL) is a visual language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in India. It is a distinct language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. Despite being widely used, ISL has not yet been recognized as an official language in India. However, there have been efforts to change this and to have ISL recognized as the 23rd language of India.
While such efforts are being made, is the common Indian man bothered about it? Is he affected? Is he aware of the magnitude of this language? The digital media has all the answers to it.
Who did what for the recognition?
It is important to understand that any communication should be OPEN to all. And by open, we mean, complete access and understanding. As the country celebrated its 74th Republic Day, Axis bank decided to stress upon this crucial matter.
Axis Bank’s new campaign #23in23 was meticulously crafted and brought into the picture to highlight the significance of sign language. Conceptualised and executed by Grey Group, the films display a thumbnail at the left corner of the frame (in all videos), to explain the whole film using sign language.
The heartwarming ‘Dil se open’ series of videos brought a shift in the thought process of people and how they consume ad films. The audience or the consumers want their favourite brands to do something that isn’t only about profits. They want brands to become an activist for a positive change in the society. Certainly, this campaign will get the ball rolling for the recognition.
‘Dil se open’ or ‘Open heart’ gathered major eyeballs and hearts for its take on the most important communication gap. One of the most striking parts of the campaign was, it unlocked the untouched elements of our Indian society, geography, language and culture. A path breaking campaign, this was just not ‘out of the box’ but something that the society ‘needed’.
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