A story for the world to hear

KOCHI: 30-old Anantha Lekshmi has never let her disability get in the way of her dreams. Though she was born without hearing abilities, this Neyyattinkara resident is setting an example for those who are willing to fight all odds to chase their passion. Anantha Lekshmi’s passion for writing inspiring stories recently caught the attention of British actor Sly Livingstone, who liked her story, ‘The story of Suhana’ so much that he has decided to make an animation film based on it and screen it at film festivals.

Sharing her story, Sylendran Nair, Lekshmi’s father says, “My wife, Bindu, got German measles when she was pregnant. Since we didn’t have the luxuries of modern medicine, we couldn’t do anything and my daughter was born deaf. We were very upset about her future. However, she was a very promising child. When she was two years old, she went to  Amy Boyd Memorial School for the Deaf in Neyyattinkara where she received primary education with the support of her teachers.”

It was when she was 13  years old and studying at Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Neyyattinkkara, that Lekshmi began writing stories. “Being hearing impaired, I had to face many shortcomings in life but I never let them affect my dreams. I started writing about the experiences in my life and documented them in the belief that they would be helpful in motivating other people with physical disabilities pursue their passion and interests,” shared Lekshmi via mail. Her stories are mostly related to the predicament of the other hearing-impaired people, based on themes such as mental health and self-motivation.

Keeping her passion for writing inspirational stories alive, Lekshmi completed her graduation in BTech from Kalasalingam University in Srivilliputtur and later started working for Accenture in Bengaluru. It was through friends that Lekshmi came to know about the unique project ‘Be Kind’, a short film by British actor, Silvy Livingstone, featuring many famous actors and athletes and promoting the message of positivity and kindness.

Through Sly Livingstone’s Instagram handle, Lekshmi contacted the actor and discussed a story she wrote while in Class IX. Sly was very impressed with ‘The story of Suhana’, which was based on a deaf girl who had to face many hurdles in her life and how she overcomes it.“The actor has appreciated the story and has conveyed his willingness to make Lekshmi’s work into an animated film and screen it at the Los Angeles Short Film festival,” said Sylendran, Lekshmi’s father. ‘The story of Suhana’ was recently released on YouTube by Lekshmi. She currently teaches English to deaf children through her YouTube Channel.