August 18, 2019
Ten-year-old Aadhi Dev, who is deaf, is from Kannur, one of the worst
affected flood hit areas of Kerala. Aadhi lost his hearing aids in the
devastating floods and his story was shared on social media until it reached
KK Shailaja, Kerala State Minister for Health and Social Justice. Aadhi will
now receive new set of hearing aids under the Kerala Social Security
Mission’s ‘We Care’ project.
Many thousands of people have been affected in the Kerala floods and among
the many stories that hit social media is that of 10-year-old Aadhi
Dev from Kannur, among the worst affected districts. Aadhi, who is
deaf, lost his hearing aids in the floods and his parents could not afford to
buy him a new set.
Aadhi’s story was shared widely on social media and reached KK
Shailaja, Kerala Minister of Health and Social Welfare, who stepped
in and made arrangements for a new set of hearing aids for Aadhi.
Aadhi’s father Biju runs a small shop and struggles to make
ends meet. With great difficulty, the family put together the funds for
Aadhi’s cochlear implants. When their home got flooded overnight, the family
had to leave the home without their possessions.
At the relief camp, Aadhi struggled to communicate but he had a speech
processor in his ears which made things easier. But when the family came back
home, they found the battery, charger, dry box and hearing aids totally
submerged in water. To replace it, the family needed ₹ one lakh which is
beyond their means.
Aadhi’s plight was shared by many on social media and minister KK Shailaja
intervened.
Young Aadhi Dev had lost his hearing aids in the floods. So the Social
Security Mission is stepping in to provide him with a new set of hearing
aids under its ‘We Care’ project. The heart-warming story of Aadhi who
could not hear anything after losing his hearing aids had become viral on
social media. That is how the government decided to reach out to him.
Social Security Mission director will soon look into further details. –
KK Shailaja, Kerala State Minister for Health and Social
Justice.
The minister’s kind gesture won hearts across social media. Among the many
people who praised the minister’s gesture was popular Malayalam film actor
and TV anchor Ranjini Haridas, who compared her to
Sushma Swaraj, the late foreign affairs minister.
“KK Shailaja is popularly known as the Sushma Swaraj of Kerala for her speedy
action and efficiency”, tweeted Ranjini. “I guess how Aadhi’s story reached
her is quite impressive. The positive powers of social media are immense. But
so are the negatives. It is two sides of a coin. Glad that Aadhi could
benefit from social media”.
Popularly known as Shailaja teacher, the Kerala minister is
considered to be one of the most efficient in the current Kerala ministry.
With this gesture for Aadhi, she has proved that she also has a large heart.
