Do you remember Ganga Dundlod who gave us some awesome tips on home décor last week? Dr. Ganga Dundlod is a Speech Therapist from Jaipur. She is a retired doctor from SMS Medical College, and nowadays treats needy people at her private clinic free of cost. People, who stammer, have communication disorders and swallowing disorders come to her. Her patients vary from infants to old age who experience problems in producing sounds, resonance, fluency, pitch and even respiration.

JWB – So what is the basic reason behind children stammering?

Dr. Ganga – Fear. They have a fear of someone who has the power to scold them infront of others. They are so afraid that they hold breath and stop saliva’s motion in throat which leads to no sound coming out of mouth. They have a tendency to pull their muscles so hard that they stop speaking. And hence, they stammer.

JWB – How do you help them to overcome this problem?

Dr. Ganga – I use different therapies. I tell them:

1. To speak slowly. There is no need to complete the word/sentence quickly.
2. To push the letter you have problem pronouncing a little more. Example: If someone stammers at the letter ‘K’, push it in the word that has it. If you want to say ‘kite’, say ‘Kaaite’.
3. To stretch the word you get jammed at while speaking the whole sentence. Example: I seeeee you coming here often. Or, I want to traaavel.
4. Once you complete a heavy sentence/word, breathe.
5. Calm down. When you are interacting with someone, just relax and complete your sentence. Take all the time you want to.

JWB – Your biggest experience with patients?

Dr. Ganga – I also run an NGO where underprivileged deaf children are given free education till UKG. Simultaneously, their treatment goes on. After this, they are integrated into class 1. I see many of them doing well in studies. This is my greatest victory.

JWB – What has been your biggest setback?

Dr. Ganga – Sometimes, these kids don’t continue their education once they move to class 1. Their poor parents don’t bother sending them to schools. We’re responsible to educate them till UKG, after that it is parents’ responsibility. Once I visited one such family in the Walled city. They had 40 members living in 3 rooms. My patient, a 5 yr old deaf kid, was among them who had completed his education till UKG in my NGO. That day I saw him sitting idly in the corner.

Families of such kids think they are useless. This kid didn’t even have battery in his ear-machine. But I can’t blame the family also; they are too poor to afford batteries for him. When asked, they told Rs. 100 per day is their livelihood.

JWB – How do you run the NGO?

Dr. Ganga – Monsoon Accessorize, British private limited company, has been funding the NGO. Because of their help, many deaf kids are able to carry on with a normal life.

JWB – We wish you all the best and hope you cure innumerable people in near future.

Dr. Ganga – Thank you very much. Before leaving, you must meet my Therapy-dog Misty. She can recognize the visiting patient who is depressed or is not healthy. She just puts her head down on their laps and sits with them whenever they visit. She is someone who understands my mission and vision.

JWB – She is so cute. And, she doesn’t even bark. We like!

P.S. Unfortunately, photos of Misty got deleted by a fatal mistake, so we can’t put them here. But we have imprinted image of this wonderful friend in our hearts forever.

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Photographer:  Shashank K Tyagi