Formation

Click here for AIFD formed

October 4. 1950
On that day, seven deaf youths met in New Delhi in a restaurant and decide to form an Association. They were from diverse places and different back grounds. Mr. Bans Gopal Nigam, the brain behind the idea, was born and brought up in Delhi. So was Mr. Rattan Lal Aggarwal. Both hailed from middle class families. Messers Inder Nath Chopra, Vilayati Ram Goel, Amrit Lal Tondan and Jagdish Sachdeva were from the area ceded to Pakistan and recent migrants to Delhi. Mr. Morris Chukerbuti (not in the picture), son of a top Indian Army Doctor, fresh from U.K. after completing his studies there and brimming with ideas, made up the group.

The only common factor that united them was their deafness -all of them were born deaf and were fired by a zeal to do something to ameliorate the lot of their fellow sufferers.

The Association that they formed was Deaf & Dumb Association, Delhi.

One of the first functions organized by the fledgling Association was to throw a farewell party in honour of General K.M. Carriappa on his retirement as Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army, at New Delhi Y.M.C.A., where Mr. M. Chukerbuti worked. The party was covered by national News Papers. One who read about it in the remote corners of Rajasthan was Mr. Devi Singh Chauhan who had lost hearing a few years back and was struggling to come to terms with the world of eternal silence. He lost no time in establishing contact, through post, with New Delhi Y.M.C.A. and in due course came to Delhi to join this enterprising band.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All India Federation of the Deaf Formed By the Association (1955)

To be a Vice President of the World Federation of the Deaf and still represent a local body was not thought proper and so, hastily, a conclave of deaf was called and Association formed All India Federation of the Deaf (AIFD) in 1955. Association's top office bearers became office bearers of the newly formed AIFD and thus both the organizations worked from the same place and were headed more or less by the same team of office bearers. This embolic cord of common office bearers tied both the organizations for over a quarter of a century.

In Aug. 1955, Association was pitch-forked from local into international arena. Mr. Bans Gopal Nigam Founder Hony. General Secretary was able to obtain a travel grant from the Government to attend the Second Congress of World Federation of the Deaf held at Zegreb, Yougoslavia. He was unanimously elected Vice President of that august body and Deaf & Dumb Association, Delhi acquired international status and recognition, over night.

First National Seminar on Welfare of Disabled was organised by the Government of India and held at, Hakman's Grand Hotel, Mussoorie - Mr. D.S. Chauhan, Officiating Hony. Secretary participates and presents a slew of resolutions which were unanimously accepted.