The saga of the cochlear implant

Under the aegis of the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, Aditya Birla Group has given the gift of hearing to hundreds of children through its cochlear implant project

Unbelievable but true: we have the highest number of children born with severe auditory impairment. 4 newborns in every 1000 births cannot hear, and every year millions of babies add to our demography. Modern biotechnology has come to the rescue in the form of the cochlear implant, an electronic device that bypasses one’s ears and stimulates the auditory nerve, sending the signal straight to the brain. It works as a permanent cure for hearing disability.

Listen to Padma Shri Dr. Milind Kirtane, among the world’s topmost ENT surgeons, whose record of embedding the cochlear device in children is unparalleled. “Deafness is as severe a handicap as blindness, perhaps worse. In the words of Helen Keller, ‘Blindness separates people from things, but deafness separates people from people.’ Children born with profound deafness are often normal in every other aspect. If their hearing is restored, they can achieve everything that other children can. A cochlear implant is the answer for many such children, but is often out of their reach due to its huge financial implications. By giving them the gift of hearing, Aditya Birla Group has transformed their lives, and the lives of their parents and the entire family. It has helped them join the mainstream of society and become contributing citizens.” His assistant, Dr. Nishita Mohandas, further states, “Aditya Birla Group’s contribution has kindled the spirit of humanity, opening a whole new chapter in their lives. Aditya Birla Group is indeed a powerful, compassionate force for good.”

What has Aditya Birla Group done? From a world of silence, from the inability to hear, to living only on actions, and from this state of despair to transition to the sound of music, sharing stories with one another of adventures and misadventures through speech and sound, is the Group’s one big humble CSR endeavour, under the aegis of the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, chaired by Mrs. Rajashree Birla. The unflinching financial support of Essel Mining and Aditya Birla Capital goes a long way. Each cochlear implant has a huge implementation cost along with surgery.

Parents of over 200 children who were aided with the cochlear implant surgery by Dr. Kirtane, had felt cheated in life when their children were born deaf and mute. They felt that life had thrown them a lot of curveballs. They could not connect with their children. Now, their lives have undergone a 180-degree change for good.

Its touching to see the unmistakable whiff of joy as both parents and children witness the glorious moment of transformation.

The Group’s commitment to the cochlear implant project continues. Furthermore, Aditya Birla Group reaches out to over millions of people through its 24 hospitals, 6,000 medical camps, and other healthcare initiatives. Numbers count a lot. But the gurgle of laughter of these children means much more.

– Dr. Pragnya Ram, Group Executive President - CSR, Legacy Documentation & Archives