Sreekaryam-based M M Chandy Anthraper usually used to send a minimum 25 SMS a day. The ban on bulk SMS came as a shock to Chandy as it was a major tool of communication for this hearing impaired man. As mobile phone is an integral part of people with speech and hearing impairment, the ban has brought unforeseen effects on them.
The hate campaign and subsequent exodus of Northeast people to various states have led to the ban on bulk SMS. Now pre-paid customers can send only 5 SMS per day till August 30. The ban came in to effect in the state on Sunday.
Express queried to Chandy, who is the general secretary of the Kerala Association of the Deaf (KAD). His daughter Simi spoke for Chandy, who said the ban had brought much trouble for people like him. “Daddy usually communicates through SMS. Be it an official enquiry or a personal matter, he communicates through SMS,” said Simi. In view of the ban, members of the KAD convened a meeting to review the situation. However, they could not find a solution for the issue.
Simi said that even spouses of most members of the association are deaf and they mostly communicate through SMS. “If they are late, they would convey it through an SMS. The ban is affecting the day-to-day activities of these people,” Simi said.
After the ban came into effect, Chandy started sharing his mail ID for communication. “However, it is not very effective as only a few use e-mail,” Simi said.
Meanwhile, Kishore, a student of the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH), turned to Facebook for sending messages to his friends as the SMS ban had limited his communication.
Some are planning to switch to post paid service. “If the post paid service is exempted from the ban, then we will switch to it,” Simi said. Most deaf people are beneficiaries of the unlimited SMS offer provided by telecom service providers.
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