Lavina Jagtiani at work. Picture by Rashbehari DasDeepak Roy at the tabla. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

lShe is 23 years old and a budding stylist. She is an expert in giving nails a new shape and colour, having completed various courses in nail technology and cosmetology. So?

Lavina Jagtiani can neither speak nor hear since she was two years old.

lHe is 22 years old and his taal on the tabla is remarkable. In his fifth year of learning, he has cleared all his tabla exams with distinction. He is part of various para bands and kirtan teams and helps support his parents and younger sister. So?

Deepak Roy lost his sight when he was in Class IV.

Two youngsters fouled by fate but fighting every odd to pursue their calling.

Lavina lost her power of speech and hearing very early. But she refused to live the life of a dependant. She completed her basic education and then decided to master her passion for being a stylist.

?Lavina was not like this from birth. She would respond to sound. When she was around two, she suddenly stopped responding. Doctors confirmed that she could neither speak nor hear,? recounts mother Neeta Jagtiani, at their Sarat Bose Road home.

Lavina completed her matriculation from The Oral School of Deaf Children on Short Street and then specialised in styling and beauty. Now, she is working at the salon Eyecatchers.

??My parents always treated me like a normal girl and that is the reason I am leading a normal life now? I have many friends who are like me. But I also have friends who are completely normal. I do not have any problem mingling with them. If anybody speaks in English I can read their lips and comprehend,? Lavina scribbled on a piece of paper.

?Initially, I was hesitant but when I saw her dedication and quality of work I decided to take her in. Two years down the line, she is handling appointments at both our outlets very efficiently,? says Srivardhan Daga, owner of Eyecatchers.

The young beautician hopes to run her own salon, some day. And her mother hopes that her daughter will burst into words, some day.

Deepak Roy?s family lives in no such hope, both his eyes having been permanently damaged 16 years ago. ?When I was in Class IV, I got into a fight with some classmates. I fell on a bench and hurt my eyes. From then, I have not been able to see anything. The shock was such that I gave up my studies and sat at home,? narrates Deepak, seated in his one-room house in a narrow bylane of Andul, Howrah. His father is a jewellery box-maker.

One day, he started taking lessons in tabla not realising that the musical instrument would soon become his lifeline. ?My mother forced me to start playing tabla. I learnt from a blind teacher,? says Deepak, now in his fifth year at Bangiya Sangeet Parishad in Howrah.

?My son was good in studies. We had thought we would educate him as much as possible. But then that mishap happened? I forced him to play the tabla. Today, he is happy playing the tabla and even earns around Rs 500 every month to support the family in a big way,? says proud mother Basanti Roy.

His eyes might not see but they dream big. ?I want to have a music school of my own one day,? says Deepak.

zeeshan@abpmail.com