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From: Harish Usgaonker
Date: 22 Oct 2011
Time: 09:43:19 -0500
Remote Name: 117.204.139.69
Dear Brittany, Thanks for reading! The answer to your question is already there in the reply to Mr. Megan Sage's comment. I will paste it here again for your convenience: Dear Megan, Thanks for reading my story. Really appreciate your kind words and your keen interest in the Indian culture. Stuttering in India is presently something which is not discussed in open. When people noticed my stutter, they seemed to be indifferent to it, but never asked me about it. Though I personally didnt experience it myself, a few Indian people who stutter have experienced mockery from their peers and colleagues during school and even work. During job interviews, the job interviewers have often expressed their doubts in me because I stutter. But then, eventually I did get a job and I stuttered in that interview as well. Majority of the corporates judge the candidates by their abilities and not by their stutter, unless the job profile demands "fluent speech", like the call center executives or Air Force. Stuttering in FEW SECTIONS of society is also feared to be an obstacle in marriage prospects in the Indian system of arranged marriages. There have been a few cases wherein people who stutter have been denied their righful appraisal / promotion, because of their stutter. Personally, In my career, I have faced no discrimination from my employer because of my stutter. I have volunteered for speaking roles (like client demonstrations and training) and my employer has shown faith in me for such roles. I feel, in India the big picture is, stuttering is not looked down upon, but people who stutter need to initiate a dialog with the people who don't. We need to spread a message that stuttering is OKAY, and we can also talk about it. When I go in public, I don't feel different. I am a member of Toastmasters club, and have done a lot of public speaking in front of the audience. The audience was quite encouraging and supportive. So far, I havent been to US or any other country. But I look to travel in other countries in the future and would love to observe how other cultures perceive stuttering. I hope I have answered your questions. But if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me at : harishusgaonker@gmail.com