Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence was held at Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai in September 2005. It was a distinct attempt to bring together the worlds of those who lived in a hearing world and those who lived in a non-hearing world. Sound of Silence was help to mark the International Deafness Awareness Week. The event made possible two major breakthroughs – a day long viewing in a mainstream theatre of totally silent films and a weeklong discovery understanding of Sign Language. Mr. Navin Chawla, Election Commissioner, Mr. Chunkath, Disability Commissioner and Mr. R. Nataraj, Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai were present at the event. Thought provoking backlits and posters adorned the walls of the theatre. The silent films from across the world gave the audience the experience of how hearing-impaired people enjoy movies and this they did to the hilt. The Grand finale of the day was the screening of the silent classic, Light of Asia. Making it an ethereal experience was the live music, specially created by Sriram Parasuram and his orchestra that helped to recapture the exotic flavour of the original silent movie experience.