Brief Life Sketch: Gowroo Somanna Mathanda

Mrs. Gowroo Somanna (Popularly known as gowroo) Born in Kunda, ponnsmpet,south coorg, Karnataka, daughter of lste msdrira I chengappa. Gowroo was the eighth child in the family who was bron with speech and hearing disability. Forunately the encouragement and motivation given by her parents by which she was able to complete her Matriculation from the blind and deaf school at mysore.

She started her tailoring career and worked for five years at Ganapathy Fancy Tailoring Hall in Coorg and she mastered the Art of Dressmaking. In 1977 she got married to sri.Mathanada somanada also a speech and hearing impaired person who was an non-officer in Indian telephone industries ltd., Bangalore (taken voluntary retirement in 1977 through VRS scheme after serving for 27 years).

During her early days in Bangalore she struggled hard for a suitable job but was deprived due to her speech and hearing disability but managed to get a job after five years of struggle as assistant instructor in technical training center for the deaf Bangalore.

In 1987 she started her own business (gowroo fashion designers) she manufactured readymade garments by tranining and employing speech and hearing impaired women. In recognition of her outstanding performance, dedication and her concern to help disabled women to be trained in tailoring at free of cost. She also provided them with a suitable wmployment in her own organisation she was recognized and selected at the national level, for which she was conferred national award in 1995 for outstanding disabled self-employed entrepreneur by president of india shri Shankar dayal Sharma on 3rd December 1995 and on 3rd December 2000 received a prestigious state award from governor her excellency smt.V.S.Rama devi.

Gowroo is the first women with speech and hearing disability, to received a two wheeler valid driving license and she has added many award to her credit from rotary and lions club and also fro kodava samaja for her meritorious service towards welfare of deaf women, also Honouree from lions district governor shri.P.M.Mallya.

Encouragement made her start an voluntary organization,deaf women development trust (regd.)(DWDT) to provide training for women with speech and hearing disability in tailoring and fashion designing and plans to open a training centre and school for deaf children in Kodagu district. Vocational rehabilitation center refers women with speech and hearing disability to her organization for suitable employment. She has trained and provided employment in her organization and has always training and working for the disabled women and so far more than 150 people have been trained and provided suitable employment.

Gowroo,ex-vice president of Bangalore Foundation of deaf women. She is a life member for association of the deaf and a very active member in signers world a branch of sign language department of Dr S.R.Chandrashekar Institute of speech and hearing, Bangalore. Singers world is a platform to bring normal and the hearing impaired people to join hands for a better communication and understanding through sign language.

She plans to take empowerment of deaf women and human right at Bangalore.(New NGO/NPO).