Sign Language Commentary Unlocks 63million Deaf People in India

Moments, after Virat Kohli gets removed from the game on April 2 between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Lucknow Super Giants, Kinjal Shah's face in the lower right corner of the screen, captures the mood of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
She indicates the stadium with her right index finger by drawing an imaginary circle, then she lets out a scream. She indicates the decrease in noise levels by bringing both of her hands down together, palms down, the following second. The stadium is completely silent, as indicated by a finger on the lips. In only a few moments, the deaf community in a roughly 35,000-person arena gets a taste of what it's like to be completely silent.

Official Collaboration:

In order to incorporate Indian Sign Language interpretation into its feed for this IPL, Star Sports 3 has partnered with India Signing Hands (ISH), a broadcast firm located in Mumbai. A live sign language commentary is being provided for the 63 million deaf individuals in India, many of whom are passionate cricket fans, while the Hindi language commentary is airing. This is the first documented instance of live sports commentary in India using sign language.

Straight from the Horse’s Mouth:

‘When it comes to sign language, expressions are like grammar, Without the expressions, the deaf community will not experience the entire picture. It will look flat and the language will remain incomplete. It will only resemble a gesture. So expressions are important’
~says Mansi Dharmaraj Shah, an interpreter for the IPL.

'We exaggerate our expressions because it helps them understand better. At the same time, it is important to speak to them about the game. It should not just be about what happens around it.'
~Mansi further adds.