PANAJI
Desmond Fernandes and Alency are perfect for each other. “I have no regrets that my husband has hearing issues and cannot speak. I am his ears and voice. Since our marriage, we have developed our own sign language to communicate. Desmond has around 120 deaf friends who use a standard sign language, different from ours. We have adapted it to our own vocabulary and created specific symbols for people and objects. We complement each other perfectly,” shares Alency, a former HR assistant at Marpol.
Living in the remote Odshet, Avedem in Quepem, the couple runs a carpentry business from home, helping each other. Desmond, a skilled carpenter, makes wooden furniture and gets orders by word of mouth. Alency, who holds a BBA from Rosary College Navelim, left her job during her pregnancy. Desmond lost his job at a carpentry shop in Benaulim during Covid, and they struggled to support their home and daughter. But Alency sees Covid as a blessing, as it pushed them to develop their own skills and earn a living.
“During the lockdown, we spent real time together, which was a blessing. Before, we were both out working most of the time. During the lockdown, we explored our skills. I convinced him to start making wooden furniture to earn some money. We sold a piece of ready furniture at home, got the seed capital, and bought some wood. That was the start of our business. Desmond made a coconut scraper on order, and the lady who requested it was satisfied. We posted a photo of the unique, personalised coconut scraper, and our friend Evancio Quadros helped us get more orders.”
It was an instant hit, and they received many orders. To date, they have made and sold 150 coconut scrapers across Goa, with more orders coming in. Desmond also excels at wood carving, making typical Goan carved furniture, sofas, chairs, dining tables, cupboards, doors, window panes, key hangers, wall hangings, showpieces, and particle board (plywood) work. “I learnt carpentry at St Xavier’s Academy, Old Goa, where I studied till SSC. We had wood carving as vocational training,” recalls Desmond, who has now learnt to utter words and communicate with others, thanks to his wife’s motivation.
Desmond worked at six places after completing his education. A shy and introverted person, he lacked confidence to start his own business until Alency boosted his morale and inspired him to explore his talent in carpentry. He began to believe in his abilities and started making furniture at home during Covid. “But who would buy it during lockdown, and how to get customers?” was his worry, recalls Alency, who used her contacts to get initial orders.
A very observant Desmond soon began experimenting with his skills and realised his potential. Today, he can make any piece of furniture once the client explains what they expect.
But there were challenges the couple overcame. Alency shares, “I didn’t know about deafness until we met. I initially didn’t want to continue our friendship, but he kept communicating, and I accepted that he cannot speak or hear. We communicated by writing in a notebook. Our families had initial reservations, but they agreed to our marriage, and we married after two years of friendship.”
“We got married in 2016. Today, we have two kids, a daughter and a son. I feel blessed to have brought Desmond out of his shell and to see him move around the world with confidence, even if I am not around. We are still learning many aspects of life, but we will not give up!” concludes Alency.
