Prasad James cannot hear the roar of the sea, but can paint the beauty of the waves. “I have painted the charming Karwar beach, its waves, fishermen with their boats, tourists, and the beautiful sunset,” James told Global Sisters Report in sign language, translated by his teacher, as he showed his works. The sixth grader is among 48 children currently studying in Asha Niketan (House of Hope) Deaf School, a residential school for children who cannot hear or speak managed by the Sisters of the St. Joseph of Chambery, a French congregation, for the Karwar Diocesan Development Council. The center, founded in 1996 near a beach in Karwar on the Goa-Karnataka border, is the first Church-managed school for children with hearing impairments in Karnataka state’s northern region. It now caters even to villagers of Maharashtra, Karnataka’s northern neighbor. “Children seem to enjoy their silent world, but we really struggle to get into that world,” said Sister Tresa Irudayasamy, one of three nuns who live on campus and teach the stu-dents in sign language. The nun, who’s been the hostel warden for four years, has built a good rapport with the children, but said she still struggles in the classroom to teach them. “We use our universal language of love and care mostly, and it works better than our sign language,” she told GSR with a smile.