One day Madan Vasishta is deaf — the next, divine. Nothing special happened to him. He experienced no moment of religious clarity…no metaphysical encounter. This is simply the result of the introduction of a new label by the Indian government. Meaning “divine body,” this Hindi word has been adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to identify a person with disability. The idea that one’s disability has, in one semantic shift, become a measure of godliness, is a linguistic change India’s disabled view as a patronizing act — further entrenching barriers between those with and without disabilities. “My ears are not God’s ears,” Vasishta responds.

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