Hearken Café Is the New Deaf-Run, Sign Language-Friendly Hangout

A welcoming atmosphere for the hearing- and speech-impaired in Delhi.

26-year-old Smriti Nagpal is the co-founder of the Hearken cafe. (Photo Courtesy: Smriti Nagpal/Facebook)

Hearken Café is the new sign language-friendly café situated in Shahpur Jat in the national capital. The employees here cannot hear you, but they will make you feel at home with their amazing hospitality and food served with love. The co-founder of the café, Delhi-based Smriti Nagpal, has been running a foundation named Atulyakala for the past 3 years.  It is a social enterprise that is empowering deaf artists through design partnerships and creative collaborations. And now, the multi-talented Smriti Nagpal has come up with another venture, opening up opportunities for the deaf.

Smriti Nagpal has been chosen as one of ‘BBC’s 100 inspirational women for 2015’ along with seven other Indians, and has also won an award from Forbes Asia. She was only 16 when she volunteered at the National Association of Deaf (NAD). It was her way of giving back to society. The young and dynamic entrepreneur has also done the Hearing Impaired Morning Bulletin for the Doordarshan Network.