KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: The people of Kashmir have endured decades of conflict, but one place there faces a daily struggle that goes beyond regional stability. Wayne Gray reports on the silence hanging over a remote Himalayan village.</s>WAYNE GRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the people of one village in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir suffer, they suffer in silence. And when they are joyful, they celebrate in silence. That's because 40 percent of the people in Dhidkai village are deaf and unable to speak a word. The village has been that way for more than 50 years. "The village has had this deaf and mute problem since before independence. Many of the older people who were deaf and mute have died, but still there are deaf and mute people. It's a major problem in our village." There is no idle chatter as women of the village spin their wool. And children learn in silence, as well. Some believe the village is cursed.</s>AMIT, VILLAGER (through translator): We feel very sad about this cruelty of nature that so many of our villagers cannot speak or hear. There is no one who cares about our plight and no one is concerned about us. The government is not doing anything to help us either, so it's a big problem that no one seems to be bothered about.</s>GRAY: Scientists who studied the village found no cure for the deafness afflicting its population. But they do know the cause.</s>SHAILENDRA SINGH, SR. DISTRICT CIVIL SERVANT: I was informed about three months back, after all of the</s>GRAY: Although the silence is overwhelming, some people have found a way to speak out. Census figures show many young people are simply moving away, to areas where idle chatter is a welcome relief. Wayne Gray, CNN.
Silence Hanging Over a Remote Himalayan Village