Interview with Devi Krishna - Hidden Voices NGO Founder

 

Devi Krishna - Founder of Hidden Voices

 Devi Krishna is the Founder of Hidden Voices, a registered non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people with visual impairment and other differently abled. Hidden Voices creates accessible learning resources by converting fiction books, non-fiction books, magazines, and academic textbooks into high-quality audio. The organization also undertakes PDF preparation and accessibility support to ensure content is usable for visually impaired readers. A major focus is making academic books available in regional languages, helping visually impaired students access educational materials that are often unavailable in accessible formats.

Hidden Voices is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala, and has grown into a global volunteer movement with contributors from across India as well as countries including the UAE, the United States, Mexico, and several others. Its founder, Devi Krishna, is a psychotherapeutic counsellor, educator, TEDx speaker, author, and HR professional with over two decades of experience in mental health, education, and disability inclusion. Based in Kochi, she is dedicated to building an inclusive community.

1. Hi Devi Krishna. What motivated you to start Hidden Voices? How and why did you start?

Hidden Voices began in 2019 because of one person who believed in me before I believed in myself. A close friend, Mr. Sudheesh, a visually impaired Higher Secondary Social Science teacher from Malappuram, kept encouraging me to start something of my own. His constant faith in me became the foundation of Hidden Voices.

Through our conversations, I learned that while technology like screen readers, TalkBack, AI tools, and assistive apps have made life easier, academic books—especially complex subjects and regional language materials—remain one of the biggest barriers for visually impaired students.

I started by reading academic books for him and soon realized the enormous effort involved. I often joke that if those readings counted toward my education, I would have earned a gold medal in every subject!

That experience made me realize this wasn't one person's challenge—it was the reality of thousands of visually impaired learners.

2. Did starting out during the COVID-19 period help you find more volunteers? What were the advantages and disadvantages of starting during that time?

Starting Hidden Voices during the COVID-19 pandemic was both challenging and deeply rewarding. Registering the Trust, bringing together committed trustees, and navigating legal procedures without much guidance required patience, perseverance, and determination.

At the same time, the pandemic brought an unexpected opportunity. Many people were looking for meaningful ways to contribute during the lockdown, and volunteers from across the world came forward to read books, review recordings, teach online, and support visually impaired learners.

One of our biggest challenges was building trust and maintaining quality in a completely virtual environment. While many volunteers joined with genuine compassion and a desire to make a difference, others had different expectations.

Devi creates awareness about inclusion at Jain University, Kochi

3. Tell us more about your volunteers and how you onboard and work with them.

Our volunteers are the heart of Hidden Voices. Many discover us through word of mouth. Every volunteer sends a voice sample of their reading. Once found suitable, the volunteer goes through an onboarding process where they are introduced to our reading guidelines, pronunciation, pacing, and the importance of making content truly accessible for visually impaired individuals. They are also introduced to voice recording, audio merging, and audio enhancer apps to do their work.

Hidden Voices Volunteers in Chennai with Devi

We have volunteers who are readers and/or checkers. Quality is at the core of everything we do. Every audiobook is carefully reviewed before it reaches a beneficiary. If a recording has background noise, pronunciation issues, or missing content, we work closely with the volunteer to refine it. This collaborative process ensures that every learner receives the best possible listening experience.

Like every volunteer-driven organization, retaining volunteers over the long term can be challenging, as people often have changing personal, academic, or professional commitments. We are grateful for every contribution, whether it is for a short period or over many years. Volunteering also helps readers improve their communication skills, confidence, and empathy, making it a meaningful journey for everyone involved.

Hidden Voices Vounteers in Mumbai with Devi

4. Tell us more about how Hidden Voices transitioned into an NGO.

Hidden Voices started as a movement in 2019 and was officially registered as a Trust on 11 November 2020. The journey wasn't easy—legal procedures, documentation errors, and limited guidance made the process challenging. Most of it had to be navigated through perseverance and self-learning.

In 2022, Hidden Voices was registered on the Government of India's DARPAN portal, strengthening our credibility and opening doors for future collaborations. Since then, our focus has been on maintaining transparency, building strong systems, and expanding our impact.

For me, an NGO is not built by paperwork alone—it is built by purpose, integrity, and the collective efforts of volunteers who believe in creating a more inclusive world.

5. In how many languages do you read audiobooks now? What are the challenges in expanding to more languages?

Hidden Voices currently creates audiobooks in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Sanskrit, and French (a starter), while also supporting several other languages on request through our volunteer network. Our goal is to ensure that language is never a barrier to education.

The biggest challenge in expanding is finding committed native speakers who can read with accurate pronunciation, fluency, and consistency.

6. Is there something about Hidden Voices that you haven't shared publicly before?

Yes. While most people know Hidden Voices for creating accessible audiobooks, very few know about the emotional and psychological support we provide. As a psychotherapeutic counsellor, I have supported many persons with disabilities who have faced abuse, trauma, loneliness, and the emotional challenges of losing their vision.

One story that deeply moved me was of a visually impaired man from Rajasthan whose identity documents were duplicated and misused without his knowledge. He was wrongly suspected in a criminal case before the truth finally came to light. Watching him struggle to prove both his identity and his innocence was heartbreaking.

These experiences have taught me that disability is often not the biggest barrier—loneliness and exclusion are. Beyond books, our mission is to empower people with confidence, dignity, and independence, helping them rediscover their voice and their place in society.

7. What are the other types of projects you work on for the visually impaired, and how do you reach out to the needy?

Hidden Voices works beyond creating accessible audiobooks. We provide counselling, mentoring, and encourage independent living through everyday experiences like travelling, shopping, cooking, and social participation.

Hidden Voices Listener Manikandan as an RJ in Red FM program 

We reach beneficiaries through referrals from volunteers, schools, colleges, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, community organisations, social media, and word of mouth. We recently had internships with Symbiosis College, SRM, Ramjas, KCI High, Cresent School Dubai, GEMS Kochi, The Choice School, St. Peters and GEMS Our Own English High School, Sharjah – Boys for creating audio. We also had Internships from few other MNC’s.

A visit to Lulu Mall for the visually impaired - https://www.instagram.com/p/DW8trVJiE-w/

8. What is your advice for women entrepreneurs who want to start an NGO?

Believe in your purpose and don't wait for the perfect time to begin. Starting an NGO requires courage, resilience, patience, and integrity. There will be challenges, but every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Lead with empathy, transparency, and accountability. Remember, people don't need sympathy—they need respect, inclusion, and equal opportunities. Success is not measured by awards but by the positive impact you create in the lives of others.

Devi with Mitra Jyothi NGO Founder, Madhu Singhal

9. What are your future plans for Hidden Voices?

Our vision is to grow Hidden Voices into a comprehensive rehabilitation and empowerment centre, offering accessible education, life skills, emotional wellness, career guidance, assistive technology, independent living, and employment support. We also aim to expand our volunteer network, strengthen regional language teams, and build a more inclusive society where accessibility is a right, not a privilege.

We envision a society where disability is never a barrier to success. My biggest learning is that the greatest disability is not the loss of sight—it is the lack of opportunity. When people are given the right support and accessibility, they can thrive. People with disabilities are just as capable as anyone else—they may do things differently, but they can achieve the same goals when given equal opportunities. 

Marathon in Kochi with Visually Impaired and Wheelchair Bound

Did You Know? Devi Krishna has authored a book named ‘Slice of Life’ (available in Amazon) after her elder brother’s demise.  

 

You can reach Hidden Voices here:

Whatsapp Number to apply for Volunteering - +91 8714204851

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiddenvoicescharitabletrust/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiddenvoicescharitabletrust

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenvoices6132

Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/hidden-voices-13b313258/

Website : www.hiddenvoicesindia.org

Email: Support@hiddenvoicesindia.org   

CITAACC Music Club Program at Rehoboth Home for the Mentally Challenged

 

The Coimbatore Institute of Technology Alumni Association, Chennai Chapter (CITAACC) Music Club organised a 2-hour musical program at the Rehoboth Home for the Mentally Challenged on 15^th November, 2025. Around 80 inmates attended the program, danced with joy, and enjoyed the songs. This program was initiated by CITAACC Zone 3 அழகிய Ambattur, as their 4th Social Service Project. 

The CIT music team included Margabandhu, Guru, T.N. Krishnamoorthy, Hari, Velmurugan, and Dillibabu. The female singers were Malathi and Anitha, both from the nineties Anna University music troupe. Vaithilingam of Vaanampaadi provided excellent audio support and also sang. Malathi’s brother Harikrishnan, beautifully whistled the song Raja Raja Chozhan Naan. Sathya Prabhu helped with social media and prepared posters. 

Before the program, Margabandhu crowdfunded on Whatsapp and collected close to 1.2 lakhs from around 50 donors. This amount was used to donate cots, wheelchairs, plastic armchairs, washing soaps, clothes, and many other things requested by the Rehoboth Home.

The songs included peppy numbers like Ranjithame Ranjithame, Nee Pottu Vacha Thangakudam, and Maana Madurai Kundu Maliya. There were also some yesteryears hit songs like Bambarakannaale, Maama Maama Maama, and Thuluvatho ilamai. The inmates requested 2 songs on the spot – Enna Nenache, and Aaatama Therottama – which the singers delivered. The singers also danced enthusiastically and shared their joy. 

The Rehoboth Home for the Mentally Challenged is an NGO founded in 1998 by psychiatric social worker Zoraida Samuel. When Zoraida was a college student, she saw police and people beating a mentally challenged woman who had stolen a fruit from a cart. This incident affected her deeply, and she wanted to help such women in distress. Today, the Rehoboth rescue shelter at Paraniputhur, Iyyapathanagal, Chennai has 195 mentally challenged women. At the Rehabilitation Centre in Somangalam, 85 women are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, piggery, ornamental bird rearing, ornamental fish rearing, areca plate production, and embroidery. They also have 2 special schools for children, a thrift store, and an old-age hospice. Around 153 women have rejoined their families after being taken care of at Rehoboth. 

It was a privilege and blessing to perform at Rehoboth Home, and it gave mutual happiness to both the singers and inmates.

Anyone interested in supporting Rehoboth Home, contact

Binu Jeremiah

Rehoboth Home

Mobile No: 9884189115

NGO Thuli - Helps You to Give Your Rarely used Clothes to the Underprivileged and Needy

Do you have clothes with you that you have not been using for a long time? Or do you have clothes that have become smaller in size or which you won't wear again? You can give such clothes to Thuli. 

Thuli is an organization that acts as a bridge between the underprivileged who are in need of clothes  and the affluent who can give their rarely used or old clothes. The founders of Thuli believe that wearing good clothes raises the confidence of a person and they want to gift such confidence to the underprivileged and needy.

The clothes are displayed in the NGO Thuli shop, and the underprivileged can pick the clothes of their choice for the free vouchers given to them. So, the needy get a shopping experience and also have a choice in the clothes they pick.

People who want to give away their clothes can drop the clothes at the Thuli office at, Shop #12, Ground floor , Gokul arcade, Sardar Patel road, Baktavatsalam Nagar,  Adyar, Chennai - 600020. Or you can get in touch with them by WhatsApp or call using the number +91 6380306662. The volunteers will come to your doorstep and collect the clothes. 

To know more, have a look at the short video about NGO Thuli.

To know more about Thuli and how they operate, click here.

Donate a Book to an Underprivileged Kid - A Pratham Books Initiative

Pratham Books, a not-for-profit organisation, has developed a fund-raising platform to donate books to children.  This initiative termed Donate-a-Book is very active now with its first set of campaigns. The children benefited either belong to a special school, rural library, or are associated with any organization that loves reading books for children. Actually, now is your turn to either run a campaign or donate-a-book. The children get a set of Pratham Books equivalent to your donation amount. Anyone can create a campaign using this crowd-sourcing platform.

Personally, I was happy to run a fully funded campaign for the kids of special school AIKYA. We like to thank the three donors for their magnanimous contribution. For an amount of Rs.7350 raised we are eligible for 200 books from Pratham. 

The first set of campaigns can accept donations for one more week. Click here to view the D-A-B page. Donate a book now :)

Read more about the initiative here. 

A Visit to RMD Palliative Care Centre in T.Nagar, Chennai

Yesterday, I walked into the RMD palliative care centre to chat with the patients. There are 12 beds in the home. And the staff were busy executing their early morning duties. 

The patients have varied diseases and also mindsets. There were quite a few patients recovering from cancer. One such patient was a carnatic singer who sang in sabhas along with her daughter and grand daughter. She was very happy to sing a "Keerthanai" for me. All her children were busy with their professions and so they have admitted their sick mother at RMD palliative care.

There were few people with fractures and one inmate had lived in London. But the challenge for the staff is to adjust with old patients who may be very demanding. Some inmates want to join their families at the earliest. 

"Be Good, and Do Good" was the philosophy of one of the patients. So, it was a happy day and meeting patients with varied mindsets was an eyeopener. Good luck to Dr. Republica Sridhar and her staff in continuing their service for the old and other patients who are in pain.

To know more about RMD pain and palliative care centre, click here. 

Palliative Care - Certificate and Diploma Courses

Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is an area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. Unlike hospice care, palliative medicine is appropriate for patients in all disease stages, including those undergoing treatment for curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases, as well as patients who are nearing the end of life.

The Day i Stopped Drinking Milk by Sudha Murthy

'The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk' is a collection of 23 stories/essays written by Sudha Murthy. Most of the stories revolve around her experiences at Infosys Foundation. All the stories are heart warming, down to earth, and convey a good message. 

There is this strange story about a woman who lives in an unlocked hut in a dry village. She takes care of making hot water for old men who bathe with stones. Sudha Murthy offers to give soap and towels for the people to bathe well. But the woman refuses the gifts and says that she must lock her house to protect the soaps. And that she does not want to provide something just for a short duration. This story tells us that every strata of givers have their own principles/choice, and the lure of money or gifts does not alter their service or mindset. 

Sudha Murthy does not drink tea or coffee and so offers to drink milk at a poor home. When she overhears a conversation, she realizes that you need little milk to make tea  and the woman of the house wanted to preserve milk to feed her baby. Sudha realizes that different people have different needs and our individual interests cannot always be met. So, from that day, Sudha stopped drinking milk 

There are many more stories - one is about a friend with verbal diarrhea, other is about a gossipy colleague,  another is about building ponds, and yet another is about ungrateful and cunning people. As usual, author Sudha Murthy weaves magic with words and subtle humour. She says that the experiences she gained cannot be read from a book or from the internet. That's why they say that 'experience is the best teacher'.

The book with 212 pages costs Rs.199. Go for it. Read the book excerpts here. 

Meeting with Prema of CIOSA

Met Prema of CIOSA and Selva of Eureka over a cup of juice at Fruit Shop on Greams road. The interesting discussion veered towards the bottlenecks NGOs face with external and internal stakeholders.

Selva of Eureka and Prema of CIOSA

* City police refuse permissions for charity runs, marathons, and other NGO meetings in public places. Police also cancel the programs at the last minute. Hope the upcoming meeting on this 20th August between the city police and NGOs will help resolve issues between the two groups.

* Volunteer coordinators sometimes travel 3 hours, only to find that no volunteer has come for the proposed meeting! Sigh!

* Many NGOs do not reply to e-mail communication and respond only when a phone call is made. The motivation to reply to an email has to  increase amongst NGO staff.

* Internal communication between NGO staff about policies, programs, and other critical data has to improve. NGO staff do not have time for knowledge dissemination and transfer.

Ideas about how CIOSA can leverage Social Media for "Connecting the Concerned" were also explored.

Tamilnadu Development Dialogue - Role of Social Media in NGOs

The power of social media is transforming the way in which non-profits accomplish their missions. Although NGOs have started to experiment with social media applications, to many it is still limited and in most cases not part of a broader strategic approach.

 

However, traditional NGO activities such as fundraising and advocacy will directly benefit from the availability of a wide range of affordable online services and applications. Social media play a very important role to advertise their work, and promote participation amongst the community.

Topic: Role of Social Media in NGOs   

Date: August 20^th Saturday

 

Time: 3 to 6pm   

Speakers:  Mr. Ram of Catalyst PR,  Ms. Kavitha Murali of The Week, Anitha Jebaraj - Blogger 

Venue: Ma Foi Management Consultancy Centre, Nataraja Bay Citi Centre, New no 306 (Old no 197), Poonamalle High road, Kilpauk, Chennai - 600 010 Phone: 044 – 6622 7000 (Landmark: Above Maruthi showroom and near Pachiappa’s College)

Entry Fee:The participation fee is Rs.200 for members and Rs.300 for non-members. Students who are pursuing Visual Communication, Journalism, PR, Sociology, and Psychology can also attend the event at a nominal entry fee of Rs.100.

Contact Persons: Please send in your confirmation by email at the earliest to prema@ciosa.org or prasanna@ciosa.org.in or call us to confirm at 044- 65515921 Mob: 8608590071 / 9282339070.

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250593951627458

Confederation of Indian Organizations for Service and Advocacy (CIOSA) is a Non-Profit member based organization located in Chennai. It serves as a facilitative platform where NGO's, companies and individuals with social concern come together for mutual learning, sharing and the collective espousal of social causes.  Please log on to http://www.ciosa.org.in. for more information  . CIOSA organizes the Tamilnadu Development Dialogue (TDD), a unique program to foster better understanding, cooperation and working relationship among various stakeholders in the non-profit sector. Resource people are called from various donor  agencies, resource organizations, corporates, technical agencies, support service organizations, government departments, etc which are actively working towards social change. This program is usually held on one of the Saturdays of the months from 10 am to 1 pm  or evening 3 pm to 6 pm in chennai.

Hand in Hand NGO

I heard the speech of Dr. Kalpana Sankar at the MMA women's forum today. Kalpana is a nuclear scientist and is now the CEO of the NGO Hand in Hand. HiH aims to eradicate child poverty and enhance the life of villagers through microfinance. She mentioned that about 46% of the children under the age of five were malnourished.

Kalpana recalled that she had visited villages were the women in the family would have 50 sovereigns of gold. But will not invest in a toilet worth Rs.6000!! And women in Rajasthan villages would boil water and stones in a pot. They assumed that the minerals from the stone soup would nourish their kids. In Kancheepuram, they manufacture bottled water from the medical waste dumped. Apart from being disillusioned by such strange mindsets, Kalpana had to battle character assassination when she worked for the upliftment of women.

She spoke about the transparency practised in HiH. Even the lowest staff knows the salary of the CEO.

Visit http://www.hihseed.org/ to donate and volunteer.