Sunil Kumar has trouble pronouncing vowels, especially words starting with the alphabet A. “When you mentioned your name on a text message, I was wondering how I’d be able to say it without a verbal stumble,” he tells this writer over a phone call. The civil engineer from Mumbai has had a stammer since childhood. Stuttering or stammering is a disorder that affects the flow of speech. “Let’s say, I have to buy a train ticket to Andheri; I mentally rehearse saying, ‘Andheri’ a dozen times in my head before the actual situation unfolds because time-bound situations are a trigger.” 

Since the Coronavirus pandemic that made mask-wearing mandatory, Kumar’s challenges have increased. The protective layer that’s aimed at limiting  the volume and travel of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking and breathing, has made daily communication harder than it was. “I sometimes struggle to get my point across. My job involves supervising design on construction sites and dealing with labourers. People can’t tell if I have something more to say, or I am choosing not to respond, because they can’t read my lips anymore or see my facial contortions given that half my face is covered.”