There's no one I can really communicate with

Ian Stillman

The prison has no facilities for the disabled - so Mr Stillman is spending 20 hours a day in his small concrete cell, sleeping, reading and writing letters.

He says his biggest problem is the isolation caused by his deafness.

"There's no one I can really communicate with so I'm limited to using pen and paper at the moment," he said.

"I'm very limited in my movement. I have asked for a wheelchair so I can be more mobile so I'm waiting for a reply from the authorities."

He was arrested by police last August and accused of possessing 20 kg of cannabis, which he said was not his. The arrest took place at night.

In the darkness, he says, he could not lip read. He says he was also refused a sign interpreter at his trial and found his deafness a major obstacle in the proceedings.

"Because of the lack of communication, I was not able to express what I wanted to say. Even with my advocates I had difficulty in communicating with them," he said.

Model prison

Mr Stillman is English but has made his life in India, working for the deaf. He founded a charity which for the last 23 years has provided training, employment and education for the deaf community.

His main concern, he says, is the lack of support for the deaf here, especially in public life.

"It's the lack of sign language and interpreters separate for deaf people in India. This has been a big concern for deaf people for a long time but nothing seems to be happening seriously about it."

Kanda is described as one of India's model prisons, opened just a few years ago - but in the relentless monsoon rain, it is still a gloomy, colourless place.

Mr Stillman's lawyers are now taking his case to appeal.

In the meantime, the publicity surrounding his case has also highlighted the difficulties faced by many deaf and disabled people struggling to cope in a world still catering exclusively for the able-bodied.