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Flight of Fantasy

  Namita loved to travel . The one with   quintessential wheels on her feet, an eternally packed suitcase and a well used passport , Namita had traversed the length and breadth of the world . From the pyramids of Egypt to the Great Wall of China , from the Great Coral Reef to the Aurora Borealis , Namita had seen it all . The stamps on her passport were her souvenirs , for they reminded her of the lovely time she’d had in all her trips . It was only natural for Namita to choose a career that fuelled her life force ; the insatiable wanderlust and a craving for unusual experiences . She became a travel show host and began getting paid to do the thing she enjoyed doing the most -travelling and talking about it . Soon her show began to top the TRPs and she became a force to reckon with on National TV. Namita enjoyed collecting souvenirs from all of her travels and she had a penchant for collecting pretty unusual ones at that ; not the run of the mill t-shirts and keychains sold in gift sho
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Language Shapes Perceptions ?!

  I have often heard this statement from many stakeholders ; Why is language so important in the context of neurodiversity ? Here we are , talking about a group that , for most part , has been misunderstood and marginalised. Many members of the community are routinely denied access to appropriate education and work opportunities and a quest for accommodations is perceived as a demand for some kind of a special treatment . Healthcare professionals tend to brush off many of our issues under the garb of sensory differences, often making us the favourite target population for weird and unscientific ‘diets, medications and therapies’ that promise miraculous relief and cure .   With so much at stake , shouldn't our focus be on   research to figure out ways and means to alleviate and work around some of these challenges, so that we can learn, work and live to the best of our ability ? Does language even matter in such a context ? I sat down to think about this and realised that it does ma
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But Why?!!

  But Why?! Rekha and Ravi counted every passing minute as they waited for the clock to chime ten. The passage of time took on a different dimension when waiting for an appointment in a developmental paediatrician’s clinic , waiting to be told what could possibly be wrong with the apple of your eye, who was all of two and half years old . Nidhi, the said apple of the eye, stood near the window, rocking , and completely oblivious to what was happening around her . ‘You can go in now’, said the lady who manned the front desk . Rekha and Ravi walked into Dr Shreya’s office with Nidhi in tow. ‘Good morning and please sit down’, said Dr Shreya, even as she observed Nidhi do a quick recce of her room before choosing to go and stand by the window , ‘Nidhi’s EEG and psychological assessment reports have come.’ Rekha and Ravi took a deep breath, bracing themselves for the worst . ‘Nidhi is on the Autism spectrum’, said Dr Shreya Rekha’s world came crashing down when she heard the A word . Her w
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Stealthily Yours

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  It was a warm and still summer night ; the kind of night when leaves on the trees attain a state of inertia that surpasses the stillness of the night , the cicadas are too tired to sing and the owls and bats decide to go on an extended vacation . Bangalore city, once famous for its salubrious weather , was experiencing the identity crisis of the century , prompting its beloved citizens to seek a sleepy and restful succour   Nirmala ,the picture perfect epitome of stealth , headed towards her destination, which was shrouded in a thick blanket of darkness, like a cat on a secret mission ,when the eponymous presence called the human conscience , decided to make its presence felt . ‘What are you doing ?’!’, exclaimed her conscience in sheer exasperation . ‘Nothing that entails such a dramatic response’, said Nirmala nonchalantly . ‘What do you mean by dramatic response !’, yelled her conscience , ‘what you are planning to do is wrong on so many levels’ ‘C’ mon, you are making a minor thi
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The Package That Was

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Ding dong rang the doorbell and I looked towards the main door , startled . I was alone at home and was not expecting anyone . I was not expecting any delivery either , for I had ordered absolutely nothing from Amazon . So , who could it be , I wondered as I quickly logged into my phone to check for visitors notifications from the apartment main gate . Sure enough , there were no notifications . A feeling of intense panic began to grip me and my hands turned clammy even as I heard the doorbell ring again . I took a few deep breaths and went towards the main door . I opened the door ever so slightly and peeped out . Strangely , there was no one , but I saw a big box sitting right in front of the doorstep . I opened the door and noticed that the package was addressed to me . Shocked , I looked around , but there was nobody in the corridor . I looked at the package , my eyes reflecting the turmoil that was going on in my mind . There was nothing unusual about it . It looked like the typic
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Look Beyond the Label

  I am an author -an award winning author of fiction and this is the identity that I own with pride . Incidentally, the process of getting here involved quashing a few widely held myths about non-speaking autism and this is something that I have learned to take in my stride . It is also something that made me think about the ways in which I could use my voice to help parents , educators and the community at large   to understand non-speaking autism and the need for an alternative mode of communication better . I have had the opportunity to interact with middle schoolers   and their educators of a reputed school in my city that is affiliated to the IBO, a government school in my city where the students are children of daily wage workers , the educators of government schools from a neighbouring state and the educators, parents and community at large of a school for autistics in a Tier 2 town in my state , among others , in my capacity as a writer of fiction, who is also a non-speaking  
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The Rendezvous

Chintamani leapt about her room in gay abandon , a spring in her step and joy in her heart . That pretty much summed up her state of mind on days that she would get to meet her best pals Nagaveni and Ratnaprabha. The three of them had been inseparable pals from the time they were wee one year olds. Everybody who knew them also knew that they were as different as chalk, cheese and cherries! Chintamani was a drama queen . Loud and flamboyant were adjectives that were often used to describe her . They say good things come in small packages and Chintamani believed that she was the best gift that the creator had endowed upon humanity . As for her parents, well, they couldn't agree more! That probably explained why she possessed the best clothes , accessories and toys, among the three of them . But Chintamani was not a snob! It did not matter to her that some people perceived Ratnaprabha as the ugly one . Maybe that is why Ratnaprabha’s mom took her to the spa ever so often .Alas, nature
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