A day at the ‘Workshop’

I was just wondering how things link with each other in our day-to-day life. It was around 10:00am I was still in the deep sleep as it was very early in the morning for me to wake up. Then I just got a call from Ms. Sant…, asking me if I can accompany her to the NTV office to meet my sis. I was a bit hesitating to say no and with great difficulty committed that I would love to accompany her. LOL. A small decision taking..saying yes/no to Sant.., turned my dreams come true. I dunno what forced me say ‘yes’….but thank god I have accidentally found my dreams coming true one after one. When we reached the NTV office I dint even go to my sis’s cubicle. We were there in the next cubicle for nearly half an hour discussing an official matter. Our work was done and were about to leave the office. My sis intro’d Sant.. to one of her colleagues and they started gossiping. I was still in the next cubicle. I again dunno what pulled me towards my sis’s cubicle.. I just walked till my sis’s cubicle and was just looking around and suddenly turned back to see if I was right that I’ve seen a poster naming ’AUTISM’. Oh my god.. I was wondering what this very term AUTISM is doing in the NTV office. I was worried all these days because this is really a very much ignored disease in our country India. Not many…not even the parents realize that their child suffers from this particular disease unless he/she is out of reach and advanced. Coming to the reality show I had.. I then went to the poster and saw the lines..’April is AUTISM month but every day is AUTISM day’. I felt happy for the one who quoted it and was looking for its owner. For the first time I was reading about the very NGO Saaburi which works and educates the children with learning disabilities, especially the Autistics. I have jotted down the number, my sis took an appointment for me and I reached them in no time. I spoke to the director about my project AUTISM: Genetic and Molecular Studies. I told her my dissatisfaction in wet lab work and my interest in interactive work with the kids. I told her about myself and gave her my resume. Thank god…she’s impressed. She told me about the MAPLE workshop dated for July 01. I was running out of time to register for it coz I need to talk to my parents, sis and to the organizer of the workshop. I’ve again gone to Saaburi and met a VIP my dream person..the pioneer of AUTISM in India..’Dr.Mythili Chari’, also the organizer of the workshop. I have explained everything and she suggested me to attend the workshop and then decide if I’ve got to join the required special education training or not. The program’s scheduled to be 9-5 on Tuesday. Waking up 9:00am??? OMG. Midnight 9:00am??? Though it’s the toughest job I woke up and went to the workshop. It became hell for me to locate the venue. People with half-knowledge, generally misguide or mistake I don’t understand. I was lost somewhere in the city and it was already 8:55am. I was at the top of my temper. Thanks to the autorickshaw driver, he made me to be at the workshop exactly by 9:00am. Everybody and everything over there was completely strange to me as am new to Special education line itself. I felt a lil bit Okay when I saw the director of Saaburi and Dr. Mythily chari. While in the auto many things went on in my mind. I was thinking if I was taking right decisions till date in my academic life. I was MPC student in my intermediate studies and then did graduation in Biotechnology. Post graduated in Human Genetics and now Special Education. Though it seems to be very complicated in questioning..i found a very simple in answering myself. Yes I’m immensely satisfied with my studies. Because I’ve chosen Biotechnology in my graduation I was able to get introduction to genetics. Genetics slowly became my passion and I’ve even mastered it. Though I’ve less interest in its research side as it’s not interactive with the public. I dint find anything fun doing the research work. Because I’ve done my masters in Human Genetics, I wanted to do PhD as a part of continuation. If I really had the interest in it I’d have gone in to it. May be because of lack of interest I’m not driven to the PhD entrance exams. In one of my posts I was talking about the Santhi ashram kids and my interest in educating them. That’s my driving force. Today at the workshop I’ve in my lifetime for the first time expressed a doubt during the speech. I never had any doubt in Genetics..may be because I never overlooked it. The best day in my life is just today. I wish it comes again. I learnt a lot. I feel like I’ve learnt what I really wanted to. This is so beautiful to see in the workshop how the professionals and parents of autistics were interacting with each other for the betterment of the special education techniques and I’m happy that even I could contribute it from my experiences. It is so lovely and so adorable that people think and explore various techniques to educate the children with development. The kids have motor failure, developmental failure, occupational failure, communication failure etc. facing them, taking them as a challenge and solve the problems give real satisfaction. It’s kind of service to god’s own kids and to the Nation in raising such kids. I dunno haw many of you are aware of learning disability kids. Listening and reading about them is different from seeing and interacting with them. For example I read that autistics have severe temper tantrums and have to be careful while dealing with them unless and until you become familiar to them. I realized it when I first saw them at the Institute of Genetics and Hospital for Genetic Diseases, Begumpet, Hyderabad. I had cold blood when I saw them. Only when people see such children, normal people understand that we are all gifted by god and should use the life properly and meaningfully. Pity them, the kids can’t say anything and do anything properly and on their own. They need support. Autistics can’t even communicate about their needs. They fail to express ang gets frustrated and throw temper tantrums; the parents with no knowledge unnecessarily beat them, shout at them and worsen the situation. They just need some support, they need a helping hand, and they need to be understood by the parents, society and all. Dear friends I wanna express my opinion on one particular issue. One or the other day we will be parenting our kids. Who knows whose child is gifted or what? So I just want you all to be aware of disease. You needn’t have to be aware of its biochemistry and all; just know the symptoms are some major diseases that need early intervention or else the situation really worsens and it may become still more difficult to manage the things. Prevention is better that cure is what I mean. A stitch in time is worth nine is what I believe in.

If I just go back and think what would have happened and how much would I have lost if I said No to Ms. Sant..!huh. Bad thought.

If u think what I said matters..just click the link to know more about autism and other developmental disorder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

Thank you very much for sparing your valuable time in reading this prolonged esay.

Good luck.

SANS.