Everything happens for a reason!

 

Everything happens for a reason!

Whatever it may be, however bad it may seem, it happens for the larger good. When you look at the bigger picture, it is for the greater good.

I believe everyone comes into this world with a predestined purpose.

I was nearly not born. I am the youngest of three siblings. I remember my mother telling me how she had categorically told her gynaecologist during her second pregnancy to operate on her to make sure she would not have any more children. She had had a very difficult pregnancy and childbirth and did not want to go through the trauma again. But the gynaecologist who was a family friend did not listen to her. Instead, she reasoned with my Mom and told her that it was educated people like my parents who should give birth to more children for the greater good of society. And so, I was born.

They say history repeats itself. My daughter also was nearly not born. After our son’s birth, our cup was overflowing with joy. My husband did not want a second child. But I was insistent that our son should have a sibling. Brother / sister, whatever it may be. Because I had always enjoyed an incredibly special bond with my siblings. I did not want to rob my son of that experience. And so, our daughter Tanaya was born. The family was complete. Or so it seemed!

Life served us a googly. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a journey in the unknown. I soon realised that there was something different about Tanaya. She was like an angel. She hardly cried, but then she hardly laughed or smiled too. Nothing seemed to interest her. It was as if she was born having attained Nirvana.

It took us a long time to come to terms with the fact that our daughter had special needs. There was no definitive cure. No one seemed to have any answers. We practically travelled the world in search of answers. I found some hope when I read Dr. Glen Doman’s book and we visited “The Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential” in Philadelphia. It was as if finally, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. We started a 24x7 intensive home program that was extremely tough on all of us. It was also very taxing for Tanaya. But I pushed her on; we all pushed on as we observed some good changes in Tanaya, in her comprehension, her speech, her balance.

But the program was very demanding. It was physically, emotionally, and financially draining. Logistically also, it was exceptionally challenging as we needed a lot of space, infrastructure and human resources to do the program. I was lucky to have a large home and a supportive family. But it occurred to me that it would not be so for most parents. Especially in a city like Mumbai where you have mostly nuclear families living in small apartments.

And that is when the idea of starting a School was born. The idea of having a school with state of art infrastructure, a clean and hygienic place where I would be comfortable with the thought that Tanaya is spending her day there. My son went to an IB school with airconditioned classrooms, my daughter also deserved the best! My husband Ajinkya went all out to make my dream a reality. In July of 2012, our school, the “Academy of Learning and Development” opened its doors for children with special needs.

Today the Academy completes nine years. Indeed, a proud moment for all of us. Because of Tanaya we got the opportunity to touch the lives of so many parents and children with special needs. This seems to have been Tanaya’s purpose in life. The greater good, the bigger picture that we could not see 24 years back. We were blessed with an opportunity to serve.