Through a Different Lens…
April is celebrated as the ‘Autism Awareness’ month the world over. Even in our country, there are various NGOs holding events to create awareness about Autism. Autism is not a disease. It is not something that can be cured by prescribing an antibiotic, nor is it something that can be detected by doing some laboratory tests. It is just a way of being. Some people have sexual preferences that are not what is considered ‘normal’ or typical, and there is nothing much that they can do about it. After a lot of struggle, they are slowly being acknowledged by society but they still have a long way to go to become a part of the mainstream. Similarly, a child with Autism cannot help himself, his brain is wired differently and this causes him to behave differently. They see the world through a different lens, a foggy, fuzzy lens. And the world looks at them through a different lens, a child who is crazy, even mad maybe, and who needs to be institutionalized. But they are just like everyone...