Personal Voices

Autism
A young autistic boy on the left in a red shirt with his father in a striped blue and white shirt in a home balcony
Close Encounters with Autism: A Dad's Journey Of Coming To Terms
Ganesh Anantharaman reflects on his journey as a father of a teenager on the autism spectrum and coming to terms with the toughest question for an autism parent - What after us?  The toughest parenting question My son Ananth just turned 17…
Caesar the dog on the left playing with an autistic boy in shorts and vest
How Our Dog Helped Our Son Engage With The World
Rohini Subramanian Katriar shares the experience and benefits of bringing in a dog into the life of her son on the autism spectrum. Also, tips if you are thinking of bringing in a pet into your family. We are a family of 5 - 2 of us play acting as…
Barnana with her son who is on the autism spectrum. Both are in orange and behind them are blurry reflections in the mirror
"I Realised My Actual Strength Lies In Me, Not Elsewhere"
Barnana Chakraborti was a successful professional before she gave it all up to devote full time to her son when he was diagnosed with autism. Her spirit and positivity are indeed something to learn from as she talks about how she overcomes emotional…
Dhruv Balachander's art in shades of green
Making Life Meaningful with Brush and Bottles of Paint
Dhruv Balachander, who was diagnosed with Fragile-X syndrome and autism at a young age, is a skilful and prolific self taught artist who has created over 100 artworks that have been framed, sold, gifted or displayed. His mother, Vimal, writes about…
I Make Beautiful Necklaces and Hair Clips
Ten year old Advaith who is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with ADHD has become an adept jewellery maker that keeps him preoccupied and independent. His mother Smrithy, who worked relentlessly on teaching him through structured method, now…
Rishi Chowhan a young child with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Autism on a wheelchair with his family standing behind him from Left to Right- his mother, his sister and his father. Picture shows Singapore's Merlion in the background
A Wish For A Magic Wand to Shoo Away My Son's Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Hitesh Chowhan, 52 from Bengaluru, shares the challenges of bringing up his son Rishi diagnosed with Autism and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare disease. The constant struggle to make him independent and as comfortable as possible. And of course…
Kabir Kumtha, a young man with autism wearing a red tshirt standing in front of a table and working with yellow and orange marigold or jhendu, his favourite flower to make torans or garlands
Torans Indicate Good Times Ahead ...And A Cuppa Tea
A chance order by a staff at his vocational centre became a business venture for Kabir Kumtha, a young man with autism. Parul Kumtha, Kabir's mom, founder trustee of Forum for Autism tells us about Kabir's Kreations and helps us with interviewing…
Image Description: Nivriti on the right in a white kurta and red dupatta tying a rakhi on her autistic brother Nishant's wrist. Nishant is sitting and wearing a blue kurta. Looking over both of them is their father in a mustard kurta and grandmother in a blue sari
"Don't Worry ....Be Cool"
is the brotherly advice from Nishant to Nivriti. As part of the Raksha Bandhan series, the brother-sister duo of Nishant, a young autistic adult and Nivriti share what their relationship means to them  Nishant Sriram, 22 is an intern at AMAZE,…
Image description: On the left is Pranav an autistic young man in a red shirt, black hair and on the right is his older sister in a black dress talking of their relationship as siblings
"I Told Ma To Cut The Rakhi Because I Thought It Was Hurting"
As part of our Raksha Bandhan series, Pranav, 18, a young adult on the autism spectrum and his older sister Nikita, 22 reflect on their relationship and their times together - the fun times and the stressful times.  Nikita studied at Hindu…