A 20-year-old who came to pick me up from home for a function in which I was to distribute prizes to children with ADHD was like any other I thought. Until I struck a conversation with him. As we travelled by the car the college had arranged for me, I became curious about him. "Why did you choose to study occupational therapy?" I asked.
I should probably have known, with so many years' of life experience. But what he said took my breath away. He had scored 86% in class XII and is from Padma Seshadri School. "Even the name is enough to get me a job in a media house," he told me later. I couldn't agree more.
He had applied for engineering colleges and had even got a seat. His father was a small-time employee in a small private company in T. Nagar. "I had to pay Rs. 60,000 to join the course and my father couldn't make arrangement for it," he told me.
Worse was to come. His mother is a home maker and his younger brother, eight years younger to him, has ADD for which he was being treated for several years at the occupational therapy centre. Fifteen days before he joined college, his father died of heart attack and the family had nothing to fall back on. I could see he loved his brother a lot. "He is now a topper in maths in school," he said of his 12-year-old brother.
It was at this juncture that the teacher who was training his brother suggested that he take up occupational therapy. The boy agreed and at Rs. 20,000 a year it was more affordable. His father's friend is sponsoring his education.
He has another year of undergraduate course to go. He has planned his career already. A master's degree in OT and then become a therapist. "All of us classmates together have planned to set up a therapy centre," he told me, hope in his voice.
I have three nephews, all his age and they are all in engineering colleges. Yet, this boy's courage in the face of adversity warmed me up to him. I would like to know what he makes of himself in future. He is looking forward to a promising future. I wish him well.
I should probably have known, with so many years' of life experience. But what he said took my breath away. He had scored 86% in class XII and is from Padma Seshadri School. "Even the name is enough to get me a job in a media house," he told me later. I couldn't agree more.
He had applied for engineering colleges and had even got a seat. His father was a small-time employee in a small private company in T. Nagar. "I had to pay Rs. 60,000 to join the course and my father couldn't make arrangement for it," he told me.
Worse was to come. His mother is a home maker and his younger brother, eight years younger to him, has ADD for which he was being treated for several years at the occupational therapy centre. Fifteen days before he joined college, his father died of heart attack and the family had nothing to fall back on. I could see he loved his brother a lot. "He is now a topper in maths in school," he said of his 12-year-old brother.
It was at this juncture that the teacher who was training his brother suggested that he take up occupational therapy. The boy agreed and at Rs. 20,000 a year it was more affordable. His father's friend is sponsoring his education.
He has another year of undergraduate course to go. He has planned his career already. A master's degree in OT and then become a therapist. "All of us classmates together have planned to set up a therapy centre," he told me, hope in his voice.
I have three nephews, all his age and they are all in engineering colleges. Yet, this boy's courage in the face of adversity warmed me up to him. I would like to know what he makes of himself in future. He is looking forward to a promising future. I wish him well.
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