I still remember her facial expressions, I took her out of her shelter home and she was surprised may be ! We were capturing her facial expressions . How can parents abandon such a lovely child? a gift of God? I am sure no parents would want her child to abandon this way, specially a Mother.
She was shouting some meaningless words, we couldnt understand. Was she looking for some known face of shelter home? I showed her camel, I noticed her handflapping continuously. I was told she is epileptic with 80% physical disabilities.
After an hour we reached Snehalaya, a shelter home near Gwalior where she stays. She is around 6 years may be. Her name is Lali.
I came back to Kolkata and did various types of work afterwards. however still remember Lali, I made different clippings of films to appeal to the world that No parents should abandon their child whatever the situations come in.
In the rural belt of India due to lack of awareness and family pressure many parents abandon their special kids. Moms of the rural area have too much family responsibilities, like to take care of the children, household work, to take care of inlaws, father in law, mother in law, sometimes help their husbands in agricultural field too. Inspite of that most of them have no say or opinion in the family. Lali may be a child of such family? Who knows?
We pamper our children, sing song for them, tell fairy tales at the bedtime however children like Lali are brought up in shelter home with other children , may be caregivers lose patience many times. they cant feel even. I wish children like Lali meet their Mom someday.
Even in the rural belt of India many times there are lack of specialists to identify the disability. I knew Lali has multiple disability with epilepsy. After few years when I started studying on autism , I found that Lali's core features are so similar with autism. She didnt have eye contact, hand flapping was there, she was mute however was identified as multiple disailbility.
I wish Autism awareness can be spread every corner of the world, all the states and villages of India and all the children like Lali gets proper therapies one day. EVERY LALI SHOULD BE ASSESSED CORRECTLY AND EVERY FAMILY SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE CHILD.
