Very often we search for inspiration – travel places, read
books, network at conferences, listen to ted talks …….if we look hard enough,
very often this inspiration is in our very own backyard !
I discovered one such hidden jewel, an inspiring girl, Gauri
Gadgil in our very own Pune ! Thanks Palak Krishnamoorthy for introducing me to
Gauri !
What I read in the media about her before meeting her
1.
Gauri is 25 and has down syndrome
2.
She has won 55 medals in various national and
international swimming championships
3.
She was removed from normal school as other kids
used to tease and even bite her at times, thereafter she studied at a special
school
4.
The award winning marathi movie Yellow is based
on her story and after a 2 year search when they couldn’t find anyone to act in
it, Gauri in her usual confident style volunteerd to do it herself and did a
great job !
When I met her, what I experienced first hand and learned
about her
1.
What Gauri is today is all thanks to the support
and strength of her mother Sneha. Being a mother myself, I cant even imagine
what Sneha must have gone through. Sneha
is so calm, composed and looks like Gauris older sister.
2.
Gauri loves dressing up. Sneha confided that she
never takes Gauri shopping or else she would wipe her out clean with her never
ending shopping demands/ requests. I
could not believe how Gauris face lit up when we gifted her bags, perfumes,
lotions…..made my day to see that smile !
3.
Gauri just completed her BA last year and has
been learning Bharatnatyam for 16 years. How she finds time for this after 6 –
7 hours of swimming every day is beyond me.
4.
Gauri does not like junk food. She only likes
rotis and vegetables. When we offered her chips and cake, she made a face which
most mothers can only hope their kids would make looking at junk food.
Before I met Gauri, an educated, socially conscious person
like me did not know the difference between Autism and Down syndrome. I read up
on it, I explained it to my children. What kids like Gauri need is inclusion
and acceptance and love and nothing really beyond that and yet they rarely get
it, not due to their issues but due to ignorance and insensitivity of the
society we live in.
It is our resposnibility to spread awareness( good work
being done by NGOs Navshitij and Ummeed), support and give a lot of love to
these kids and their parents who have admirable strength to deal with their
daily struggles and yet never give up ! Lets join them in celebrating their
small wins, lets applaud their spirit, lets highlight and felicitate stories of
victory of mind over body like our very own, darling Gauri Gadgil !!
