Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Ma’am was telling another ma’am that our school shouldn’t put children like me with the nor-mal ones. Because of dis-trac-tion. What does that mean?
Our Muse of the Month series this year focus on stories that pass the Bechdel test, and are written on inspiration from a new prompt every month. This month, the prompt was “Normal Is Overrated”, and the story should pass the Bechdel Test, that is,
The fifth winner of our January 2018 Muse of the Month contest is Sadaf Vidha.
The water kept running through the strainer even though the peas had long been washed. Like many things that happen around us, I kept up the act of washing even though the purpose was long achieved. Maybe I needed to get my thoughts straight before I answered my daughter.
She had come back from school and perched herself on the window sill in the kitchen.
“Mumma, what’s a nor-mal?”
She was just seven and while I know integration and inclusion in Indian schools is a bit of a sham, I did not expect her to be so perceptive to that fact at this age. I was wondering what would be a good response. I decided to use the age old technique: answer with a question.
“Who told you about that?”
“Ma’am was telling another ma’am that our school shouldn’t put children like me with the nor-mal ones. Because of dis-trac-tion. What does that mean?”
I sighed. I thought I’d have this conversation with her at a much later time in her life.
I looked at the peas in the strainer. I told her to come to the sink.
“Can you see these peas I’m washing?”
“yeah!”
“Can you see that most of the peas are collected together at the bottom? And then there are some that are stuck here and there on the strainer – near the edges, on the rim and in between?’
“yup, yup!”
“So normal is all the peas that are stuck together at the center and the bottom. Normal is not good or bad, its just what most people are. And sometimes, normal are scared of people on the edges because they are so far from them.”
“I see. But do the peas on the edge and the bottom taste the same?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Okay then”, she said, and grabbed some raw peas to munch on. I normally did not let her have raw peas because they could lead to stomach ache, but today, I didn’t mind.
I admit that it’s not easy to deal with a child who has a learning disability and ADHD, and I’m sure she moves about a lot in the class and gives her teachers a tough time. But I also know that her project was the one that got selected at the national level science competition. I know that she remembers the birthdays of all of her friends, family and extended relatives. She makes hand-made gifts for all of them. I know she has an entourage of cats and dogs in our society compound that she looks after. She may not be “normal” but she is kind and loving and brilliant.
I know that my daughter is meant for great things. Yes, having a “normal” child would be easier and more peaceful. But I choose great over easy. I choose great over normal. Normal is overrated.
Sadaf Vidha wins a Rs 250 Amazon voucher, as well as a chance to be picked one among the top winners at the end of 2018. Congratulations!
Image source: pixabay
read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address