‘I had to struggle to own my son...’

Dhruv Halan is special. Very special. And he and his family deserve special kudos for the simple act of survival, which most of us take for granted. Twelve years and counting, every day in this household has been a new lesson in grit and determination and the sheer will to survive all odds.

And the odds sure are stacked up high for Dhruv, who was born deaf and mute, visually impaired and with a strong case of cerebral palsy. It's hard to imagine the tribulations of this 12-year-old surfing for his favourite TV channels, snug in his specially designed chair. But for a child born to a gestational diabetic mother, whose amniotic fluid bag burst four days before the delivery, leading to severe disabilities in the child, the simple acts of eating and toilet training have been Herculean.

The trauma

"Dhruv was born an extremely ugly child and I had to struggle with my own feelings to own him," reminisces mother Aasha Halan.

"Many, including my own family members, suggested giving him away for adoption, putting him in a special home or even getting him surreptitiously killed!" says Aasha.

The battle

But she stuck on there, taking Dhruv for regular physiotherapy, admitting him in special schools and arranging special teachers for him to teach him basic day-to-day survival skills. The result being that today Dhruv can do his own toilet, brush his teeth and even bathe and clothe himself.

"I got a lot of help from NAB's (National Association for the Blind) home-based programme. Their special teachers used to come home and teach him how to take care of himself," says Aasha.

"The learning period was very tough of course. When he was learning to take bath and drink water for example, sometimes he would confuse between the two tasks. If we gave him a little water to drink, he would drink some and pour the rest on his head!" Aasha recalls.

Sister act

Younger daughter, Ashvika, now eight years old, initially used to feel embarrassed about her brother whenever her friends teased her about him. "I taught her to be strong, to hold her own and speak up for herself," says Aasha.

Aasha recounts once on her birthday Ashvika had invited a few friends over. Aasha asked her if she would mind if Dhruv could enjoy the party. No problem said the little sis. What if her friends tease her? "I'll tell them if they have any problem with Dhruv bhaiya, they can leave the party!" Ashvika had said.