Cutting For Stone

I am a the type of reader who loves when an author takes me somewhere I have never been before and, while there, teaches me things I have never known. When they are able to do this teaching without preaching, it is an extra added bonus. It takes a little while–you need to have a little patience as it introduces the numerous main and supporting characters, the place, and the twines of the story. You are fastened. Momentum increases and you are completely absorbed. You know how some novels just possess you? Well, this book kept me captive in my own home for a weekend…

Cutting for Stone is a beautifully written coming-of-age novel weaving family, hospital and house staff, patients, community, disease, and country into a complex tapestry. It incorporates love, lust, trust, betrayal, commitment, emigration, faith, poverty, life, death, hope, dreams, fears, and just about every other big theme you can imagine without ever becoming predictable, manipulative, or cliched. It’s an epic story that feels intimate and cozy and enveloping.

Dr. Verghese clearly loves his own medical craft as well as writing. He handles his characters with utter compassion, never shrinking away from the truth of their dysfunction or destructiveness, yet bringing us along for the glory of their triumph. The best part of the novel was the genuine humanity of its many characters, and the course of their lives.

While reading you will also notice the fine points are painstakingly researched as the story is and packed full of medical jargon and situations along with vivid descriptions of Ethiopian culture and history. I have never been to Ethiopia and I know I never will. When I think of Ethiopia, I have visions of a totally undeveloped country. While I’m sure these visions are partially true, Verghese really opened my eyes to another part of the world in a country where medical teams still strive for perfection without the kind of money that easily flows into many of the hospitals of which we’re familiar. Verghese’s Ethiopia is filled with people who love their country and their food and their smells and their customs. And when a time comes that they leave their beloved country behind, they miss it as much as we would miss ours. There are multiple situations that arise throughout the book where he describes surgical procedures with spot-on accuracy, I assume. In several circumstances they become a vehicle to explain the progress of surgery through the hands of medical pioneers.

The title of the novel Cutting for Stone is a reference to the Hippocratic Oath which states “I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.”. Apparently years ago when people had bladder stones, there were medical professionals called Lithologists, who would cut into the bladder to remove the stone. Of course because of poor hygiene and using the same, unclean knife on multiple patients, many of the patients would succumb to infection. Also of interest is that the three main characters all have the surname, Stone, which sort of leaves the title open for multiple interpretations. By the time you get to the end of the novel, those three words become the poignant portal to the denouement and the thrust of its theme.

If I say too much about this book, I’ll have to throw in a lot of spoilers, and suspense has its delicious rewards in this leisurely paced plot. So I won’t. Suffice it to say, I believe your patience with Verghese will be rewarded with the wisdom you will find woven into the story. It is a brilliant novel which revolves around what is broken – limbs, family ties, trust – and the process of rebuilding them.

Allow yourself the luxury of time to read “Cutting for Stone” without interruption. If you do not, you will find yourself thinking about the
characters and wondering what is going to happen to each one.

P.S. I must say that I found reading this 650 page novel a bit of a chore. It most certainly could have used some heavy editing. Time and again I would look at the page number, and groan.

50 Shades of Grey..is it??

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I read many books in a year. Some I read for entertainment and others to increase my knowledge. Then there is the rare book that does both of those things, plus touches your heart as well. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini does just that. Earlier it took me seven hours for me to read this melancholy story with four parts that eventually overlap. While packing my apartment recently, I packed this novel in my travel bag to re-read, and still it was no less gripping.

The title for this novel comes from a 17th Century poem by Saib-e-Tabrizi which was a beautiful poem written in praise of Kabul. The excerpt from which the title originated goes like this: “One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

But the beautiful poem begins its praise of this city with these lines:

“Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains

And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies

Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes

But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust“

The story and the history are beautifully woven together. Splendid Suns follows the lives of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, as they move from children to adults. The story starts decades before the Taliban came into power in 1996, and ends after the era of Taliban rule.

The book spans 30 years, beginning with the Soviet invasion and ending with the overthrow of the Taliban. It’s difficult to explain more of the story without spoiling the plot, but these two women go from being enemies to unlikely friends. Centuries of embedded traditions and cultural proscriptions cannot be changed overnight, yet never again must the women of Afghanistan be forgotten.

The author paints a stark picture of how much harm religious fanaticism and intolerance can do. But, it also paints a picture of hope that the winds of change can blow cool and refreshing.

Previously, I didn’t know much about the political turmoil in Afghanistan and the various factions vying for power. I knew women had an appalling time living under the Taliban regime, but I didn’t realize how horrible conditions really were. The author holds nothing back in painting a stark picture of what it means to be a woman in a culture where they are valued only for how well they keep a house, and how many sons they produce. A culture where they are subject to the whims of men. Those that value them as worthwhile human beings are welcome oases – they seem to be the exceptions in their world, rather than the norm. I also learned of the natural beauty of Afghanistan and her fascinating history.

This eye-opening read has the power to change your view of the world and your place in it, and that makes it a truly masterful piece of literature. It’s lovely and breathes life into a place very far away from us – in miles as well as spirit. It might make you feel uncomfortable and in some parts you will wish that you could do something; even though you realize that this is a book of fiction. At one point, you will stop reading, close your eyes, and gather yourself as the story hit close to home.

This book is an experience, to say the least!

Misunderstood Spirit of a Champion – Andre Agassi!!

Gulity strikes again when I picked this memoir a tear back but never got to complete it due to work. However, now I did…over a weekend. Just looking at the dust jacket tells you that this memoir is aptly named. On the front cover, Andre meets your gaze directly with eyes that tell you that he is vulnerable and wanting to hold nothing back. The photo on the back shows a sad little boy keeping his eye on the ball, perfecting his backhand but hating and fearing the sport into which his father drafted him.

Most autobiographies, especially sports autobiographies, are just a chronological series of events with insight into each event. It’s usually not new insight and is mostly just filled with platitudes and clichés that the author already gave in press conferences. Agassi’s autobiography “Open” is a metaphor, an invitation into Andre Agassi”s life story, a revelation of mind and soul. And tennis is a metaphor for life, a lonely struggle where we must face our own dragons and demons, and, like Andre, we must persevere in this struggle, win or lose.

This is a book that needs to be read front to back. This is a story about a man who struggled with his identity for three and a half decades before he learned that the secret to life is found in giving, in the golden rule. You read it and think it would make a phenomenal movie, the way it starts at the very end and then flashbacks to the beginning.

Quite a few of us have shared all the ups and downs of Andre’s career over the years, always rooting for him to become the world class champion he did in fact become despite many setbacks. With eight Grand Slam titles plus an Olympic gold medal for tennis, and championships in all four Grand Slam events, Andre has earned the well deserved recognition as one of the all-time greats of tennis. Tennis is a game played by millions of people nowhere near as skilled as Agassi, and most of them probably love it. For them, tennis is an escape from the daily grind. For Agassi, it was the daily grind. Imagine doing something you absolutely hated, for practically all of your life; yet that one thing you hated, you did better than just about anyone else who ever lived. In the case of Andre Agassi- one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived- he hated his professsion.

In a remarkably candid life story, Agassi reaches into the depth of his soul to reflect back on his unsettling childhood, his rise to prominence in the world of tennis, his Hollywood romance, his bout with crystal meth, and finally, his happy marriage. This is a man who came to terms with the people and events who shaped his life, and is sharing his honest perspective with a measure of wit and candor. This is not your typical self-absorbed prima donna spouting off about how wonderful he is, nor complaining about things that didn’t quite go his way.

Agassi has always been known as one of the best analysts of the sport, and has always astounded the press with his point-by-point recollection of matches that had taken place decades before. He tells a captivating story of his struggle to find himself, determine who he really is, and to take control of his life and his destiny – something everyone must go through in this challenging process of life.

Andre tells us that he started playing tennis at the age of 3 and by the age of 5 he was showing an aptitude for the game. He was pushed by his over-zealous father “Pops” who saw nothing but the game of Tennis as the future for young Andre. In fact his father felt that education was not necessary and a hindrance to his tennis practice. Andre could never tell his father how much he hated the game because it was Andre’s responsibility to help his family, and that is what he did. He left school in the ninth grade, something that has bothered him his entire career. His goal was to achieve in tennis. He was enrolled in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where it felt like a prison. In retaliation Andre started wearing earrings, grew his hair long and wore loud clothes. Thus his reputation was born. As his career started to flourish, Andre, tried to keep it all together. He was known as the flamboyant player, the real player. He played the best tennis players in the world, and he was one of the best. He had an eye for the ball, and the ‘tell’ of players when they were about to hit the big one.

A bigger shocker to me than the salacious fact that he was on ‘crystal meth’ (a recreational, performance inhibiting drug, NOT a performance enhancer) for a period of time was that he hated tennis. Life for Andre was tennis and playing the game of tennis was most often a hate-hate relationship that brought many painful memories and emotions to light. I suppose it’s easy to grow to hate something you are forced to do without question. Despite this, he has built a life and a foundation that sponsors a charter school. He gave the first graduation speech and wowed the crowd. A ninth grade drop-out he has achieved success and fame. He has found his life and he has become Open. For anyone who loves tennis, this is a book that will be a fascinating look at the  life of a giant in the tennis world and told in words that best describes him. He finally lives down his famous words ‘Image Is Everything’.

Andre’s story “ends” well, although at age 36 in this book he is still far from his final chapter. He is happily married, with the proverbial boy and girl to raise, retired from tennis, and founder of an educational foundation for underprivileged children that funds a school in his name. A glance at the results of the first class to graduate from his personally supervised charter school – The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy – which draws its students by lottery from those without the normal choice of educational options tells it all. The first class to complete the 12th grade level and move on to college did so this year (2009). The graduation rate in that class was 100 percent, almost unheard of in any school in the country. To top it off, the rate of acceptance of these graduates in colleges, was also 100 percent–a near miracle.

And not until the very end do we find out that Andre paired his eidetic memory with the elegant wordsmithing of a supremely talented ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer. He begins the book with a phrase that could just as easily conclude it: “I open my eyes and don’t know where I am or who I am.” While Andre’s identity crisis is very real and perhaps the dominant theme of Open, by the book’s conclusion the reader senses that he is well on his way to finding out and this gives me hope that he has at least one more book in him for us to look forward to.

If you enjoy memoirs and cherish superb writing, you will love this book. If you are an aficionado of tennis, you will really love this book. If you followed tennis during the Agassi era, you will really, really love this book. You don’t have to be a tennis fan to enjoy this book, although you will certainly get a little bit more out of it. You will grow to love even the long, play-by-play tennis match descriptions. Open’ is the most brazenly raw, heart wrenching, high paced, thrilling memoir I have ever read. “Open” is a journey that I predict will stay with you for a very long time.

Like Andre I feel ” I Just want to play a little longer.” Game, set, and match-Agassi.

‘Jugaad’ fix!!

Wondering what ‘Jugaad’ is, right?? It’s a buzzword in modern use which is easily misunderstood by common people.

Jugaad is colloquial Hindi (Indian language) for an innovative fix or improvised solution which simply needs creativity and imagination rather than expensive experiments. Other countries have their own terms. In Brazil it’s called jetino, which means to make a way. It is genuine creativity performed with cleverness i.e doing more with less. Simply put, it’s a quick workaround to get through commercial, logistic or law issues and not with bribery and manipulation.

So why am I talking about Jugaad? Unlike others, Friday was a hectic day for me as I had a 7 AM flight to catch for a day meeting and then 7 PM flight back home which explains my most recent “biz book” purchase from airport bookshop (a guilty addiction) – Jugaad Innovation.

We all need innovation that is faster, adventurous, able to do more with less and reflect the realities of today’s economic environment. Technology has become obsessed with innovation and “out of the box” thinking and there are companies that make a living on developing such products/services. Even primary and secondary schools hold contests while companies are hosting events for the same. I am totally awed by Google who inspire younger generation to  such as Google Science Fair where recently Brittany Wenger,  a 17-year-old, who built a computer program to diagnose breast cancer. Ofcourse, not a Jugaad but surely an innovative approach. Google RISE is another such platform.

America spent $550 billion on innovation alone last year. In the future, we won’t be able to afford to continue that. Scarcity is the mother of invention. Enter Jugaad innovation. With the drying up of capital, stagnating economy and increased competition from emerging economies, we can’t afford funding our old way of innovating. Jugaad innovation is innovation which does the exact opposite of the managed innovation of the West. It’s nimble, flexible, frugal, DIY, works closely with consumer groups and is inclusive. It helps products in emerging markets emerge–it’s a veritable midwife of ingenuity.

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, says his mantra for success in this new world which he believes aligns with jugaad innovation is: “Be purpose inspired; change comes from the edge; devote yourself to world-changing ideas; emotion leads to action; creativity overcomes scarcity; in tough times you need to win ugly.“

Jugaad can happen anywhere. M-Pesa is an amazing example of a truly transformative innovation in Africa where number of people don’t have bank accounts but they have mobile phones. M-Pesa enables them to do is things that people who have bank accounts take for granted, which is sending money, receiving money, saving money, and spending money.

Since I’m a person who avoids making big changes, I wasn’t expecting to like this book. I love it! It challenged my thinking in a way that nothing has for a very long time. The insights into frugal innovation are wonderful, but the motivation you get from, “If they can do it, so can I!” is priceless.

As the adage goes “A knife in the hands of a thief is dangerous but in the hands of a surgeon is reassuring.” so is the case with Jugaad. It’s the mindset one should look at and focus on the positive, the ones that can make a change.

Check out some amazing innovations from India: http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/7102.html#7102-1.html

Please Note: Your perspective might be skewed if you have read “The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business” or other prominent book on innovation. This book is an energetic and complelling read for someone new to this buzzword.

Sh”t My Dad Says

The title says it all about the language contained inside though, and much of the humor comes from a quite colorful vocabulary. The author, Justin’s story telling method is quick and to the point, which keeps the book all the more engaging and interesting.

When you read the book you really get the idea that the author is learning from his dad, who is admittedly a little rough around the edges, how to be a decent human being. Not every word the senior Halpern utters is politically correct, which is part of the humor, and he obviously embarrassed his son on occasion, but this book seems like a loving tribute to a guy who clearly loves his son even while calling him a dummy. Like MissUnderstood genius, finally, a man who says what he thinks – no political scheming, no worrying about the consequences – this man just opens his mouth and says the first profanity-laced thing that pops into his head. He’s a grumpy old guy with the smarts of a rocket scientist and the mouth of a Kentucky moonshiner. He drops pearls of wisdom in the crassest possible terms, but his comments are always dead on and endlessly hilarious. Although his language is “spicy”, his words carry deep insight and his fierce love for his children shines through all the swearing.

Justin’s dad is not mean, he just tells it like it is. It’s nice to see someone who was not afraid of his own shadow in his own house and who was not afraid to stick up for his son’s when needed-be. A love that inspires his son to recognize and realize his potential even when–or especially when–the s h*t of life hits the fan.

The quaintness and shock value of the fatherly advice in this book distracts from what a clever writer Justin Halpern is, which is actually pretty clever. The sayings are hilarious, crude, and 100% correct; rife with common sense and vulgar perfectionism. (Were Dads wiser years ago? or funnier?)

I’ve been reading the blog and enjoying it, sending and sharing it with everyone I know. I figured the book would be along the same lines – it’s not, it’s even better. If you like four-letter humor that tells it like it is…just get this book and read it!! Afterall, the truth is rarely pretty, and life is not rated G.

Caution: DO NOT read this book while you are eating, especially not popcorn. It is laugh-the-hell-out-loud-funny and if you laugh while you’re eating, you’re gonna hurt yourself.

“Princess” by Jean Sasson (Book Review)

Sometimes a book comes along that puts you in a fog. When you put the book down, you can’t shake the feeling it gives you. This book was like that, which I will probably remember the rest of my life.

Princess is one of those books which I picked while waiting at the airport and then it took its place on my book shelf. I almost forgot about it when recently, someone mentioned this book and I picked it to read over the weekend - I became enveloped in the heart-wrenching lifestyles of middle-eastern women. This book is a biography of an anonymous Saudi Arabian Princess – who has risked her life to tell the tale of life behind the veil of the title is a direct descendant of the founder of the current Saudi monarchy, and has told her story at great personal risk, according to the author, Jean Sasson.

“The history of our women is buried behind the black veil of secrecy. Neither our births or deaths are made official in any public record. The common emotion expressed at the birth of a female is either sorrow or shame.” These sentences describe non-entity of women, lead me to much more shocking crimes against women which, in that society, are not considered to be crimes whatsoever. Some true stories, which show how these incredibly courageous women, can survive in this kind of life, bring the reader to cry and cheer simultaneously. Others, which, sadly, lack the happy ending we could hope for, are gut-wrenching due to the fact that they are horribly true.  It’s sad that in today’s world, some countries still have such an archaic view of women.

The dignity, the souls, and occasionally, the lives of these women are lost throughout the course of the book. The issues that are addressed, such as honor killings, sexual slavery, arranged marriages, and female genital mutilation, all bring to mind the horrors that still exist today. This book describes a culture which treats women like objects of reproduction and servitude. It angers me to believe that women are treated like this in a society ruled by men who fear education and liberation will threaten their pleasure-seeking and hypocritical lifestyles.

The book held me captive as the author described the princess’ life – one that I might add that I am glad I am not living. Many young girls dream of being a princess. Well this is a story that debunks the princess of fairy-tales. I realize that I have really got NOTHING to complain about. I can be a single woman, sitting on my recliner in a pair of shorts and sleep-in shirt, reading this book is a right that some women around the world might never have. As I walked to my car to go to work, I thought to myself – How lucky I am to live in a country where I can walk alone, where I can walk with my face exposed, where I can own and drive a car, and have a job. I can love, wholly. I fear no man, I fear nobody. I am truly privileged.

“I waited for my destiny to unfold, a child as helpless as an insect trapped in a wicked web not of it’s own making.” ~ Sultana, the subject of the novel but an alias name, is truly a symbol of feminine courage and endurance through the struggles women face in the western world every day.

It is very rare that I find a book that moves me, as this one did. Now that I have read this book, I am anxious to learn more about the current state of affairs in Saudi Arabia: Have things improved even the slightest bit in the past 10 years? I am almost afraid to find out.

I could talk about this book for hours and you would still be surprised and horrified when reading it. You will not look at life the same way again. Emotionally hard to read but well worth it.

Caution: Not for the faint hearted.

A timeless classic – Godfather

Just finished reading ‘Godfather’…for the third time. The first time, I was awake the whole night and took a day off from work to complete the book (Ofcourse, my boss laughed it off the next day).

The book is full of delightful characters whose shades of grey have been brought out very well. Attitudes of people who leaves you wondering whether people could ever exist like that. Death becomes cheap. Life goal is ridiculously simple.

The book starts of with a very detailed and well thought about introduction of all the characters. Except the Don – Vito Corleone himself. The whole book has to be assimilated to really know what the Don is all about. There is very little detail about what Don really thinks and believes in. Very little is known about what motivates him. The whole book is a testament to what Don has built and what he is. And the other characters go about and what he is. And the other characters go about describing him to us by what they speak and what they do.

The book is organized in 5 main parts:

1 - Introduces and builds to a great family dispute. We are made aware of the family structure and other details that are important to the whole book.

2 – Talks about Don’s past life…how don became ‘The Don’ and more importantly how he became ‘The Godfather’. This part has remarkable details about how people react to fear without a spoken threat, and what people really are. The section where the don contemplates the power of Fannucci gives you a glimpse of how the Don must have operated to get on top of all the New York families.

3 – Is extremely romantic and is a very good read. This is the section where Michael Corleone spends two years in exile in Sicily.

4 – It gives us an insight on how Las Vegas works. This can be a little dull part of the book. Takes away the pace from the storyline and is not so relevant. What ever crossed the author’s mind when writing this section I will never be able to fathom.

5 – It is about how Michael becomes ‘Don Michael’. We are introduced to new characters and finally the end itself tells us the crux of the book – the journey of a young man from being a conscientious war hero to finally ending up as the most feared mafia chief in the country.

Well, I will make an offer no one would want to refuse – For all of you who have not read or watched Godfather, do not delay further. Trust me, you will not regret it!! A novel, you can’t refuse.

The book has been converted into a movie and remakes have been made until now…but I will be biased…to get the real essence, read the book!

Fun Fact: The most common famous and memorable quote “”I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” was voted as the second most memorable line in cinema history in AFI’s 100 Years.

Calvin and Hobbes is about…

I really enjoy these characters! Simple but so touching! It does to philosophy what high intellectual speculating cannot achieve: touch your heart with the reality of everyday living. A treat every night before falling asleep! Yesssss – Calvin and Hobbes is about…Calvin and Hobbes, my personal all-time favorite comic strip.

Calvin is one kid that no one would ever want to try to raise, and Hobbes is one (stuffed) tiger that no one would ever want to mess with. But these two always have their fun, and they sure do have a hell of a lot of adventures (most with Calvin’s parents): camping, going to the zoo, digging for dinosaur bones, going to Mars, being lifted up in the stratosphere by a balloon, fixing the bathroom sink. Calvin’s adventures remain timeless, his antics winsome, his spirit soaring, with all its poignant observations, philosophical ruminations, and side-splitting hilarity.

His life and the life of his parents are summed up in a cartoon strip when Calvin says, “Golly, I’d hate to have a kid like me.” Oh well, I would love to have a kid like Calvin!! The kind of kid that we all dread and would admire and pay money for when they are an adult. He is funny, smart, outrageous, hilarious, and thought-provoking vivid imaginations which makes you wonder where did he com up with this.

Calvin is a young boy who is always in trouble, yet his problems are a consequence of his tenuous grip on reality. If he can maintain his imagination into adulthood, he no doubt will be very successful as a writer, but as a child, there are strong forces that will strongly dampen his wandering mind. We know that a psychologically awkward kid like Calvin would probably never survive in the real world.

“Do you believe our destinies are shaped by the stars?” Calvin asks Hobbes.
Ever the logical one, Hobbes replies, “Nah.”
Calvin counters, because, “Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not responsible for your actions.”

Calvin had his own four-panel approach to homework, “When I grow up, I want to be an inventor. First I will invent a time machine. Then I’ll come back to yesterday, and take myself to tomorrow, and skip this dumb assignment.”

It brings back memories of childhood and fundamental questions adults rarely take the time to ponder, even for themselves! The entire series is like pizza, it’s deliciously excellent. (I know this sentence sounds corny, so deal with it)

Bill Watterson is a comic genius whose reclusive presence has been sorely missed on the funny pages since his retirement. All we have left are his books. And the last strip that Watterson ever wrote is even more simple, and captures the essence of every strip combined. Calvin speaks the last line of the strip: “It’s a magical world, Hobbes ol, buddy… Let’s go exploring!”

Were you to be sick in bed and need something to make you laugh, this is the best medicine! To be honest, Calvin and Hobbes is for just about anyone.

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Understanding Autistic Individuals

A video of a father battling with insensitive airport authorities refusing to allow an autistic child, Ahed, on a flight ravaged me. I am shocked…Really, in 21st century?? But I am not surprised as there are various myths associated with autism. I am not presenting the Procrustean Bed approach but simply sharing my experience and understanding of them.

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor) Autism is a medical disease – a symptom of a treatable neurological disease that attacks the brain’s immune system. The subject of autism always intrigued me after knowing someone in my extended family.

Having volunteered in an Autistic daycare school for couple of years, at first, it it was very hard for me to relate with autistic individuals but eventually it allowed me to experience a world that I knew very little about. I think, initially, people often misjudge their actions as being rude or cold just because the way they act is different from what “society” is used to. However, that is not fair. If I had judged them in the daycare school, I would have missed knowing extremely intelligent, interesting, and inspiring individuals than I could have ever imagined.

As I learnt more about autism, being Autistic doesn’t mean one is mentally retarded nor does one needs to wear a helmet to keep them from banging your head against the wall. It brings challenges but on its best days, it is a true gift. Understanding them has made me view the world I would be so much poorer without. They color the world differently than we do.

I am familiar with a lot of their idiosyncrasies: the social difficulties, the sensory sensitivities, the unique way they have of seeing the world as ‘outsiders’. It was a wonderful way to walk in the shoes of autistic individuals and experience, if only for a little while, their life – order, quiet, routine, predictability and an internal logic assume incredible importance – essentially how their mind organizes their thoughts. Some fear the people with “differences”. We all adapt to our environments in whatever way is comfortable to us but I learnt how being “normal” is nothing extraordinary. They often amaze us with their feats of memory, typically they lack the communication and people skills to be able to share their stories with others.

While many of us might know someone with autism, we feel alienated, different, unusual and sometimes misunderstand the behavior of autistic individuals, which can seem anti-social or even offensive to them, even if they really wants to be friends. The result of this confusion is often painful for them. They have an extraordinary gift for one or two talents, but are otherwise lacking in customary traits like understanding the feelings of others or being able to perform basic tasks like making change.

Autistic individuals can be blessings of their own, but few (including parents) truly understand this at first. IT IS different and challenging, very much, for the individuals and those who love them. The autistic individuals “hear” and “see” (or not see) things differently. They allow us to see something that we use and think about everyday in such an interesting and unique light.

Imagine being able to learn a new language fluently, from scratch, in a week . . . or what it must be like to memorize and then recite more than 22,000 digits of pi (setting a world record in doing so). Well, Daniel Tammet is such a “super brain”. Through a series of real world challenges and complex number problems, Daniel’s amazing abilities are demonstrated. As the subject of a documentary entitled The Boy With The Incredible Brain (also broadcast under the title Brain Man).

I get lost in thought sometimes, wondering about our brains and how so much is unused and how great it would be to utilize those portions… or I think how great it would be if my memory was able to remember everything… but then I think that would be too much, too difficult… there is perhaps a defense mechanism within most brains that allows us to only see what we need or want to see, so we don’t become totally over stimulated and shut down. It’s people like Temple Grandin and Daniel Tammet who are finally allowing us to see, however brief and unique, a glimpse into the inner workings of their beutiful mind. And what a fascinating journey it is!!

The awareness of autism is spreading across the country and our world like wildfire. Some statistic released few months back said that one of our every 150 births results in an autistic child. The murky origins of this baffling condition are under study.

We should try to understand this as-yet-not-fully understood condition better. We should change the way we look at the disease and create hope that autism–and the 1 in 110 children who have been diagnosed with it–can still be understood. We need to inspire autistic children to cherish the gift they may not know they have, a gift we don’t understand. Such gifts comes with limitations - the limitations often found in the lives of autistic kids. Their life is filled with God’s miracle. It’s time to break the invisible wall which still stand between autistic individuals and the rest of the world.

We should not forget that we too have many abilities that we take for granted, such as our ability to communicate clearly (most autistics don’t have this ability); understand each other; cope with our surroundings etc. We will learn so much from them. We should help them when we can, but let’s not give in to them because of it.

The Autism Spectrum is so diverse and difficult to understand. However, we need to try to get a grasp on how autistic individuals perceives the world around them. Just like we are all unique, one should not expect that autism is a one-dimensional human condition. Autistic individuals are like you and me. They don’t want to be “cured”. They want acceptance.

You might not be personally knowing an autistic individual however if you happen to want to know, pick up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time from any bookstore. I would love to dissect every last bit of that book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who would want to read it. This compact book is dense and rich with detail while still being readable in one sitting. The book, as written by Christopher, has chapters numbered in prime numbers, rather than the normal 1-2-3 order. What a clever way to express how “differently ordered” the Autistic view can be, yet completely logical and neatly ordered within its own rules. Read this book – your world will be richer if you get to know Christopher!! The only time you’ll be disappointed is when you come to the end – that it’s over.