"...throw the ball..."

"...throw the ball..."

"...ball feko..."

"...ball taaka..."

"...ball aapo..."

...cried the little boy, all of the above (in English, Hindi, Marathi & Gujarati respectively) meaning the same thing - Throw the ball back!

It was somewhere in the mid 90s and I was about 12-13. My elder sisters, who were always entrepreneurial had set up a 2-day dress materials exhibition near our home. My cousin & I were just loitering around the gate of the premises when we saw a red rubber cricket ball go past us towards our right side. Almost instantly, we heard the cry from our left. The little guy (looked like around 5 years old) was peeping from outside the gate and continuously repeating the same lines without stopping even for a second.

There was something odd about this kid. He looked different. He talked differently. My mind fetched a word for the kid's condition and the word started with R. A term, which as kids we used loosely to describe the condition (unfortunately no one corrected us for a long time as it is considered a derogatory word) till I learned about the medical term for it. The little boy was suffering from Down's Syndrome. 

In no time, his dad showed up at the gate too, just as one of the elders around picked the ball and went to the gate to hand it over to them. "How come the little champ speaks four languages at such a small age?" enquired the uncle, as he handed the ball over. "My family speaks Marathi at home, my wife is Gujarati. We have a Catholic neighbor and our house help speaks Hindi. Everyone talks to him in their preferred language and slowly he started picking up all the languages. So now he can converse a bit in all the four languages,'' said the dad, with a wide smile. 

I have seen many children affected by Down's Syndrome since then, but I always remember this little dude every time I see someone with the condition. I remember how, in spite of the challenges he faced, he had the ability to do something that many people cannot do without a formal education - the ability to speak in four languages at that young an age.

The picture attached to this post is from a movie that I recently saw. The movie is called "The Peanut Butter Falcon" (2019). It is a heart warming tale about a man (called Zak) with Down Syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler. The special thing about the movie is that Zak is played by Zack Gottsagen, who has Down's Syndrome in real life. The film is authentic to things in his life experience, something we don't see in the media often enough. There is clearly a lot more that needs to be done to get individuals with Down's Syndrome accepted in all walks of work and life. Hopefully, the ever growing awareness around #DiversityAndInclusion these days will pave new paths for these special folks as well.

Hats off to the parents, families & caregivers of individuals with Down's Syndrome. It takes angels around to ensure we don't let these little angels down.

Btw, March 21 each year is observed as World Down Syndrome Day.