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“I am fond of painting and am learning Kathak. I dream of having a palatial wedding”

In 1995 Asha Bais (58) had a troublesome pregnancy that needed surgery. Doctors asked her to pick a date for the delivery and she chose 15 August. Kopal, now 29, turned out to be a very independent-minded girl indeed. Her developmental milestones were delayed and her hyperactivity complicated her education but she has a range of interests and activities that keep her fully occupied.
 
Both parents are heads of schools in Bhopal: Asha, principal of Government Model Higher Secondary School and her husband, Dr Abhishek Singh Bais (59), principal of Government Nutan Subhash Higher Secondary School. When Kopal was just three she took to art, having seen her father at work (he is a good painter). Asha recalls how she would draw and paint things around her, like a teacup with steam rising from it. When it came to studies, however, things didn’t proceed smoothly. They admitted her to a mainstream school when she was five and the school ordered them to have a caretaker accompanying her since she was hyperactive. However, since she would run about and hit her classmates the school said it couldn’t deal with her because “other parents were complaining”.
 
At Miriam School for intellectually disabled children run by the St Joseph’s nuns, Kopal gained basic literacy. Learning under special educators, she improved remarkably. But after remaining there for seven years Kopal complained at home that the lessons were too basic for her. The same learning methods were used for the whole class, despite the difference in the nature of their disabilities. 
 
Then the Bais family heard about a school run by an NGO called Umang Gaurav Deep. Kopal blossomed here and improved her skills vastly. She cleared the Class 5 exam and with the help of a scribe she passed Class 8 as well. Through IGNOU, the open university, she chose subjects such as computers, music, painting, Hindi, and Home Science and cleared both Class 10 and Class 12 exams with a scribe’s help.
 
Asha remembers how she initially went through an emotional upheaval when she learnt about her daughter’s condition. Her first thought was: “I have never done wrong to anyone so why is this happening to me?” When Kopal would act hyper and hit people, even family members started blaming Asha for not controlling her child’s behaviour. Asha tried everything from fasting to chanting mantras and visiting temples in the hope that Kopal would get better. However, now she says, “I am lucky and blessed to have a child like Kopal. I don’t bother about what people might say.” Only Abhishek’s mother had accepted her grandchild wholeheartedly right from the start and Kopal loves her deeply.
 
When Kopal’s younger brother Rituraj (nicknamed Manu) was born she was a bit jealous of him because she felt he was getting all the attention. He, on his part, was embarrassed by his sister’s behaviour. However as he grew up he understood that she was ‘different’. The siblings have a close relationship. Manu, now 27, works for Ernst and Young in Gurgaon.
 
Kopal pursues her varied interests depending on her mood, and is quick to pick up skills in an activity that catches her attention. While travelling in the school van she came in contact with deaf-mute children and picked up Sign Language on her own. In her late teens she developed an interest in chanting prayers. She once saw a Kathak performance and was so inspired she wanted to learn the dance; along with Kathak lessons she has also started learning to play the synthesizer.
 
Besides painting she listens to classical music and likes to sing. Mughal-e-Azam is her favourite movie and paneer is her all-time favourite dish, followed by momos, noodles and pasta with white sauce. She loves dressing up when she attends functions and designs her own clothes. After having been to a few weddings she has now started asking her parents, “Before Manu brings home a wife, get me married!” She dreams of having a luxurious wedding in a venue that resembles a palace! Umang Gaurav Deep is trying to find a match for her. Asha says god willing, Kopal will find her life partner one day.