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shravan

shravan
kumar , tamil
nadu

Head shot of Shravan Kumar (30) lying flat on a white surface, his face towards the camera, his arms folded at the elbows. With a dreamy look, he rests his chin on his right hand which he has placed on top of his left hand. He is clean-shaven, with a round face. His thick black hair is short at the sides with a side parting, and is combed forward with a wave above the forehead.
Mid shot of Shravan facing the camera, against a pale grey background. He sits at a table behind an open black laptop. He wears a knitted half-sleeved shirt with collar, printed in horizontal bands of red, navy blue, smoky grey and white. His mouth is half open as he stares down into the screen.
Shravan, wearing a maroon, sleeveless, cotton knit shirt with a round neck, sits in a brown wooden chair against an ivory-white wall. He sits behind a brown wooden table on which there is a drawing book spread open. Just above the book on the table there are four crayons: red, blue, green and orange. With a yellow crayon clutched in his right hand Shravan is colouring a drawing and is looking at the camera.
Shravan, dressed in grey shorts and black, sleeveless, round-necked, cotton knit shirt, stands in front of a black marble kitchen platform. There is a white mixi on the platform with a small grinder fitted in. Shravan is operating the switch of the mixi with his right hand while placing his right hand on top of the grinder. The white electric cord of the mixi ends in a white plug fitted into a white plastic panel on the white tiles of the wall behind the platform. Higher up there is a polished brown wooden wall shelf with a row of round glass jars fitted with golden metal screw-caps.
Shravan poses with his family, all of them barefoot, sitting on a brown wooden sofa with rust-red cushions. From left to right: father Ramakrishnan (59), Shravan, grandfather Veeraraghavan (89) and mother K. Rama (55). His sister Shreya R (23) stands behind the sofa. The floor is beige marble and the wall behind them, ivory-white with a chocolate brown narrow skirting. Ramakrishnan wears specs and an ash-grey half-sleeved knitted shirt with collar, paired with chocolate brown shorts flecked with white. His right arm rests on the sofa edge and his left arm is draped around Shravan’s back with his hand resting on his son’s left shoulder. Shravan wears a smoky-grey T-shirt and ash-grey shorts with thin black stripes. Veeraraghavan, whose head is bald on top, wears a white cotton dhoti edged with gold zari, and a half-sleeved shirt in a design of grey flecks on a white background. Rama wears a beige top with a Chinese collar, buttons running down the front, and sleeves rolled up to the elbow; this is paired with a long skirt in a scarlet and mustard print. Shreya wears a sunny yellow T-shirt. Her straight shoulder-length hair is parted off-centre. Just behind her a filmy white curtain covers a brown door.
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“Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite cricketer and Thuppakki is my favourite film”

Shravan Kumar (30) follows his daily routine with clockwork precision – rising early, sipping his coffee, practising yoga, and copy-typing on his laptop. He lives in Chennai with his mother Rama K (55), father Ramakrishnan (59), younger sister Shreya (23), and grandfather Veeraraghavan (89). He is loving, and beloved.
 
Cut to the early 1990s. Not such a happy domestic scene. Rama was 23 and Ramakrishna, 28. The newly married couple rejoiced over their firstborn – “handsome, smiling and healthy” as Rama recalls. But their joy turned to confusion when relatives began pointing out that he looked “different”. Even their family doctor remarked that his features “looked kind of mongoloid”. And then the diagnosis of Down Syndrome from a pediatric specialist, with words that pierced them to the core: “This child is a waste. Have another one.”
 
Rama recalls, “I saw my husband crying for the first time that day.” But oh, you mess with a mother at your own peril! “I took a pledge that day,” says Rama. “I am here for this boy.” Remember this was a time when even the medical profession, let alone the general public, was only dimly aware of the many facets of intellectual disability. India passed its first Disability Act only in 1995. “Back then, there was no Google, no WhatsApp groups, no inclusive schools,” Rama says, remembering how she struggled to educate Shravan. “I had to run from school to school. Everyone rejected him.”
 
An article Rama read in The Hindu newspaper about Rekha Ramachandran piqued her interest. She contacted Dr Ramachandran, president of the Down Syndrome Association of India, who gave her the courage to enrol Shravan in a mainstream school. It proved difficult, though. Other parents complained, and teachers voiced concerns that children would imitate Shravan’s behaviour and turn out to be like him! After years of struggle, the family shifted him to a special school – Opportunity School. He completed Class 10 through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
 
Rama had joined her job in the telecom sector when Shravan was three, and kept working for over 20 years. She suggests that, wherever possible, mothers do the same. Parents too should have their “me time”, she says, adding that working helped her learn more and also gave her mental peace. The few hours of “quality time” she spent with her children when she returned home were enough for their development; moreover, her in-laws and parents played an important role in bringing them up.
 
Shreya’s arrival into the world was preceded by a thoughtful decision, taken only after extensive medical consultations. Now pursuing her final Chartered Accountancy exams, she shares a deep bond with her brother. “She is a blessing,” Rama says. “Shravan loves her. They have a strong emotional connect.” At 15, however, Shravan experienced a bout of anxiety. He was later diagnosed with mild depression and sleep apnea – both common among individuals with DS. A psychiatrist prescribed medication, which continues to help him today.
 
A transformative period in Shravan’s life came through fitness. He committed to daily workouts. “Everyone pays a gym fee and doesn’t go. Shravan would go every single day,” Rama says proudly. He lost 10 kg and earned the admiration of gym staff. They even made him the “brand ambassador”, displaying his photograph at the entrance!
 
Shravan stopped attending his adult training centre, which had closed during COVID-19. “He was going out for 28 years. Now he prefers to be at home, doing things at his pace,” says Rama. “Whatever he does, he does diligently. He is more disciplined than any of us. He wakes up at 6, does yoga, types data, prays, and follows his routine strictly.” He does simple data entry and copy-typing on a laptop. “A project once earned him ₹5,000 a month. It gave him purpose.” He maintains a clean room, folds his clothes, and performs all the small acts of daily living that make up his world.
 
Shravan’s sensitivity and affection are mentioned by everyone who knows him. “He’s very social,” says Rama. “He loves people, loves talking to neighbours, even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes.” He shares an especially close bond with his grandfather. When Veeraraghavan fractured his leg, Shravan was visibly upset. “He prays for us all at temples,” Rama shares. “Always it’s ‘let my grandparents be healthy’. And he never complains; even if he has pain or fever, he will just lie down quietly.”
 
To prepare Shravan for the future the family is trying to make him tech-savvy so that he can at least order food by himself – online or from the nearest canteen. The elders say, “We’ll be with him, and then after us, God takes care. Shreya is there to take care of him.”
 
“Every creature on this planet is of some use to life and mankind. That’s how God has created us,” Rama believes. “Shravan has taught us that. He’s our inspiration.”

Photos:

Vicky Roy

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