It's usual that we choose a profession but it's destiny when a profession chooses you!
"Dentistry" was the only thing that used to resonate in mine and my parents’ mind every time I thought about my future professional goals. A bright student that I always was fuelled the yearning to become one, even more.
But destiny had some other plans! In the crucial year of the 12th board exams my grandfather whom I was very attached with, left for heavenly abode. Right at the same time my best friend happened to move away. It did affect me, so much so that it showed in my examination results.
During the same time the family was going through some financial turmoil as well. Due to these personal and financial constraints the only option I was left with was to settle down for whatever that came my way. It became a common occurrence to hear people say that I being a girl, should have focussed on learning kitchen skills rather than studying ahead as that’s where I “belonged” in the future. Many a times financial help was denied .
If I had been that brilliant it would have shown in the results. You should only dream as much as you are capable of. It somewhere broke my confidence. I decided to move on and take whatever that would come my way. And that was Occupational Therapy; something that I had never heard about nor had anyone else. My mother, a homemaker and my father now a grain merchant, was grappling with life. Earlier he had the both day and night job, working full-time and moonlighting as an auto rickshaw driver. Struggling to provide his family a good life.
With a heavy heart I entered the college and started my studies. Always peeping at the dental department, at their labs searching and reading dental books online. Soon started a constant tug of war between my heart and mind for 5 to 6 years of my studies. While all my friends were enjoying themselves I used to be aloof, depressed and sleepy.
When I started working I realized that the awareness about the profession that I chose was extremely poor. It was as if compromising with the career choice wasn’t enough that the poor awareness added to it. This depressed me all the more.
It was during these testing times that I lost my childhood best friend in a train accident ( the only friend I had). That completely broke me.
Nothing interested me academically and now even socially. To a point where a cheque bounced back and I realised I had forgotten my own signature!
It was in those days when I started working in the field of pediatric OT with kids that helped me heal that badly hurt heart. During that same time I got married.
Working with kids I came to realise that having a child with developmental issues what stressed the parents more were the stigmas associated with them by the society.
I decided to step out of my comfy A.C clinic into public, directly interacting with them about these issues. Unaware that this was gradually giving a direction to my otherwise directionless life. I wanted to bring about real integration of these kids in the society. I started taking free lectures in Govt. hospitals like JJ Hospital, Mumbai, for doctors, speech therapists, special educators, psychologists , etc from all over Mumbai.
I approached pre-primary and play schools to educate teachers about red flags to identify children with issues so that treatment can be started in the crucial years of development.
This didn’t come easy as well. The schools were resistant. Denying the fact that they had any such kids, or saying that they know everything about such things. I used to travel each and every school irrespective of their medium of teaching or board. I used to wait out at times for hours to meet the authorities where at times I couldn’t meet them. It didn’t deter me. I still managed to squeeze time out from my daily schedule of completing household work and clinic, reaching out to schools and taking lectures without any charges. On the occasion of first anniversary of my clinic Pehel Pediatric Therapy Centre, Mulund, Mumbai, I in collaboration with Rotaract club started a month long campaign Nadaan Parindey and did street plays on railway stations and public gardens enacting the plight of kids and the societal outlook towards them, which was highly appreciated and covered in local news channels.
The determination and stubbornness gradually started showing some results. I was nominated, shortlisted and won the 100 WOMEN ACHIEVERS OF INDIA title, which was an initiative by the Ministry of women and Child Development, Government of India. I was also invited for a reception lunch by the PRESIDENT of India in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi along with other women achievers of India on 22nd January 2016.
From forgetting my own signature to giving my first autograph to someone, from going through severe identity crisis to someone coming to me for a selfie..the journey has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride.
Well, the journey doesn't end there, in fact it's now that the actual journey begins! What started as a small clinic is today catering to people not only from Mumbai but also from all over India to even Indians coming down from Canada, Germany, USA as well.
We want to reach out to more and more schools and parents to bring about inclusion of these kids and sensitize the parents about these developmental disabilities and make the world a better place to live touching one life at a time.
People who would want to volunteer for this cause are more than welcome to reach us at kinjalbhanushali20@gmail.com or on our facebook page PEHEL PEDIATRIC THERAPY CENTRE.