Digvijay Raut

NAGPUR: Digvijay Raut is clear about his choices, beliefs and preferences. He doesn’t compromise on any of these. When he went to cast his vote in the recent elections, he didn’t find any leader or party worth it as he felt that none had any pro-people agenda.

Driven by his determination and passion to excel, this young man, an autistic, hasn’t let his health condition come in the way of pursuing his studies and become an engineer.

At 22, he is probably the first autistic student from the city to have completed a degree in computer science this year from the Priyadarshini College of Engineering. He has now set his sights on becoming a data analyst with Google or Microsoft and is aware that these companies offer job opportunities to autistic persons. Working in projects involving artificial intelligence is his second priority.

Digvijay’s parents realized his autistic status only after he was nearing three years of age. They struggled all these years to bring him to the status he now is in. Priya, Digvijay’s mother who works as a programme executive in All India Radio, first approached Dr G Shashikala , a neurologist for her son’s treatment. It was she who told them about his autism . Manisha Dixit helped him with his speech which is incoherent and unclear.

Priya said that 22 years back even doctors were not aware of autism. “I did MSc in clinical psychology and also studied psychotherapy to help my son. Initially, my son would vomit while eating food. He didn’t even know to chew food properly. I would mix vegetable, dal, roti etc and grind and feed him. His speech was completely incoherent. He would remain aloof. He would express no emotions. In fact, he still doesn’t mix much with relatives,” says Priya.

But he does have some friends from childhood and he has maintained the friendship. “Since both my husband and me have shift duties, my daughter Aditi would take care of him. She taught him toilet habits. Husband Deepak never doubted his intentions and helped him shape up to his present status,” said Priya.

Right from his schooling at Paranjape to college, Digvijay says he had very cooperative teachers. “I had to take a drop in second year engineering as my peers were not accommodating. They made fun of me. I was so disturbed that I stopped going to college. But I resumed classes next year with a new batch and here I am an engineer this year,” he said.

The government medical board has put Digvijay’s disability level at 50%. But to any outsider who doesn’t know about him, he in no way appears differently abled. His confidence too is exceptional. He can deliberate on anything from politics to sports to music etc. He is a real foodie and doesn’t miss visiting any new restaurant. His photo memory is too good. He never forgets a place he visits. He remembers the date, time and place of any event in his life so well that he can narrate it exactly as it happened any time. He remembers the names of dishes he tasted in every food joint. He knows to identify almost all countries with their capitals on the globe. He loves travelling to hill stations. He wants to meet Lionel Messi, the football star from Argentina.

Yet sometimes, he says, “I am not like others,”. But he doesn’t compromise on any of his likings. He talks about his own interests and likes and dislikes. He has an aura of his own. “I am what I am. I cannot go by what people want me to be. My mother used to often stop me from exploring equipment. She thought I will ruin them. So, once I blocked the access to Facebook in my computer to prevent my mother from using it and giving her a lesson that I could use computers. She teaches me how to behave in public. I cannot take this. I cannot change for others and why should I?,” he says.

Remembering every bit of his meeting with former president APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Digvijay talks about how he and his sister Aditi had written a letter wanting to meet him. “We were shocked when we got a call from Rashtrapati Bhavan calling us to visit the President. We couldn’t believe our ears. But when we went there we were surprised by the information Kalam had about autism and what he advised my son,” said the mother.

