GUJARAT: In a world that celebrates speed, perfection, and convention, some journeys are not loud; they are long, quiet battles waged every day. This is the story of four such journeys of Drashti, Dhairya, Dhurva, and Riken. Born with different mental or physical challenges, their stories could have ended in silence. But they didn’t. Because behind them stood mothers who refused to let life write their children off.
Drashti: Born in silence, raised in spirit
Drashti didn’t cry when she was born. Doctors told her parents she was mentally challenged. Physiotherapy and speech therapy became a lifeline, but watching their child go through painful routines was heartbreaking.
Drashti didn’t give up. Neither did her parents. By six, she was walking and speaking. After facing rejection from mainstream schools, she joined a special school. Dance, crafts, garba, anything creative lit her up. Soon, she was winning competitions, earning over 100 awards.
Today, she designs torans, rakhis, pen stands, and other decorative items, which she sells independently.
Dhairya: Marching to the beat of his own drum
Dhairya didn’t cry at birth either. When he finally did cry, the signs were worrying because he didn’t feel pain, couldn’t express discomfort, and lacked basic sensory responses. From just two months old, therapy became part of his life. There were no quick fixes. Progress was slow. But the family pushed through.
School life began in a playgroup, then transitioned to an inclusive classroom at Ankur School in Paldi. And then something unexpected happened: Dhairya found his rhythm.
He fell in love with music, especially percussions – dholak, drums, and bongos. With each beat, he connected to the world around him. His performances became popular.
Even though doctors said he’d always lag, Dhairya kept closing that gap. Today, he has passed his SSC and is preparing for Class 12, while also learning computers and pursuing his music. His mother remains his anchor, rushing from therapy to class to music sessions. Her life revolves around his growth.
Dhruv: Stumbling steps to sports phenomenon
A day after Dhruv’s birth on October 18, 2004, he suffered severe contractions. Reduced amniotic fluid during pregnancy deprived Dhruv of oxygen, leading to neurological issues. At nine months, a second seizure led to an MRI, which confirmed brain stroke.
Despite the challenges, Dhruv learned to sit and walk on time. Speech was delayed, but his mother stood by him, giving up her personal life for his growth.
Dhruv excelled in sports, whether badminton, basketball, or cricket, earning him medals in the Khel Mahakumbh.
In 2024, he represented Ahmedabad in a state-level cricket tournament in Kutch, his journey a testament of unstoppable resolve powered by a mother’s unbreakable devotion.
Riken: Three buses, a backpack, and a mother who won’t quit
Diagnosed with pneumonia at just weeks old, Riken later needed urgent brain surgery. He survived, speech-delayed, weak, and slow to grasp things. But he had a mother who refused to let him slip through the cracks. While society judged, she hustled. Up at 5 AM. Three buses daily. Waiting through hours of therapy and carrying food, medicine, notebooks, and hope. Riken moved to special school, and slowly began to thrive.
Other kids don’t play with him, loud horns still scare him, but Riken still keeps going. And his mother? She still waits outside classrooms, ready with his tiffin and a smile. There’s a common thread running through these four journeys – mothers who stood firm their children and shielded them from the world.