‘We cannot tolerate injustice’

When Dhaval Shah was 11 his school was visited by members of an NGO just before Diwali They explained the exploitative nature of the firecracker industry in India and that they were made by children just like them This had a lasting impact on Shah now 37 ldquoI have never burst firecrackers sincerdquo he saysHe eventually realised that he perhaps felt the pinch of injustice more keenly than most people because he is neurodivergent Shah has battled anxiety and depression all his life but things changed when his therapist told him that his symptoms seem to go beyond these two mental health challenges In 2023 he was tested for ADHD and began medication for it ldquoLast year I thought I was doing well on my own so I went off themThings got bad with my mental healthrdquo he says ldquoI restarted them in January of this year but I am just taking a break and only concentrating on my health for nowrdquo adds the photographer For most who are neurodivergent staying mum and not standing up when a social injustice is being perpetrated almost feels like being physically choked Social justice crusader Greta Thunberg who has most recently been in the news for her efforts to provide aid to displaced Palestinians has famously spoken about how her neurodivergence is her ldquosuperpowerrdquoThis when coupled with the inability to do something about it leaves many just like Shah more discouraged than the average neurotypical person Shah took a major hit in 2020 when he went back to his native place in Kutch to teach English to more than 50 children in the neighbourhood who were out of school and restless ldquoAfter the lockdown eased I wanted to open a school in my village but there is so much corruption despite making efforts I realised it was not possible to open the school so I came back It has been too painful for me to revisitrdquo adds Shah who keeps getting messages from the children he taught like ldquoWhen are you coming backrdquo Many of them have followed him on Instagram but he recently uninstalled the app given the horrific visuals coming out of Gaza ldquoI will eventually go back to my village one day I need to get better to go and help someone People often think itrsquos the other way around but itrsquos notrdquo he addsSnehal Desai was active almost in every march with regards to CAA in the cityThe flashpoint for many people closer to home including neurodivergent persons was the CAA protests back in 20192020 In fact Snehal Desai a 30yearold physiotherapist was about to fly out to Delhi when the lockdown was announced days before Desai was diagnosed with ADHD only last year and has been through the wringer with medication that initially did not work for her finding some stability only recentlyldquoWhen I was a part of the CAA protest I hadnrsquot been diagnosed with ADHD yet and was working with my therapist for depression and anxiety Until CAA I wouldnrsquot share my opinion very easily Looking at the polarising view it was the first time that I spoke up and started going to protests and being vocal about it on social mediardquo says Desai a resident of Andheri Her opinions cost her friendships and even a few family ties but she does not mourn their loss Instead she talks about the mental toll it took to feel so deeply about an injustice ldquoFor now I donrsquot post much and choose to have productive conversations with people to spread awareness instead of just posting This way I conserve my energy or rather channel it productivelyrdquo she addsSnehal DesaiFor now her focus has been on selfadvocacy which is when the neurodivergent person explains possible reasons for their behaviour which a neurotypical person may not understand ldquoI am now trying to basically selfadvocate and tell people why it takes me time to do thingsrdquo she adds Selfadvocacy has become the key in the neurotypical world to gain more insight into someone who might be dealing with a diagnosis and Greta Thunbergrsquos selfadvocacy has been pivotal for many in the communityBalram Vishwakarma one of the mangers of ldquoAndheri West st postingrdquo has been taking some personal time off social media He tells us that he has been posting less than he used to especially in 2025 and wants to concentrate on mental health ldquoBack in 2022 I was almost on a selfdestruction rampage My friends did an intervention and told me that at this rate I will end up in jail and that theyrsquod rather see me at the therapistsDhaval Shah blue shirt with children whom he taught English during the lockdownSoon I got diagnosed with what but part of my neurodivergence is that I cannot tolerate injustice Which essentially translates into my positioning about issues we as Mumbaikars face For example the assumption that Metro will solve all our problems but the fact is not everyone can afford it or when a community is illtreated and no one says anythingrdquo he says Grappling with these injustices has cost Vishwakarma a lot from a lack of mental bandwidth to difficulty holding down a regular job ldquoI realised that I am unable to do tasks with just ADHD tools and needed medication I have just been on them for a month and know itrsquos still along way to go but itrsquos time for me to earn some decent moneyrdquo he adds in his characteristic Vishwakarma wayHolding down a ldquoregularrdquo job might be difficult for many but a few like Mohammed Ali 29 a resident of Versova have tried to find balance by being a part of something bigger than themselves ldquoI am an engineer for five days a week and on Saturday and Sunday I volunteer with the NGO Robin Hood Armyrdquo he tells us over the phone A selfprofessed foodie Ali would go around the city and experiment with food but it was in the months of Ramzan when his mother took him around to give to the needy that he realised food is a luxury for many kids in the city ldquoThis NGO takes surplus food and redistributes it to children mainly on the weekend because they often do not have midday meals available on the weekend and their workingclass parents would be out at work or in search of dailywage jobs and might not be able to get anyrdquo he addsTayzeemAli is one of those people who gets calls at 1 am and drives out to collect surplus food from a wedding or party ldquoMy ADHD diagnosis happened only two years ago but I knew at a really young age that I saw things differently from other people my age Itrsquos probably the reason that my weekends are as busy as my weekdays If I get a call about surplus food I have to go and give it to the kidsrdquo he addsTayzeem 34 made a shift from photography to helping teachers understand kids who might be neurodivergent and to explain that they donrsquot need to be put in a special school ldquoI myself have autism and the turning point came when I was working as a photographer in Delhi and a family said to me that their son who had similar challenges as mewas lsquolazyrsquordquo he addsldquoI told the parents that he is not lazy he just looks at the world differently and you need to support him and learn how he sees the worldrdquo he says Soon he quit his job and became a fulltime volunteer for a school for special needs ldquoI realised that I donrsquot agree with the thinking that children with disabilities need a separate school So I came to Mumbai and did a twoyear fellowship with Ummeed Child Development Centre and worked with the school services teamrdquo he saysldquoTeachers often tell me that a student cannot sit still I have to explain to them that itrsquos not a bad thing if the child moves around in the one hour of class Itrsquos just that academic structures are so rigid we have to look at them differentlyrdquo he adds We also need to make room for neurodivergents who may not be diagnosed he says his point is that support mdash medicated or nonmedicated mdash is more important than diagnosis ldquoItrsquos not like anyone who might have any neurodivergence needs to have a sort of certificaterdquo he says over the phone Before ending the call Tayzeem tells us that we can give out his contact to anyone who might need help or just a listening ear ldquoI am always there to listenrdquo he saysDeep empathyPriyanka Agarwal Occupational Therapist Autism Intervention Services at Ummeed Child Development CentrePriyanka AgarwalldquoChildren on the spectrum or who are neurodivergent often may be triggered on reading the news especially about crimes against persons with disability or even when they see injustice towards people they love Their empathy runs very deep and it may veer them off course in a day and we try to support them and give them tools to deal with thisrdquoWhat is neurodivergenceNeurodivergence describes individuals whose brains function and process information differently from the societal norm or ldquoneurotypicalrdquo standard Neurodivergent people often have unique strengths and challenges and the goal is to promote acceptance understanding and accommodation rather than attempting to ldquofixrdquo these different ways of experiencing the world