In my old school, my teachers always said I was not good at academics. They told my mother that I should not participate in sports, even though I was good at sports. They said, “Let him study. He is not capable.” My parents didn’t know I had dyslexia then.

In the old school, my teacher would read my answers out in front of the entire class. If my spellings or my answers were wrong, she would make doubly sure to read the whole thing out. After that, my classmates would look at me as though I was weird. I remember I was hanging around once. I wasn’t playing or anything but I happened to be really sweaty. My teacher assumed that I had been playing when I was supposed to be studying and marched me off to the principal’s office.

They gave me a “remark” for that. After that, the others started looking at me differently. There was this boy who was an artist. He used to teach me drawing. The others would ask him why he was being my friend. They never played with me. Both the teachers and students at my old school used to judge me.

I left my old school because my teachers were extremely strict. I was a very slow learner. I took time to understand things. They used to hit me, make me stand outside the class.

In my old school, they would stop me from participating in extracurricular activities because I wasn’t a good student. At Sankalp, I get many opportunities to participate in these activities. I am good at giving speeches in English. I play the keyboard.

At Sankalp, they forgive me many things! I am good at making music. I love music, EDM especially. I am good at squash and cycling.

In my old school, my physical education teacher liked me because I was good at swimming. I had even got some medals. But my teachers always said, “He is not good at academics. Let him focus on his lessons.” So, I quit swimming. In that school, none of the teachers knew I was good at drawing. It was only after coming to this school that I started going for drawing competitions.

I am really scared of math. But at Sankalp, I am learning practical math.

I have challenges in writing. I have started writing a little now — at Sankalp. I will get a scribe.

In this school, I write when I am in the mood, when I am happy.

I just get bored with writing sometimes.

I have trouble remembering big words. I make spelling mistakes. I remember the whole story but forget the names of places, people, etc.

I am preparing for the SAT exam. I want to become an English professor. I am aiming to join Cambridge.

I am looking at a career as a DJ.

I am thinking of doing visual communication.

I am going to be a music producer.

When I tell people I am dyslexic, they don’t understand. They think we are special children; they think this is some big disability or a big problem.

Many people don’t know what Sankalp is, what NIOS (* The National Institute of Open Schooling which allows homeschooled children, adult learners and those who want to learn at their own pace to study and take a recognised school leaving exam when they are ready.) is.

I just tell them Sankalp is a special school where they help children who have difficulty learning. Some people think it is a school for children who can’t see or hear. I tell them it is a just a regular, normal school where they teach slowly and take care of us.

When I was in the old school, my parents thought that I was not willing to study. I didn’t know what to do. My father used to say that everyone can study and do well academically. He changed his view only after we met a doctor. That is when he understood dyslexia.

Schools shouldn’t be rude to children like us. They shouldn’t tell other children not to socialise or play with us. Sometimes, in front of other parents, they treat our parents badly. That’s why my father used to get angry with me when I was in the other school.

At my old school, they used to punish us, threaten the other children that they too would become like us if they didn’t study.

The teachers in my old school would tell us we had no future, that we would amount to nothing; we would never become lawyers or policemen.

When people tell me dyslexic people can’t do anything, I tell them about Albert Einstein!

There’s also a well-known YouTuber, gamer and animator who is dyslexic. Those who didn’t want to know him before now want his autograph!

We should always say positive things to children. That energy flow works.