According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), one in 100 children develop autism. But despite how common the disorder is, Kolkata’s Suresh Kumar Somani and his wife Namita struggled to find proper care and facilities for their son Kalpesh, who’s on the autism spectrum. Spurred by the challenge, the duo resolved to find a solution — not just for themselves, but for the millions who are trying to find proper care for their loved ones.
‘It was our duty to do something’
“We could get very little intervention for Kalpesh, despite looking for options around the world. This made us realise that so many families have absolutely no solutions. Given our financial capabilities, we felt it was our duty to do something about it,” said Suresh.
This prompted the couple to start Amrit Somani Memorial Centre, an intervention centre on Sarat Bose Road. Today, the decade-old centre helps 50 people with autism, aged between 3 and 27, with Kalpesh being the eldest.
The plan for the upcoming India Autism Center
Despite bringing some respite to people on the spectrum, the Somanis were riddled with another concern. What happens to these young adults in the absence of their parents? “These children have amazing capabilities that come from immense focus, but in a specific domain. I have seen a child who can write in Chinese, but has problems with communicating. Someone could be an exceptional swimmer, but might have a problem eating. Hence, we kept thinking about how to help them with their true potential,” Suresh shared.
A not-for-profit set-up
This question pushed him to travel around the world and study several institutions. “While I saw many research and development spaces, teaching schools, residential programmes and vocational institutes, I never found a common ground where they all came together. This gave birth to an idea called India Autism Center, a not-for-profit set-up where all these provisions would be housed under one roof, for the benefit of people on the spectrum and their families,” he said.
Envisaged as a first-of-its-kind autism care township, the 52-acre facility in Shirakol is approximately 17km from IIM Calcutta. It will comprise a daycare centre for children, adolescents and adults, a hostel, a hotel, an administrative wing and a college to train teachers to deal with such disorders. “We donated our ancestral land to this cause. We are currently in the final stages of submitting detailed drawings and levelling the site. We hope to open up initial registrations to parents by the end of this year,” Suresh told us.
The India Autism Center is currently under construction
The Somanis organised two international conferences on autism in Kolkata before the pandemic, bringing in people from across the globe. They are still in touch with the experts and are in the process of tying up with global institutes to further this cause.
“If we have 600 people on the spectrum living in this facility, we will need roughly 1,000-1,500 caregivers, who will have to be trained. We already have a team that is developing this faculty, so that by the time we complete construction in four years, there are no hold-ups,” Suresh added.
‘Our son has been a blessing, because he brought a larger purpose to our lives — to extend help to all those who face similar situations,’ Suresh Kumar Somani said
He expressed optimism at the way things were shaping up, not just with India Autism Center, but broadly in society. “Earlier, people wouldn’t reveal that they had a child with special needs at home, but today people are open to talking about it. There is a fair amount of awareness in the urban space. In fact, everyone we have approached for official permission regarding our centre, have not only given their strong approval but have also empathised with the cause.”
Autism Awareness Month celebrations at the Amrit Somani Memorial Centre
A larger purpose
He adds that with millions of Indians on the spectrum, a lone institution won’t be enough to care for everyone, but it’s definitely a start “I have been through this journey as a parent and know about the things we want to do for our children, but can’t. Our son has been a blessing, because he brought a larger purpose to our lives — to extend help to all those who face similar situations,” Suresh said.
